Disney’s John Carter

Having just seen John Carter with a few members of my family, I feel compelled to write briefly about it. This isn’t going to be a long winded thing, and it’s not a review, but more of a what-I-think (which is pretty much what this blog is anyway, I suppose).

I went into this movie with moderately low expectations based on the trailer, which I suppose helped it some. My only true knowledge of the film so far is having seen the trailer a few times while at the movies (which has never impressed me) and having listened to the first few hours of an audiobook of the original A Princess of Mars story by Edgar Rice Burroughs when I was much younger (given to me by my uncle, who has always had a taste for wonderful B-grade things and pulp). I don’t know anything about what others are expecting or have said, but on personally, I mostly enjoyed it.

What worked for me, and why I feel it deserves at least one watch, is that for the most part, the filmmakers managed to make a world that lived in. Even though the CGI was thick and fierce, the screen didn’t feel sterile like some Star Wars prequel, and most things seemed to have a weight to them that a lot of over-the-top-CGI-fests lack. Also, the number of extras that were not just computer models was refreshing to see, and the costume designer deserves kudos for incorporating the pulpy sci-fi/fantasy clothing motif without it appearing ridiculous.

What was surprising was how little of the film I had a problem with. My only true nitpicking is that there were a few rocky parts to the story, (though not nearly as bad as many summer blockbusters), which pulled me out of the movie. The most jarring one was when suddenly grandiose assumptions were being made over a discovery that Carter and Princess Dejah Thoris had made a little less than half way through the film. Beyond that, I enjoyed the story, and was happily surprised to see Michael Chabon’s name attached (having fond memories of the novel Wonder Boys, even if it did take some time after reading it to really appreciate it).

What I appreciate most about the film is that it took a risk. While not an original IP, it is the first time that I know of that this character has been translated to the big screen, and A Princess of Mars is not an overly well-known book either. It is also a story that is pure pulp and features a unique alien world that runs the risk of turning off the masses, (though the film uses plenty of tropes to clifnote the audience whenever it can). What is incredible with this film is that Disney went all in, and didn’t cut corners to save on the budget, (which according to IMBD was an insane $250,000,000), in order to hedge their bets. I feel that the film needs to be seen just to show support for something that does not rely on a franchise or inane board game name licence in order to get made. Lastly, watch this movie for the clearly meant for the kids CGI (non-talking) wacky sidekick. They somehow managed to win me over with it, and I’ll probably watch it again just so I can see it zooming around the screen again.

So ends my brain dump on John Carter. Perhaps next time I will actually discuss something out of my backlog instead of talking about something new.