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John Carter Film Review

There appears to be a disinformation campaign coming out of Hollywood. The visceral dislike of Disney Studios head Rich Ross, former marketing head MT Carney, and the envy of untouchable Pixar have combined to make Disney’s latest film a target of attacks. Opportunists who hadn’t even seen the film saw an opening to attack the Mouse House and have been making some wild accusations about “John Carter.” It’s way over budget (not true), the marketing was awful (definitely true), and it will be the next Ishtar (or perhaps Prince of Persia). The later is only true if one thing happens, we fans don’t get the word out about how great a film John Carter actually is.

Andrew Stanton and crew are in top form in John Carter, and aside from a few small technical snafus, have created a movie that fits in near the top of the action-adventure genre (think Indiana Jones, Star Wars, Avatar, and Superman). But it is also a typical Andrew Stanton film, in that the movie manages to transcend its genre.

Stanton combined elements from the first two books in Edgar Rice Burroughs “Princess of Mars” series and weaved together a story that will please fans of the series while also updating the story just a bit for modern audiences. Earthling John Carter (Taylor Kitsch) stumbles upon a portal to Mars (known as Barsoom to its occupants) while searching for gold and trying to forget a personal tragedy. On Mars, Carter finds himself in the middle of an epic battle for the fate of a planet, falling in love with the most beautiful woman on Barsoom, and gifted with unique powers that makes him a uniquely effective fighter. By making unusual allies, Carter is able to overcome impossible odds and become John Carter of Mars.

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Extended clip from John Carter

Walt Disney Studios Australia’s YouTube channel has uploaded an extended clip of the White Ape arena battle from John Carter. Given as how this is one of the key scenes of the movie, you may not want to watch and spoil it for when you… Read More »Extended clip from John Carter

Andrew Stanton talks John Carter and What’s Next

On the way to the Press Junkets for John Carter in New York, director Andrew Stanton took a few minutes to answer some fan questions via Twitter. Stanton reveals a sense of humor that should be familiar to fans of his movies. For instance, when asked what his favorite Dreamworks film was, Stanton replied “A Bug’s Life.”

Regarding marketing the movies, specifically the new television commercials, Stanton answered “They’re Trying Hard.” He also said that the, “New guy at Disney. Really caught tone of film.” That new guy is Ricky Strauss who took over for MT Carney just a few weeks ago.

A few critics have seen the film already. Although they’ve been asked to hold off on full reviews until March 7th, most are saying that this film is terrific. I expect nothing less from Stanton, but sadly the marketing has been sub-par until recently. This is leading to crazy speculation about John Carter being the biggest flop in history. Worse than Ishtar. I think that’s a challenge to use Disney fans to make sure that doesn’t happen.

On Twitter Stanton also revealed that he continues working at Pixar. In fact, Stanton told Harry Knowles that he’s “developing a short film with Pete Docter. There’s an idea that he and I have had for years that we are finally getting around to doing which is kind of funny. We are both way too busy, but we just love the idea of doing this one little project together.” Stanton also revealed that a script for a sequel to John Carter is already underway. Whether or not it gets a green-light depends on Box Office for John Carter.

Below the jump is a fan-made trailer for John Carter that Stanton singled out as well done.

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John Carter – International Introduction Featurette

Disney has just released a new featurette with the goal to introduce the international markets to the movie John Carter. But I think there are plenty of great moments for everyone to see. John Carter the newest movie from Academy Award-winning filmmaker Andrew Stanton is… Read More »John Carter – International Introduction Featurette

New John Carter Trailer from Japan

For those who want to know more about John Carter (of Mars) before it hits the big screen (and IMAX) in March, it sometimes pays to keep an eye on marketing in foreign markets, where audiences expect to see more about the story before they… Read More »New John Carter Trailer from Japan

Disney Goes Big with John Carter IMAX Poster

I have to say that this poster for the IMAX 3D version of “John Carter” (of Mars) does a terrific job at building a case for 3D. Instead of the typical head shot with a scenic background, you feel like you’re right in the middle… Read More »Disney Goes Big with John Carter IMAX Poster

John Carter – New Trailer

A new full length trailer for John Carter was just released. There’s a lot more detail, new characters, and some beautiful special effects shots. In Theaters March 9, 2012 Previously: John Carter Official trailer.

John Carter gets new Poster

A new poster for Disney’s upcoming film John Carter has just been released. This means that a new trailer is expected sometime this week. I don’t know what to say except it’s very orange. Hopefully we’ll see some new concept art too.

John Carter will be released on March 9, 2012.

More details and the plot synopsis below the jump:

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