Disney’s take on the Edgar Rice Burroughs “John Carter of Mars” books was a disappointment in many ways. The studio failed to market and promote it in a way that non-fans would understand and first time director Andrew Stanton was unable to fully realize his… Read More »John Carter Might See New Life on Film
Director Andrew Stanton is back in Emeryville working on a sequel to Finding Nemo, but he took some time to talk to the LA Times to reflect on the box office disappointment that was John Carter. My initial review of the movie was positive, even… Read More »Andrew Stanton Reflects on John Carter
Patrick Giusiano, currently an animator at Blue Sky studios, previously had the opportunity to work on Disney’s John Carter while working at Double Negative — a digital effects studio. While working with Director Andrew Stanton and Pixar’s artistic supervision team, Giusiano proposed shots and acting… Read More »Assembling John Carter in the Computer
I excitedly picked up the John Carter Blu-ray combo pack last week, popped it into my player, and then fell asleep about 40 minutes into the film. Suddenly, a week went by and I realized I didn’t really have the urge to finish the film. Not a good sign. But, you know, I owed it to myself, and to the creative team (who I like!), to finish the film and then develop an opinion.
John Carter, based on the novels by Edgar Rice Burroughs and directed by Wall-E’s Andrew Stanton, is a befuddling work. It’s ambitious, chock full of characters, special effects, and a fairly dense plot, but in so many ways it just doesn’t work. The civil war between Helium and Zodanga is convoluted right from the first scene; both forces wear nearly the same uniforms, save a batch of blue or red here and there to distinguish them. Carter’s motivations and acceptance of his status on Mars seems all too convenient. Odd edits, especially during Dejah’s first “damsel in distress” moment (I mean, really, how many times did Carter need to catch her while falling in this movie?), make following the action difficult. The acting, especially from lead Taylor Kitsch, is adequate but far from the kind of engaging you need to launch the kind of franchise Disney was looking for here.
Unfortunately, the biggest sin against the film is its lack of emotion, which is surprising, given Stanton’s (not to mention his fellow screenwriters, who include Pulitzer Prize-winning author Michael Chabon) pedigree. The romance between Carter and Dejah just sort of happens, since it’s supposed to, and the objectives for other characters, like Dominic West’s Sab Than or William Defoe’s Tars Tarkus, are barely addressed. If you were unfamiliar with Burrough’s stories, as I was, you probably aren’t going to find yourself invested in these characters.
I really wanted to like this movie. I disregarded a lot of the negative buzz, which had more to do with the film’s financial failures than its creative ones. I suppose that’s why, once I finally got around to finishing it, I was ultimately disappointed. It’s clear that John Carter had a lot of ambition and there are elements to like, like the Tharks, Dejah, and some of the less cumbersome mythology, but the film is weighed down by its many flaws.
John Carter may have failed at the domestic box office, but I don’t believe the final tally reflects the true potential of the film. The movie has just been released on DVD and is a worthy addition to your collection. Director Andrew Stanton did a great job translating a book that is a bit foreign to modern audiences into a live action film. We have a new interview with Stanton below and a chance for you to win a copy of the Blu-ray DVD.
If you missed it in the theater, the epic tale of John Carter is a sweeping action-adventure based on Edgar Rice Burroughs’ classic, A Princess Of Mars. Set on the mysterious and exotic planet of Barsoom [aka Mars], the movie is an inspirational adventure filled with stunning special effects, jaw-dropping action sequences and unforgettable characters.
The movie’s lead character, John Carter [played by Taylor Kitsch], is a war-weary, former military captain who’s inexplicably transported to Barsoom and reluctantly becomes embroiled in an epic conflict. It’s a world on the brink of collapse, and Carter rediscovers his humanity when he realizes the survival of planet and its people rests in his hands.
We catch up with director Andrew Stanton in this interview:
How did the fact that you were a huge fan of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Barsoom book series affect your work on John Carter?
Once I got the job, I knew that as a writer I had to stop being a fan because it can blind you. You have to do that with your own work, too; even when you have your own original ideas because you can fall in love with them and they can blind you from the adjustments that you’ve got to make in order for the project to work. That’s the reason I like to work with other writers; it helps keep the objectivity alive because other writers will tell you if they don’t think an idea is right.
Read More »John Carter – DVD Contest and Andrew Stanton Interview
In home entertainment parlance, “Second Screen” is the device you hold while watching a movie on DVD in the comfort of your home. It provides an augmented viewing experience designed to enhance one’s enjoyment of the film you’re watching. If you own the John Carter… Read More »John Carter “Second Screen”
Does it say something about your movie when more people are talking about a complete digital creation than the film’s real life stars? Well Woola is getting some of the best comments from John Carter. Disney Marketing is finally getting on the Woola love train… Read More »Woola – The Real Star of John Carter?
Disney’s John Carter epic adventure film based on the stories of Edgar Rice Burroughs and directed by Pixar director Andrew Stanton has officially opened today. I posted my review of John Carter the other day, but to sum up, Andrew Stanton has done a marvelous… Read More »John Carter in Theaters Today