Civil War vet John Carter (Taylor Kitsch, Big Bang Club) is mysteriously transported to Mars, where he discovers a strange landscape full of unusual, four-armed inhabitants. Finding himself a prisoner of these creatures, he escapes, only to encounter the beautiful Dejah Thoris (Lynn Collins, The Merchant of Venice), who needs his help.
This Disney movie based on the Edgar Rice Burroughs novella "A Princess of Mars" is counted as one of the most expensive movies of its time, with a budget of 306.6 million dollars. No doubt this is due to large crowds of CGI characters, effects, and extras.
An adventurous romp with interesting characters, I found myself comparing it a bit to Tarzan. Burroughs definitely writes a type, and Disney didn't shy away from it, keeping Taylor in skimpy outfits. It's a shame this movie didn't get more attention than it did, as its a fine film. In addition to the "fish out of water" elements, there were overtones of natives vs. settlers conflicts, and inter-city politics requiring arranged marriages. Sprinkle on a bit of aerial battles and devious dealings, and you've got an adventure tale that has something for the entire family.
I really don't want to spoil it for you. It was nice to go into a book to film that I hadn't read, so I could be completely surprised.
Five laugh out loud moments that I counted (there were probably many more) including an alien's obvious interpretation of an offered hand shake. Not a lot of Oh Shit moments. Most events were pretty well telegraphed and unsurprising.
Despite being predictable, I would watch this again when I'm in the mood. It might pair well with Brendan Fraser's The Mummy as a double feature. They have a similar overall feel.
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