John Carter

I loved John Carter.

I am a sucker for a good adventure movie, and John Carter is a good adventure movie.  It's adapted from Edgar Rice Burroughs' A Princess of Mars, telling the tale of a gentleman from Virginia and veteran of the Civil War who finds himself stranded on the red planet.  That, dear reader, is the premise.  What follows is a thrilling adventure and a touching love story.  

Taylor Kitsch has the difficult job of portraying John Carter, a weary veteran, hopeful prospector, and unlikely hero.  There is quite a range required there, and I think Kitsch pulls it off.  While his John Carter isn't exactly what I had pictured in my head while reading the novels, it is pretty damn close.  Kitsch is the anchor that the audience uses to experience the wonders and majesty of Mars.  Or Barsoom, should you ever find yourself exiled to the red planet.  

Dejah Thoris, the titular Princess of Mars, is played wonderfully by Lynn Collins.  She brings an elegance and strength to the role.  Never do you feel like she is the cliched Damsel in Distress.  Rather, she is a strong woman who just happens to be a princess.  A princess who happens to catch the eye of a particular gentleman from Virginia.  The movie hinges on whether or not Kitsch and Collins can pull off a convincing romance.  Do they?

They do!  It's never campy, there is a nice build up, and I found myself rooting for them to get together.  I always find it a nice surprise when I start feeling for the characters.  I wanted John Carter and Dejah to hook up.  They're perfect for each other!  Sure, there's the obligatory "we hate each other" beginning, followed by the "we kinda like each other, now" development, then the "oh no we have to break up" finishing up with the "let's get back together" formula that has worked since, well, cave paintings.  While the romance is nothing new, it is handled with care and respect.  So good on them!

Then there's Woola.  Woola is awesome.  You'll just have to go see it to understand why.

Andrew Stanton, of Finding Nemo fame, get his live action directorial debut with this epic film.  I think his background in animation really gave him a solid visual footing for crafting a live action film.  There is nothing on the screen that is ever confusing, everything has a great composition, and he gets some very solid work from his actors.  They way he handles the action in the film is most impressive.  He has a very good sense of geography, so I never felt lost while things were whizzing by on the screen.  One scene in particular was extremely well done, the action cutting in and out with memories from John Carter's past.  It was powerful film making!

Micheal Giacchino, once again, knocks the score out of the park with thrilling composition, memorable motifs, and an overall score which enhances what is happening on the big screen.

I had high expectations from reading the novel, and nearly all of them were met. Obviously some things were changed/rearranged for the film, but it stayed true to the feeling of adventure and discovery that was in the books, as well as staying true to the romance aspect of it. This movie really pushed all the right buttons, for me anyway.  Be warned:  much of the vocabulary from the novel makes it into the film.  If you haven't read the novel you may be confused as to what a 'Jeddak' is, or the names of the creatures and their cultures.  You can infer from what is shown to you what is what, but it never spoonfeeds or infodumps on you.

I still do not quite understand all the vehement ire this film has drawn from the internet and film communities.  From all the pre-release anti-buzz you'd think this film was absolutely terrible, and it's not!  It's very fun, very exciting, and I will be seeing it again in the theaters to find all the little details I missed the first time around.  I highly recommend seeing it.  I'm positive you'll leave the theater dreaming about what happens next on Barsoom.