John Carter will go down in history as a flop all because the marketing was terrible. Whoever decided not to put “of Mars” in the title, decided not to feature the spaceships, the princess in skimpy outfits but instead to make it look like a Prince of Persia rip-off should look for other work. I only went to see this movie because I knew it had something to do with Mars. I wasn’t excited about and I saw a week after it opened. I went in expecting the worst but was treated to a really amazing film. It is a shame that more people didn’t experience this film because it had a very epic look and feel to it. It was on par with Star Wars. Yeah, I said it.
Not only was this film good, it was good in 3D. The glass ships were phenomenal to watch and if you didn’t see them in 3D you definitely missed out. The story felt like a typical sci-fi story but it was written decades before most of the stories that know and love today. Additionally, for a story written in 1912 by Edgar Rice Burroughs, it was compelling and you guessed it, ahead of its time. Taylor Kitsch as John Carter was tragic, funny, sexy, heroic, and a joy to watch. Lynn Collins is a welcomed addition to the Disney princess collection and if not the best dressed then the most interesting. Everything about this film was set up to make you love it. There was even an adorable Martian dog thing. There were many well-known actors in this film and they were all equally amazing.
With Andrew Stanton at the helm, Disney footing the bill of $250 million dollars, and Michael Giacchino on the wheels of steel, John Carter should have been a hit. While it was a hit worldwide raking in $209 million, domestically John Carter only made $73 million dollars (as of June 21, 2012 via Box Office Mojo).
For more coverage, listen to us discuss John Carter on The Sci-Fi Party Line Podcast.
John Carter was released on March 19, 2012 by Disney and is now available for purchase on DVD, Blu-Ray, or other digital formats.