Starring: Taylor Kitsch, Lynn Collins, Willem Defoe, Thomas Hayden Church, Dominic West.
Director: Andrew Stanton
I decided to put the French Movie Poster of this one up because I found the US version so incredibly boring but regardless, none of the posters really do it justice.
What a great scifi action movie this was. I didn't really know a whole lot about it and only hired it out of curiosity but was pleasantly surprised.
Captain John Carter (Taylor Kitsch), is a Civil War Veteran who is chasing his dreams of finding gold. But the story isn't that simple and while we are led to believe that he's just a washed up soldier looking for his fortune, the story deepens and we are drawn into an adventure that spans across the universe.
John is accidentally transported to the planet we know as Mars and meets a race of 12 foot tall barbarians who take him prisoner. He soon learns through meeting the Princess of another race, that the planet is at war and he has the skills to save them.
It does have a few Avatar overtones, in that a human comes along to help an alien race, but I also found incredible similarities to Star Wars: Phantom Menace, especially in the music and creatures that make up the planets inhabitants. There was also some Princess Leia comparrisons in there, but far enough removed that you couldn't pick it apart. Mark Strong puts in a great performance once again as the alien villian and I really enjoyed seeing other great British actors like Ciaran Hinds, Dominic West and James Purefoy in the cast of Martians.
What a great scifi action movie this was. I didn't really know a whole lot about it and only hired it out of curiosity but was pleasantly surprised.
Captain John Carter (Taylor Kitsch), is a Civil War Veteran who is chasing his dreams of finding gold. But the story isn't that simple and while we are led to believe that he's just a washed up soldier looking for his fortune, the story deepens and we are drawn into an adventure that spans across the universe.
John is accidentally transported to the planet we know as Mars and meets a race of 12 foot tall barbarians who take him prisoner. He soon learns through meeting the Princess of another race, that the planet is at war and he has the skills to save them.
It does have a few Avatar overtones, in that a human comes along to help an alien race, but I also found incredible similarities to Star Wars: Phantom Menace, especially in the music and creatures that make up the planets inhabitants. There was also some Princess Leia comparrisons in there, but far enough removed that you couldn't pick it apart. Mark Strong puts in a great performance once again as the alien villian and I really enjoyed seeing other great British actors like Ciaran Hinds, Dominic West and James Purefoy in the cast of Martians.
The cutest of the 'creatures' would have to be the Martian doglike thing that follows John Carter around. It is surprising adorable for something that looks like a giant turd with legs! I'm sorry, it's the only way I can describe it. You tell me, what does it look like to you? There was one other thing but I think I'll keep it PG!!
For all the hype that Avatar got, it really wasn't that special. This movie seems to have gotten little hype but really deserved so much more. I thoroughly enjoyed this and found it to be a very entertaining way to spend a school holiday night with my kids. I had to laugh towards the end when, without prompting, my 7 year old daughter decided to comment on one of the big green aliens with "Thank God Yoda came along!".
A few scarey battle scenes, but I really thought this was a great adventure movie with a well written script. I recommend it for over 10's or mature under 10's who understand how a movie is made but can appreciate a good story. My daughter loved it, as did my 12 year old son.
2 comments:
I saw John Carter because I have "Princess of Mars" by Edgar Rice-Burroughs from a century ago - yes, this is the guy who created Tarzan. John Carter of Mars is a seminal Sci-Fi/Fantasy novel that many others can tip their hats to. I went because of the story's place in the History of the genre and am very glad I did - adored it.
I haven't read the book and like I said, didn't know much about it. I would like to look for the book now that I've seen the film though.
I had heard that people that loved the book didn't like the movie at all so it's nice to hear a different opinion. Thank you so much. :)
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