JOHN CARTER

JOHN CARTER
rated PG13

Art--->**

Heart->**1/2

Mind-->**

Fun--->**

Edgar Rice Burroughs, before he ever penned the tales of Tarzan, wrote the adventures of the first fictional space man. And his name is JOHN CARTER.

Who?

You know AVATAR. You know SUPERMAN. You know STAR WARS, INDIANA JONES, and FLASH GORDON. Then guess what? You know JOHN CARTER. But don’t mistake that familiarity for a rip off. This pulp fantasy pre-dates all those stories by 50-100 years.

Set in the Civl War era, the plot of Disney's new space epic centers around a persistent rogue named John Carter (Taylor Kitsch) who, while on the run from the authorities accidentally winds up transported to Barsoom (or as we call it, Mars). There he meets aliens, monsters, bad guys, and good guys. John has refused to take sides on Earth. Will he now fight for a cause greater than himself?

Right off the bat, it is readily apparent that JOHN CARTER is not everybody’s cup of tea. The film starts in the mid 1800’s but soon you’re on Mars and at some point you have to give in and just accept that this is science fiction. If you don't, well you're in for a bumpy ride.

It seems Disney is struggling with this too, as the marketing for JOHN CARTER has been wobbly at best. Director Andrew Stanton, however, has a steady hand, having proved his storytelling mettle with FINDING NEMO and WALL-E. Now he joins his colleague Brad Bird (MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: GHOST PROTOCOL) in the live action arena.

John Carter is a wandering rogue, running from a painful past and intent on securing a mine full of gold and taking his leave from society. Faced with the problems of an alien world, he can either escape back to Earth, or stand and fight alongside noble aliens and a hot warrior princess.

Oh, come on. You had to know that was coming.

Fortunately, this Princess of Mars, Dejah Thoris (played by Lynn Collins), is a real woman with meat on her bones, strategy on her mind, and fire in her heart. Kudos for not casting some waify, 19 year old starlet. She is, of course, stunningly beautiful, but never seems to be posing, and delivers a respectably dignified performance.

Ciarin Hinds and James Purefoy (from HBO’s mini-series ROME) add some cinematic street cred to the proceedings. And, thankfully, the expected sci-fi stoicism is missing from the characters’ dialogue. Even the aliens (played by Willem Dafoe, Thomas Hayden Church, and Samantha Morton) have easily relatable “human” reactions that make them all the more believable.

The film contains some unnecessary language, and moments of realistic violence during the scenes on Earth, but every alien and humanoid bleeds blue-colored blood, so Disney can claim some family-friendly distance from the fray.

There is plenty of CG-eye candy here (as much as $250 million can buy) but the story is solid enough, the pace quick enough, and the plot familiar enough to help you enjoy ride. You might not understand what is going on all the time, but your eyes will be too busy to care. (Just know you can save a few bucks by skipping the 3D Conversion. You won't miss a thing in 2D.)

Ultimately the themes of JOHN CARTER are about letting go of the past, choosing sides and fighting for what’s right. The film is long and a bit overplotted, but by the point you realize it, the story has earned enough good will that you won’t mind.

JOHN CARTER is a solid, decent, credible sci-fi franchise and Disney should not be so gun shy about embracing its pulpy roots. This is a good film, bordering on great, and the studio should get behind it. Here’s hoping audiences will as well.

RECOMMENDED

unless you just don’t care for science fiction.

PS.

They still should have called it JOHN CARTER OF MARS.

It just has a better ring to it.