I was a little skeptical going into John Carter, as I had never read Edgar Rice Burroughs’ 1917 novel and the trailers were not indicative of anything that hasn’t been done and overdone before. But I was happy to find that John Carter was a fun adventure movie filled with action, humor, great animation, and even a love story. But was it the huge blockbuster Disney had hoped for in the epic adaptation of an almost 100 year old sci-fi novel?
The movie begins with a comical montage of scenes where Carter, a former confederate Calvary man turned “crazy” prospector, has a run in with a union Colonel trying to recruit him to fight the Apaches in the Arizona territory. This series of scenes, some of the funniest of the movie, shows Carter’s series of attempts to escape. After escaping the union soldiers, and a run in with some Apache warriors, he finds himself in a secret cave of gold face to face with a mysterious cloaked figure. Following a scuffle, he awakes in a strange barren land where the real adventure begins.
From here it is your classic story of an outsider thrust into a strange world. Due to the density of his human bones and the gravity on Barsoom, John Carter soon realizes that he can jump great heights and has amazing strength. And from this point on the movie follows Carter’s exploits as he learns about the new worlds, their civil war, and eventually becomes their champion.
The story has all of the pieces of a great adventure move, compelling characters, a good story, great action sequences, and even some well placed laughs. The length of the film made it a little difficult to get through because it dragged some in the middle, but overall it was fun, exciting, and definitely worth the price of the ticket. Going into the film I was a little skeptical, but I came out wanting more. I am definitely looking forward to the next installment.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlvYKl1fjBI
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