OK, so no, it probably isn't the worst film title ever, that goes to 'Murder by Numbers' which was specially designed to make you think it was a cheap afternoon TV movie; but seriously! With the exception of the people who know the original story this title is going to be meaningless until you see the trailer. I can't imagine anyone jumping up from the title and saying "WOW, I HAVE TO SEE JOHN CARTER, What's it about?"
Maybe I'm being over critical, but at least with 'The Abyss' or 'Avatar' you have the "What the hell is that about?" factor that makes you at least look. This title is reminiscent of a 1960s Michael Caine movie. Not that those were bad but they were in a far less competitive world when films had film stars that drew people in. Now it seems perfectly normally to have a huge blockbuster movie where most of the audience couldn't name any of the cast on sight.
Anyway, assuming something in the promotion machine has caught your attention, if you go and see this 1960s style thriller, what you'll ACTUALLY get is somewhere betweeen Dune (Don't let that put you off), Star Wars, Avatar and well Stargate I suppose.
I don't want to give away too much as there are one or two bits that could be spoilt. In short John Carter winds up on Mars helping two warring factions settle their differences with the aid of a third group of another species. There are lots of things waving in the face in the first 10 minutes to make you feel like your extra few quid for 3D was worth the money. After the first 10 minutes they don't appear to have screwed up the film with repeated 'let's show off the 3D' nonsense. You will be treated to some lovely almost seamless CGI with tall aliens, flying machines, a few monsters and massive Mars-scapes abounding in what is often a bit of a road trip movie.
For the record, I thoroughly enjoyed the film, but then I thoroughly enjoyed Hudson Hawk. That doesn't make it an excellent film. The story is a bit predictable, but then it's hard to do anything new and surprising any more, the effects are unimpressive if only because we've seen the Star Wars Prequels and Avatar and the twist at the end is, well, not exactly a surprise.
So this film is average, but you and the kids will love it and be happy to have spent a couple of hours of your life watching it. It just makes me a bit Sad. This should have been massive, awe inspiring and thought provoking. And yet it fails largely on familiarity grounds, a bit like watching a teen movie where our hero fails to notice his perfect partner that's always been his best friend until the end and after his object of desire turns out to be a bitch. We just know where it is going.
It misses the mark with all the religious and moral ground it dips a toe into by keeping it simple enough for all the family. Probably no bad thing, and we all know that anything that pokes a finger at God crashes and burns in the USA. (Golden Compass for example!)
I can't knock the story as it's been around for a very long time (Edgar Rice Burroughs 1912, also Author of Tarzan), it's just a shame it has had so much of it's plot hijacked before they got around to making this film. The only saving grace is that this could, potentially, spawn a series of films, potentially better and less wrapped up in 'origins' territory about a whole new world with endless possibilities... oh... that's Avatar too. Time will tell, but at an estimated budget of $250 million dollars, someone is going to need to cross a lot of fingers for this one.
Maybe I'm being over critical, but at least with 'The Abyss' or 'Avatar' you have the "What the hell is that about?" factor that makes you at least look. This title is reminiscent of a 1960s Michael Caine movie. Not that those were bad but they were in a far less competitive world when films had film stars that drew people in. Now it seems perfectly normally to have a huge blockbuster movie where most of the audience couldn't name any of the cast on sight.
Anyway, assuming something in the promotion machine has caught your attention, if you go and see this 1960s style thriller, what you'll ACTUALLY get is somewhere betweeen Dune (Don't let that put you off), Star Wars, Avatar and well Stargate I suppose.I don't want to give away too much as there are one or two bits that could be spoilt. In short John Carter winds up on Mars helping two warring factions settle their differences with the aid of a third group of another species. There are lots of things waving in the face in the first 10 minutes to make you feel like your extra few quid for 3D was worth the money. After the first 10 minutes they don't appear to have screwed up the film with repeated 'let's show off the 3D' nonsense. You will be treated to some lovely almost seamless CGI with tall aliens, flying machines, a few monsters and massive Mars-scapes abounding in what is often a bit of a road trip movie.
For the record, I thoroughly enjoyed the film, but then I thoroughly enjoyed Hudson Hawk. That doesn't make it an excellent film. The story is a bit predictable, but then it's hard to do anything new and surprising any more, the effects are unimpressive if only because we've seen the Star Wars Prequels and Avatar and the twist at the end is, well, not exactly a surprise.
So this film is average, but you and the kids will love it and be happy to have spent a couple of hours of your life watching it. It just makes me a bit Sad. This should have been massive, awe inspiring and thought provoking. And yet it fails largely on familiarity grounds, a bit like watching a teen movie where our hero fails to notice his perfect partner that's always been his best friend until the end and after his object of desire turns out to be a bitch. We just know where it is going.
It misses the mark with all the religious and moral ground it dips a toe into by keeping it simple enough for all the family. Probably no bad thing, and we all know that anything that pokes a finger at God crashes and burns in the USA. (Golden Compass for example!)
I can't knock the story as it's been around for a very long time (Edgar Rice Burroughs 1912, also Author of Tarzan), it's just a shame it has had so much of it's plot hijacked before they got around to making this film. The only saving grace is that this could, potentially, spawn a series of films, potentially better and less wrapped up in 'origins' territory about a whole new world with endless possibilities... oh... that's Avatar too. Time will tell, but at an estimated budget of $250 million dollars, someone is going to need to cross a lot of fingers for this one.
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