Via the power of a mystical amulet, Civil War vet John Carter (Taylor Kitsch) is transported to the red, rocky landscapes of Barsoom, where he gets unwillingly caught up in a global conflict between the planet’s multiracial inhabitants. Pixar’s Andrew Stanton makes a decent first stab at live action and there may well be an audience out there who wants to see Kitsch leap around canyons in a kilt, but John Carter also suffers from a severe case of deja-vu. Coming off as an overwhelming blend of Star Wars, Avatar and Flash Gordon, Stanton’s flick is unlikely to stick in minds once the end credits roll.
Despite occasional moments of silliness, the old-fashioned sense of adventure and brilliantly rendered aliens elevate this above other derivative big-budget sci-fi fare. I still wished that Kitsch did a lot better in this lead role but he was only there for eye-candy really. Good review. What also stinks is that this flick probably won’t make back any of its 250 million dollar budget. Give my review a look when you can.
ReplyDeleteYou know what mate, you're probably right. I do stand by my opinion but truth be told, there are far worse sci-fantasy flicks out there. I think Total Film summed it up best when they said John Carter the movie feels like a kid who's turned up late at his own party and all the other kids have had the cake and popped the balloons!
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