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John Carter2012 | 132 min | PG-13 | 2.39:1
Utilized as inspiration for countless sci-fi epics (including “Star Wars,” “Flash Gordon,” and “Superman”), Edgar Rice Burroughs’s “A Princess of Mars” has finally found a widescreen translation in “John Carter,” Disney’s massive gamble to build a blockbuster franchise from the hallowed pages of 1917 novel. Enormous in scale and densely plotted, “John Carter” appears to do the source material justice, retaining a pulpy spirit while serving as a travelogue to the far reaches of Mars, greeting inhabitants both reverential and destructive. While possibly impenetrable to the casual viewer, the picture succeeds as grand entertainment, with dazzling technical achievements and wonderfully exaggerated performances of galactic heroism. 
A haunted civil war vet on the hunt for gold in Arizona, John Carter (Taylor Kitsch) has stumbled accidentally into a sacred chamber, where an encounter with a Thern, a holy being, transports the ruffian to the planet Barsoom, a.k.a. Mars. Finding the change in gravity gives him superhuman movement and strength, Carter is soon confronted by the Tharks, tall, four-armed creatures led by the curious Tars Tarkas (voiced by Willam Dafoe). Adapting to this new world, Carter stumbles upon a war between the villainous Zodengas and the educated city of Helium, home to the Princess of Mars, Dejah Thoris (Lynn Collins). Drawn to the noble woman, Carter looks to use his gifts to protect Dejah from a Zodengas marriage, orchestrated by Tardos Mors (Mark Strong), a devious Thern. Jumping into battle despite his own debilitating history with war, Carter looks to preserve peace on his adoptive home, developing romantic feelings for Dejah and a sense of camaraderie with Tarkas. The director for “John Carter” is Andrew Stanton, a longtime Pixar employee who oversaw “Finding Nemo” and “Wall-E.” Making his transition to a live-action extravaganza, Stanton has picked a substantial moviemaking trial with “John Carter,” a cinematic adaptation facing heat from genre fans and Burroughs enthusiasts. Like his colleague Brad Bird (another Pixar vet who commanded the smash hit “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol”), Stanton makes an incredible transition to living, breathing filmmaking subjects, finding his animation training suited to the challenges of “A Princess of Mars.” 
Whisked away to the planet Barsoom via a medallion he spends the entire film looking to retrieve, John Carter encounters numerous life forms on his adventure, both humanoid and alien (who refer to the hero as “Virginia,” mistaking his home as his name -- a funny running gag) in appearance. The Tharks pose a unique challenge for Stanton and his crew, tasked with creating CGI characters that believably interact with Carter and the gang, blending seamlessly into the story. While outlandish in appearance, the Tharks look amazing, animated in a wonderful manner that accentuates their strangeness yet incorporates the entire community without shattering the illusion. The same feeling goes for the creatures of Barsoom, with Carter gifted a dog-like monster of super-speed that follows our hero with loyal gusto and a heaving tongue. Imagining spaceships, cities, and the mysterious “ninth ray” power (a devastating blue glow the Therns abuse), “John Carter” is a large-scale fantasy playground with details galore. Stanton has crafted a handsome picture worthy of intense examination, offering an enveloping feeling of escapism about this strange new world, supported with a propulsive score by Michael Giacchino, who introduces a primitive percussion rumble reminiscent of “Planet of the Apes.” The story to “John Carter” carries quite a load of exposition assigned to explain this world in full, with its Tharks, Zodengas, and ninth rays. Admittedly, the picture is occasionally difficult to follow, throwing an enormous amount of language at the viewer, spending the run time sorting out the labels and facts. It’s an exhaustive film to decode at times, making the full-throated performances from Kitsch and Collins (who both appeared in 2009’s “X-Men Origins: Wolverine”) all the easier to appreciate. Running around half-naked (Collins gloriously bronzed and painted, pulled from the side of a 1977 custom van), the pair leans into their pulp hero poses, providing an engaging impression of sincerity to high-adventure matters that are quite ridiculous to the sci-fi/fantasy outsider. “John Carter” works in large part due to the authority emerging from the actors, able to sell a mouthful of Barsoomian gobbledygook without going cross-eyed. Stanton runs into a few dead spots along the way in an effort to pack as much plot in as possible, but these are minor roadblocks in an impressively paced feature. 
“John Carter” is retro, serialized entertainment with a PG-13 push, dousing the characters in blue blood as they leap and fly to the next perilous encounter. Stanton has constructed a lively picture with outstanding fantasy touches, locating a tone of bravery and vulnerability to generate interest in the experiences of these action figures. Additionally, there are playful bookend sequences with Daryl Sabara portraying a young Edgar Rice Burroughs (Carter’s nephew and chronicler) to stir up the experience, goosing the emotional stakes of the movie. The source material has eluded a great many producers and filmmakers throughout the years, making Stanton’s accomplishments here all the sweeter. He’s found an ideal entry point into the amazing world of John Carter, and while the conclusion doesn’t promise a sequel, I hope there are more adventures to come, ideally with Stanton at the helm. Starring: Taylor Kitsch, Lynn Collins, Willem Dafoe, Samantha Morton, Thomas Haden Church, Mark Strong Director: Andrew Stanton » See full cast & crew |
 
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