Sunday, June 24, 2012

Just watched...

...Disney's "John Carter."


I was curious to see what all the fuss was about, and much like Kevin Costner's film "Waterworld" which is a perfectly fun, imaginative film that got panned for no real good reason, "John Carter" seems to be the victim of some kind of hype machine gone wrong.

Following a story by Edgar Rice Burroughs, John Carter in 1880s United States is accidentally transported to Mars (watch to discover how) where he encounters several species of alien and odd creatures. He gets caught up in a deadly Martian civil war, and because of the difference in gravity and his Earth bone density, he can use his amazing strength and capability of leaping what seems like miles to aid the "good guys."

I will say that I have seen far worse films... and some of those far worse films were actually successful! I don't think this film deserved the evisceration that it received and it seems a shame that the campaign against the film led to the resignation of Rich Ross, the head of Walt Disney Studios. From what I hear, Ross may have had problems other than "John Carter," but there was no reason for the thrashing the film received. It might be a tad on the long side, but the art direction was fine, the acting was good (especially by the amazingly solid Mark Strong who is always wonderful in everything he does), and the special effects were quite nice. I mean, come on... it is an action film about going to Mars... written by the author of TARZAN. Did anyone expect "John Carter" to be high cinema???

Recommend? Yes, actually. If you have a chance, see it. It's fun and engaging enough...

http://disney.go.com/johncarter/

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