John Carter (of Mars)
Posted: March 17th, 2012, 7:40 pm
I just saw this film today with my 16 year old son, and we really liked it. He is a fan of ERB's Mars (Barsoom) novels. I read "A Princess of Mars" in high school and decided the Barsoom books weren't for me. (Although I loved ERB's Pellucidar and Caspak books.)
To me, "John Carter" is a terrific film, even better than "Avatar" (which I thought was 15 minutes too long.) I liked the frame story, and the movie had a plot that kept developing and showing new aspects (the novelist Michael Chabon -- "Adventures of Kavalier and Clay" -- worked on the screenplay.)
The cast was first rate: Adam Kitsch proved a charming hero as John Carter. Lynn Collins was outstanding as Dejah Thoris, Princess of Mars. She convinced me she was princess, a scientist, and a warrior. Without her, the film would have collapsed. Mark Strong was suitably scary as the manipulative villain, while Dominic West showed real power as the impulsive action villain.
The action scenes, such as the fight in the arena and a battle in which Carter takes on a horde of Tharks, were very well handled. Hats off to Andrew Stanton for bringing this very interesting film to the screen. It's a shame the critics are hammering it.
To me, "John Carter" is a terrific film, even better than "Avatar" (which I thought was 15 minutes too long.) I liked the frame story, and the movie had a plot that kept developing and showing new aspects (the novelist Michael Chabon -- "Adventures of Kavalier and Clay" -- worked on the screenplay.)
The cast was first rate: Adam Kitsch proved a charming hero as John Carter. Lynn Collins was outstanding as Dejah Thoris, Princess of Mars. She convinced me she was princess, a scientist, and a warrior. Without her, the film would have collapsed. Mark Strong was suitably scary as the manipulative villain, while Dominic West showed real power as the impulsive action villain.
The action scenes, such as the fight in the arena and a battle in which Carter takes on a horde of Tharks, were very well handled. Hats off to Andrew Stanton for bringing this very interesting film to the screen. It's a shame the critics are hammering it.