John Carter Movie Review

Critic's Rating: 4/5
Cast: Taylor Kitsch, Lynn Collins, Willem Dafoe, Ciaran Hinds
Direction: Andrew Stanton
Genre: Adventure
Duration: 2 hours 12 minutes
Avg Readers Rating: 3½/5

Story: Mars is now home to huge barbarians. Mars is also the place where Civil War soldier, John Carter has been transported one fine day. So Mars will eventually turn into a battleground between the barbarians and the civilian....

Movie Review: So what if this movie is based on the book -- Princess of Mars -- by Edgar Rice Burroughs written some 100 odd years ago. Nothing could have made it more topical in a day and age when 21st century science is all out to crack Da Martian Code by stepping foot on planet Mars. And if Andrew Stanton's visualisation of the planet in John Carter is anything to go by, bingo is the word. Yes, the Red Planet has never looked so inviting. The Martian landscape is exotic, mysterious, mesmerising. The Martians themselves, more than convincing.
John Carter (Taylor Kitsch) is an American War soldier who has superhuman powers -- Mars gravity, to name one. Reason enough from him to be transported to the planet Barsoom (read Mars)? No, for there are bigger problems awaiting his arrival. Carter is caught in a conflict of epic sorts amongst the green skinned warlike nomads (Tharks) and the red skinned humanoids (Martians). To be precise, Tars Tarkas ( Willem Dafoe) and the captivating Princess Dejah Thoris ( Lynn Collins). Of course, it is only later that Carter acknowledges the need for being blessed with all that superhuman powers -- he's got to save the locals.

Now just when you thought that John Carter is all about a fierce battle, you realise there is a whole lot to choose from. First, it's the Martian character Woola, John Carter's ugly but cute pet, you just can't get enough of. Second is the no nonsense ideology brought out by the age old war between the good versus evil. Third is the superhero in touch with his emotional side -- Carter rescues Dejah from the clutches of the Zodagans simply for love. Watch out for the Kitsch-Collins chemistry. Fourth is the 3D effect -- Zodangan's moving city, the dragonfly-like aircraft.... Fifth it's Taylor Kitsch himself (as John Carter) with his action cuts who turns out to be Burroughs' most apt Martian Tarzan.
And if that's not all, John Carter is your ticket to travel to a whole -- waiting to be explored -- new world, literally: Planet Mars.