John Carter

Originally penned by Edgar Rice Burroughs in 1912, the long overdue John Carter of Mars story has finally been revealed to 21st century audiences in this Disney Movie. It is extremely rare for a movie to capture my attention and hold me spellbound from beginning to end, and yet John Carter did exactly that. It exceeded my expectations. I originally intended to see it in a movie theater back in 2012 when it was shown in 3D/HD. Unfortunately, I listened to the naysayers and believed the movie critics. Much of the criticism from movie reviewers claimed Disneys John Carter was another confusing amalgamation of science fiction mediocrity--albeit with some dazzling special effects. Many fans of Edgar Rice Burroughs (ERB) the author went further by complaining that John Carter himself (actor Taylor Kitsch) wasn't resolute or masculine enough. These same critics went further by chastising Disney filmmakers for making Martian Princess Dejah Thoris(actress Lynn Collins) too strong a character and not the 'damsel in distress’ she was intended to be. Despite the barrage of complaints from ERB purists and 'professional' critics, Disneys John Carter remains one of my favorite science fiction movies of all time--right up there with Avatar and the original Star Wars trilogy. Why did this movie do so poorly in United States theaters when it enjoyed such enormous international success? In my opinion, there are two reasons for this. The first is Disney’s uncharacteristically poor marketing strategy while handling this film. The second reason may relate to the unorthodox casting of an unknown actor (Taylor Kitsch) in the leading role. He did an outstanding job playing the disaffected and recklessly brave John Carter and has since gone on to distinguish himself in other projects on the silver screen. Nevertheless, his relative anonymity as an actor (in 2012) didn't draw in the number of American moviegoers it could have. What did I love the most about this movie? The story! I won't spoil it for you, but I can honestly say that it kindled my imagination in ways few tales have. To enjoy and immerse yourself in this movie, one must we capable of suspending some fundamental disbeliefs and several other 21st century truisms. It is worth noting that in 1912 there was much speculation about the possibility of intelligent life and advanced civilizations existing on Mars and Venus. Our nearest celestial neighbor, Venus, when viewed through the finest instruments of the day was a mysterious world veiled in thick, impenetrable clouds. A beautiful planet from afar, Venus was even theorized to be a lush, tropical planet beneath its veil. Who or whom in 1912 might have believed that someday Venus would be proven to be a lifeless, hellish inferno whose intensely superheated atmosphere was capable of melting lead? The 'canals' visible on Mars then were presumed to have been 'intelligently designed' . .I found the CGI to be seamless and the action sequences never forced or gratuitous; i.e-immensely enjoyable to watch. What is most praiseworthy is that these impressive special effects never detracted from the focus on the main characters of the story as they do in a majority of SciFi movies. This is the main reason why I find John Carter to be a rare find, a gem of a movie, and worth watching again. My favorite character of the movie is none other than the pet Calot of John Carter--a creature named 'Woola'. Woola is something of a cross between an enormous lizard and a dog. His affection and loyalty for his new master (Carter) is heartwarming to say the least. Woola is quite the scene stealer! Arguably the most influential American writer of the 20th century, Edgar Rice Burroughs was THE master of pulp story telling who influenced so much in the SciFi genre of movies, books, and television. His books have remained in print since their inception, and his far-fetched romantic tales of derring-do among the stars and other terrestrial 'lost worlds' of his own creation are as relevant today as they were then. It took 100 years to bring this amazing story to the silver screen, and Disney did it superbly. ERB would be proud if not mesmerized by the mind-blowing special effects and CGI . This is great fun for the whole family and I cannot recommend it highly enough.

I highly recommend this movie! I read the source books many many years ago when I was 18 and at home for weeks with an illness. I read three complete Edgar Rice Burroughs series at one time - the Tarzan, John Carter of Mars and Pellucidar series. I loved the old Tarzan movies, even though they were nowhere near the books as written. I saw an adaptation of the Pellucidar books on TV as a mini-series, I believe. It was pretty mangled but I enjoyed it as well. Cut to first day of John Carter - I eagerly flocked to the earliest show I could get to and was entranced. What a relief - this one, though not getting everything exactly as in the books, had the spirit and sense of wonder I got as a young man reading the books. The production values were great, and the actors very good - especially the actress who played Dejha Thoris, who stole my heart. I recently started watching the first season of True Blood and was excited to see her in that show (though not nearly as much as I would've liked to have seen of her.) I was lucky because I usually try and see movies that I anticipate liking without reading reviews, so I was able to form my opinion and enjoy the experience. I wish everyone had been able to do the same, as the reviews in major news outlets panned the movie. What a shame. Others here on Amazon have done a great job of describing the movie, and so many have talked about the marketing that I won't comment on that. I do have to say that before the movie came out, there were many who were confused because there was a 2009 movie called "Princess Of Mars" starring Traci Lords and Antonio Sabato Jr. that was a straight to video release. I have not seen that one, but have heard it was shot in a very short time on a very sparse budget. The first thing I did when I got the Blu-Ray was to download the digital copy via iTunes. This is a true digital download and not in UltraViolet format. It is just as good on the smaller screen as it was in the theater. I will watch this movie many times. For the unjaded, this is a terrific Science Fiction/Fantasy movie with lots of action and a good story. You may want to watch it before showing it to your younger children, as there is a lot of violence and everyone's tolerance for violence varies.

Let's get one thing out of the way: Disney totally blew it on the advertising side when it came to "John Carter," a Grade-A family adventure film, which is why it was so difficult to get folks into the theater in the US. However, this same film was No.1 across Europe for 2-3 weeks, breaking box office records in several countries, so the European marketing team certainly knew what draws people into theaters (and it is not posters of white apes and silhouetted Tharks of all things)! People want to see the winsome Princess Dejah Thoris (Lynn Collins) and the handsome hero, Taylor Kitsch (the incorrigibly charming "Gambit" from "X-Men Origins: Wolverine"). There's no denying that Taylor Kitsch is THE action star of the year, what with three starring film roles in the first half of 2012. There's also no debate that "John Carter" has more heart, excitement, action and thrills than any other adventure film in many years. I've seen this film 38 times in the cinema (yep!) during the theatrical release and I couldn't wait to have it to watch any time I please. All of the performances are fabulous, from our world-weary yet bound-by-honor ex-Cavalryman (Kitsch) who is transported to the world of 1863 Mars (locals call it "Barsoom"), to the merciless plunderer, Sab Than (Dominic West), to the villainous mystic, Matai Shang (Mark Strong). There's also Lynn Collins as the most intelligent, valiant and lovely Disney princess of all, Dejah Thoris, a worthy Princess Of Mars, and the clever and dashing Kantos Kan, played by James Purefoy. Willem Dafoe is wonderfully warm as the Tharks' Jeddak (ruler) Tars Tarkas, played in perfect opposition to the cold and ruthless Tal Hajus (Thomas Haden-Church); this tandem is matched on the feminine side by the pure-hearted Sola (Samantha Morton) plagued by her evil nemesis Sarkoja (Polly Walker). And then there's everyone's favorite lizard-meets-dog, the playful Woola, who lavishes his protection (and slobbering) on his beloved John Carter. The PG-13 rating is mainly for a brief scene of torture which might upset small children, but while it might be unsettling, it is handled quickly and is there solely to advance the subplot. There is a very minor amount of cursing (nothing by comparison to most films these days) and, for any squeamish boys in your home, very little of the mushy stuff. "John Carter" is truly a most perfect action/adventure film for the entire family, beautifully translated from the novel of 100 years ago. Here's hoping for a couple of sequels because viewers will want to travel back to Barsoom along with Captain John Carter again and again.

This film exceeded my expectations, it was great and deserved to do a lot better in the box office than it did.

Dass John Carter im Kino lief, zog irgendwie völlig an mir vorbei. Ich hab höchstens 1-2 Mal den Namen gehört, aber dann war der Name wieder weg und ich hatte nichts was bei mir irgendein Interesse hätte aufbauen können. Leider! Denn vor kurzem wurde ich von einem Kollegen auf den Film angesprochen. Er erzählte mir ein wenig über die Hintergründe der Geschichte, und um was für eine Art von Film es sich handelt. Ich war hellhörig. Es begab sich dass ich wenig später bei ihm Zuhause war, da ich etwas abholen musste, und zu diesem Zeitpunkt John Carter auf seinem TV lief. WOW! Von den ersten Bildern die ich sah war Neugier da. Ich war Fasziniert und wollte mehr! Ich konnte meinen Kollegen der den Film grade erst selbst erworben und eingeschaltet hat schlecht Fragen ob er ihn mir sofort leiht. Also habe ich ihn mir gleich danach, da ich sowieso in die Innenstadt musste, gekauft! Ich habe ihn mir angeschaut und ich war verliebt! Verliebt in die Atmosphäre die der Film geschaffen hat. Verliebt in das Gefühl was ich hatte, als ich diesen Film sah, der mich in meine Jugend zurückversetzt hat. Es war wie der Abenteuerfilm den ich schonmein ganzes Leben kannte. John Carter muss nicht absolut tiefgründig oder logisch sein um mich trotzdem vollends zu begeistern! Denn irgendwie gerade dieses Einfache an diesem Film ist es was mich so mitgerissen hat. Der Film springt (im wahrsten Sinne des Wortes ;) vor sich hin und man kann sich treiben lassen. Er bereitet zu jeder Zeit Freude und Begeisterung. Es fällt mir schwer mich zu konkretisieren, aber ich glaube es ist einfach das Gesamtbild dieser Geschichte kombiniert mit der tollen Darstellung die diesen Film für mich so besonders macht. Er hat sehr viele Elemente die ich schon als Kind an Filmen liebte. Da ist der gebrochene Held, der nur seinen Frieden finden will, aber dann doch zu einer neuen Bestimmung und einem neuen Sinn in seinem Leben findet. Die Prinzessin bei welcher man durchaus nachvollziehen kann dass sich John Carter in sie verliebt ;). Dann gibt es die Sympathischen Außerirdischen Helden, welche eine im Laufe des Films ans Herz wachsen. Besonders Woola, ein Wesen, was im ersten Moment an ein Hund erinnert mit seiner treuen und naiven Art. Und Last but not Least der Hauptantagonist Matai Shang, den es gilt zu besiegen, oder zumindest zu überlisten, um die Prinzessin zu retten. Im Laufe des Films entstehen immer wieder durchaus interessante aber auch witzige Situationen. Emotional sehr stark ist die Szene in welcher John Carter an seine Familie erinnert wird und sich dann entscheidet zu Kämpfen statt weg zu laufen. Dazu muss man sagen ist der Soundtrack wirklich optimal gelungen, denn dieser macht gerade solche Szenen so nachhaltig. Man erinnert sich auch nach dem Film an eben solche Szenen. Inzwischen habe ich den Film 3 Mal gesehen. Ich liebe ihn einfach. Meine Frau ist auch begeistert davon. Und wenn meine Tochter etwas älter ist (erst 16 Monate alt), dann wird sie den Film auch lieben. :) Der Film ist schon was besonderes, eben auf seine Art. Es erfüllt mich mit großer Trauer zu erfahren dass eben genau dieser Film im Kino so schlecht lief. Am Film selbst kann es nicht liegen. Oder sind im Kino bloß noch Superhelden und Vampire gefragt? Wo bleibt denn dann noch Platz für klassische SciFi/Fantasy Filme? Jedenfalls weiß ich ganz sicher, dass unter den Leuten die ich kenne, und die den Film gesehen haben, niemand dabei ist, der den Film nicht mag. So hoffe ich doch dass man erkennt wie viel Potential der Film hat nachdem er in den Kinos war. Denn ich habe leider schon gehört, dass Disney jegliche Planung für eine Fortsetzung eingestampft hat. Bei den Kinozahlen sicherlich kein Wunder, aber dennoch sehr traurig zu sehen dass es bloß von einem rein kommerziellen Blickwinkel betrachtet wird. Gerade das Ende des Films macht sofort Lust auf mehr. Man will einfach mehr sehen, man bekommt nicht genug. Ich denke der Film hat eine Fortsetzung mehr als verdient! Wir Fans müssen eine Botschaft senden! Ich jedenfalls mache nun nach und nach immer mehrmeiner Freunde darauf aufmerksam und ich werde zu Weihnachten dieses Jahr, statt gewöhnlicher 08/15 Geschenke zum selben Preis nun ein Paar DVDs und Blu-Rays von John Carter unter meinen Familienmitgliedern und Freunden verschenken. :D Ich mache dadurch keine Verluste, da ich ja stattdessen irgendwas anderes verschenken würde, was genau dasselbe gekostet hätte, aber John Carter kann nur davon gewinnen! Zur Blu-Ray allgemein noch ein paar Worte: An Bild und Ton gibt es nichts auszusetzen, diese sind einfach nur fantastisch! Auch toll, aber eigentlich eine Kleinigkeit, finde ich die Kapiteleinteilung. Wenn man ein Kapitel weiterschaltet, erscheint im oberen linken Bildrand immer ein kleines Vorschaubild und der Name des Kapitels. Zu den Sonderausstattungen gehört unter anderem ein Making Of, welches in etwa 35 Minuten lang ist und in welchem der Ablauf eines Drehtages erklärt wird. Erinnert von der Aufmachung her schon ein wenig an 24 mit der eingeblendeten Uhr zwischendurch, aber ist ziemlich amüsant geworden. Dann gibt es noch einen Einblick in die Entstehung von John Carter "Vom Buch zum Film." Welches viele interessante Informationen über die Welt von John Carter beinhaltet. Des Weiteren gibt es noch einen kurzen Clip mit Pannen vom Dreh, dieser geht rund 2 Minuten. Schade davon hätte ich gerne mehr gesehen, aber die Tanzeinlage am Ende holt es wieder raus ;) Last but not Least gibt es eine Reihe von entfallenen Szenen, welche zwar nur teilweise Fertig produziert wurden, aber interessante alternativen bieten. Zum Beispiel ein alternativer Anfang. Optional kann man bei den entfallenen Szenen und beim Film selbst noch Audiokommentare der Produzenten dazu schalten, was gerade bei den entfallenen Szenen Aufschluss darauf gibt, warum diese Szenen der fertigen Version weichen mussten. Also die Ausstattung ist wirklich Top! Ach ja! Nicht zu vergessen sind die Trailer, unter anderem ein Trailer von The Avengers, welcher in top Blu-Ray Qualität einfach nur grandios ausschaut. Also alles in allem bin ich wirklich sehr zufrieden mit diesem Film. Es ist schade dass ich nicht die Chance hatte diesen Film im Kino zu sehen, aber der Kauf der Blu-Ray war die beste Entscheidung die ich im Nachhinein treffen konnte. Ich empfehle den Film inzwischen überall weiter, da er einfach viel mehr Aufmerksamkeit verdient hat. Und ich hoffe diese Rezension führt genau dazu. :)

I went to John Carter knowing I would like it but not expecting more than that. I was pleasantly surprised. I had read only one review before watching it and had only skimmed it to make sure that there was nothing offensive. I did however watch the previews and that is what made me doubtful. The previews and promotional images seemed to focus on the aliens in my thought and don't really like alien movies however, I love most action movies so I still went. Thankfully, this was not the case in the movie. The aliens (Tharks) were portrayed very well so that it did not take long for me to think of them as humans (except the fact they are green, very tall, and have more than one set of arms). Also one should take into consideration that most of the characters are in fact humans. After I went to the movie I looked up more reviews online several had complaints about the story line saying it was too complicated. I went to this movie with my twelve-year-old brother. If you know any twelve-year-old boys that are anything like the ones, I know they do not listen! They can watch the simplest movie and have stupid questions because they did not pay attention. My brother is no exception yet he got this movie fine. No he did not catch all the little details but neither did I, which hopefully should make the second time watching it just as enjoyable. There are some warnings that come with the movie. The action is intense and is probably not family appropriate (the movie is PG-13 American). Also some may take offence from a few of the outfits the leading woman wears. I found the storyline very good, I loved that it was not just fighting; there was meaning to the fighting. John Carter is a excellent hero, although he starts out selfish in the end he is fighting for a cause: the woman he loves and the country he has come to call home. Sadly, I cannot say all the heroes in the popular action heroes have such noble causes. The movie had amazing scenery and looked absolutely incredible in 3D. It had, what I thought, was a great mix of action and romance also with a touch of humour. I would recommend this movie to anyone who likes a good action movie. For the girls I loved the movie the romance is great, its got its funny parts and if you can stand some violence and blue blood, you should enjoy the movie! (Yes it's literally blue blood! Carter kills a white ape and gets himself covered in it. That was the one and only time I was a little grossed out.) Also the the main female character is an great actress and has amazing presence.

The Blu-ray disc is multi-region, with a great picture and sound quality. The extras are a bonus although I haven't dipped into them yet as I only received the disc today, but I'm sure they're very interesting. What I really want to say about this movie is that it truly is a fitting tribute to the great Edgar Rice Burroughs. Don't let the fact that it bombed at the box office put you off, it is a quality production and the story stays true to Burroughs classic John Carter stories, ie ... Plenty of action and no complicated stuff to worry about. Burroughs first John Carter novel, "A Princess of Mars" was written way back in 1912, the year the Titanic sank !! So these stories are not deeply technical or mind baffling clever, they are action/adventure stories with a science fiction twist.....and Burroughs did this very well indeed. So well in fact that he inspired just about every classic sci-fi writer you care to name and many many filmmakers too. A film's box office takings are not always an indicator of the value of a film, sometimes, as in this case, it's failure happens because a shallow public weren't informed or well read enough to realise that what they were being presented with was a tribute to a precious legacy of early science fiction writing. Do buy this film and enjoy it for what it is, a bold, colourful, loud, funny and exciting homage to a wonderful writer.