John Carter

Let's get one thing out of the way: Disney totally blew it on the advertising side when it came to "John Carter," a Grade-A family adventure film, which is why it was so difficult to get folks into the theater in the US. However, this same film was No.1 across Europe for 2-3 weeks, breaking box office records in several countries, so the European marketing team certainly knew what draws people into theaters (and it is not posters of white apes and silhouetted Tharks of all things)! People want to see the winsome Princess Dejah Thoris (Lynn Collins) and the handsome hero, Taylor Kitsch (the incorrigibly charming "Gambit" from "X-Men Origins: Wolverine"). There's no denying that Taylor Kitsch is THE action star of the year, what with three starring film roles in the first half of 2012. There's also no debate that "John Carter" has more heart, excitement, action and thrills than any other adventure film in many years. I've seen this film 38 times in the cinema (yep!) during the theatrical release and I couldn't wait to have it to watch any time I please. All of the performances are fabulous, from our world-weary yet bound-by-honor ex-Cavalryman (Kitsch) who is transported to the world of 1863 Mars (locals call it "Barsoom"), to the merciless plunderer, Sab Than (Dominic West), to the villainous mystic, Matai Shang (Mark Strong). There's also Lynn Collins as the most intelligent, valiant and lovely Disney princess of all, Dejah Thoris, a worthy Princess Of Mars, and the clever and dashing Kantos Kan, played by James Purefoy. Willem Dafoe is wonderfully warm as the Tharks' Jeddak (ruler) Tars Tarkas, played in perfect opposition to the cold and ruthless Tal Hajus (Thomas Haden-Church); this tandem is matched on the feminine side by the pure-hearted Sola (Samantha Morton) plagued by her evil nemesis Sarkoja (Polly Walker). And then there's everyone's favorite lizard-meets-dog, the playful Woola, who lavishes his protection (and slobbering) on his beloved John Carter. The PG-13 rating is mainly for a brief scene of torture which might upset small children, but while it might be unsettling, it is handled quickly and is there solely to advance the subplot. There is a very minor amount of cursing (nothing by comparison to most films these days) and, for any squeamish boys in your home, very little of the mushy stuff. "John Carter" is truly a most perfect action/adventure film for the entire family, beautifully translated from the novel of 100 years ago. Here's hoping for a couple of sequels because viewers will want to travel back to Barsoom along with Captain John Carter again and again.

John Carter was ripped to shreds by the critics and it didn't meet its expectations at the box office despite making over a quarter of a billion dollars. It was all over the news that John Carter was the flop of the decade for disney and many critics were merciless in their reviews. But if you've got any sense you won't listen to the critics and you'll ignore the fact that it didn't do as well as people thought at the box office. The reason to ignore all that is John Carter is a brilliant film, definitely in my top ten new films of the past couple of years. It tells the story of John Carter (believe it or not) who was a soldier in the civil war who stumbles across an ancient cave and is transported to mars. What follows is his adventures there as he is caught in the middle of a war for the planet Barsoom (mars). Taylor Kitsch is the eponymous hero and overall he does a decent job, handling both action and the more emotion heavy scenes pretty well. But its Lynn Collins and Willem Dafoe who play the princess and a gangly alien chief respectively, who make the biggest impression. Joining the cast are Ciaran Hinds (Aberforth from Potter) Dominic West (Johnny English Reborn, the Wire) James Purefoy (Solomon Kane)and Mark Strong (Sherlock Holmes). Andrew Stanton directs and he handles most of the film very well, taking advantage of the wondrous Barsoom landscape with sweeping camera shots and bringing a very epic sense to the whole film. However, his handling of the action heavy scenes is a bit clumsy, though this doesn't really impact enjoyment of the film as a whole. Special note must also be paid to the special effects which are the best i have seen in a film in a long time. The alien races and creatures are so detailed they appear real and the landscapes and cities are magnificently rendered. Also, the battle scenes are gripping, particularly the aerial ones. Overall this is a brilliant film with very minor flaws. There was not a single moment that i was bored in this film, the action is fast, the plot well paced and the characters engaging and well acted. Barsoom looks awesome and the mythology is well planned and sets up ideas and possibilities for (hopefully) future installments. So please consider getting this film, it is filled with rip roaring entertainment for all the family. Action, adventure, humour, monsters... what more could you want. The extra features are poor, a featurette on the Borroughs books that ties in with making the film and a commentary by director Andrew Stanton.

Most people will have heard of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes. Most of those people may be able to tell you that he was created by the writer Edgar Rice Burroughs. Most of those may not have heard of Burroughs other great creation - who pre-dates Tarzan - John Carter. Of Mars. That would probably be because whilst Tarzan has had lots of appearance on the big and the small screen down the years, John Carter - despite the original writings being popular back in the day and a popular comic run back in the 1970's - hasn't. John Carter is an American Civil War Veteran, a few years after the end of that conflict. Struggling to find a place in the world in the wake of it, he finds himself teleported to Mars. Long ago. When it a thriving planet of many different kinds of life. Most of whom fight against each other. Some appear human. Some far more alien. There are strange cities and air vehicles. Monsters and conflict. And the chance of romance with beautiful Barsoom women. As the people call the planet. Also, the chance to find a new home. The first John Carter story appeared nigh on one hundred years ago now. And the elements of it - fanastastical escapist adventure with strange creatures on far flung planets - have influenced a lot of science fiction ever since. But now, the character finally gets to the big screen. So here's an actual John Carter movie, rather than one that just draws on the inspiration. This was intended to start a franchise, and thus like all movies which try and do that, it has a lot of exposition to get in. It starts with a scene on Barsoom that establishes who some of the key players are. Then introduces John Carter back on Earth. And then the narrative proper gets going as another character reads a letter from John. It might have been better to start with that rather than the opening two scenes as they throw a lot at you pretty quickly, and thus anyone without a shred of patience is going to possibly struggle to keep going. But just pay attention and you'll be fine. As things do get going from this point on. Barsoom when John gets there is a very convincingly alien world. And there's good science involved as well. Some of the beings there are produced via CGI. And you'll quickly get used to them. They speak in subtitles for a bit but that soon goes. And then the adventure begins. It is not classical movie drama. It is action escapism. Which is what Burroughs wrote. And which is what the movie manages to produce. Those familiar with the source material will find it's faithful enough. There are some changes to the plot and the structure of the story, but that was necessary to make it work on the big screen. Taylor Kitsch makes for a capable hero, and Lynne Collins is superb as his potential love interest, Deejah Thoris, making her an excellent and very strong character. Unfortunately poor marketing [there is a reason though why the movie doesn't have 'of Mars' in the title, but that would be a spoiler to reveal] and bad reviews hurt it's box office performance. One reviewer described the movie's plot as 'difficult to understand.' As Harry Hill would say 'no it's not.' All you have to do is pay attention. The producers of this have done a very good job in getting a classic hero and story to the big screen. It's too bad it looks as if it will be a one off. The disc has the following language and subtitle options: Languges: English/Spanish. Subtitles: English/Spanish/Swedish/Danish/Norwegian/Finnish/Icelandic/Portugese. The disc begins with a couple of trailers but you can skip these via the next button on the dvd remote. The only extras are: An audio commentary from the director and two of the producers. A 'sneak peeks' section that just contains a couple of adverts for disney product. 'One hundred years in the making' a ten minute long feature about Edgar Rice Burroughs, John Carter, and how both have influenced film makers since. This could be a bit brief but it's quite fascinating, tells you a lot about Burroughs, and has a tanatilising glimpse at a planned animated version that never happened. It's well worth a watch.

The original storyline was written by I think Edgar Rice Burrows in the late 1800's or early 1900's. It therefore has the element of turn of the century science fiction, pre star trek, 2001 a space odessy and pre walking on the moon. So the imagination is free for the writer to roam into all kinds of ideas. I didn't think I would really enjoy it this much but I found it was thoroughly enjoyable. I don't think there were any hidden political agenda's, although I could be wrong. It was beautifully made, wonderfully acted,with an interesting story line. The special effects through out enhanced rather than made the film. I think I'm more of a cerebral person than a blood and guts film goer. I like characters and a good story line. There's lots of adventure and drama, battle scenes, romance and interesting ideas, although granted the ideas have long since been stolen and used by the more modern sci-fi's Anyway didn't think I'd be keen on it but ended up loving it...fun to watch. A real kids movie.

I have never read any of Burroughs' Barsoom series of books. I will now. I was searching randomly on Amazon for some interesting science fiction films recently and came across this. I'd never heard of the film until then. What a lost gem of a film! Fantastic special effects, good story (years ahead of it's time when Burroughs penned it), good acting, engaging, rivetting.... I will definitely be watching this again and again. At over two hours long I can only conclude it's too short - there are so many threads and characters that you want to explore more. This is real science fiction - the mind-expanding stuff that C.S. Lewis was on about. It's inspired me to get the books and start reading them. Here's hoping Disney realise their major blunder in how they promoted this film and get on with the rest of the originally intended trilogy. I'll be pre-ordering the DVDs when they do. My only regret is missing this on the big screen. It would have been something to see. A fiver for this film is nothing. Go on, buy it. You won't regret it.

I watched John Carter with my 17 year old son. It was his recommendation. I hadn't seen since it came out. It is one of my son's favorite movie. I enjoyed it and recommend it as a show to get your children to do something with you that is different. I was impressed that the story was written by Edgar Rice Burroughs. It was an interesting coincidence but earlier in the day I'd seen at a book stall at our local Pannier Market an old collection of Edgar Rice Burroughs novels, which included John Carter novel. I think I will go back and purchase the collection if it doesn't cost too much and see how far the movie deviated from the original story. What I like about the story is that it is more fantasy with a splash of science fiction. The characters and plot are fun. The original books were written in the teens during the 1900's. Great movie making - very imaginative, possibly a future classic movie that young and old will enjoy for generations. Well worth a second look with the family and definitely worth a first watch on a rainy cold day. Always wondered what they thought was happening on Mars before they could get a closer look.

Very entaining and enjoyable

The problem with early works of popular fiction like John Carter is that the age in which they were written has long gone, along with the naivety of that time. It's easy for anyone who has any experience of this form of literature to make the transition from the pulp pages to the big screen because they have read the original work and are able to put it into context. When this film was released it seems that Disney vastly overestimated the public's knowledge of John Carter and the film fell foul as a result. Perhaps if they had presented it as a curio of its' time when the mass public knew little about Mars as a planet, back in 1911 when the book was first published, then it might have done better. Without a doubt the biggest mistake that this film makes is to ignore the 100 years between the book and the movie and the shift in people's scientific knowledge that has occurred. In 1911 people were fascinated by the thought of what a man might be able to do in the lesser gravity of Mars for instance, imagining being able to jump a building in a single bound (does that remind you of another famous character?), hence John Carter's ability to do just that! It is wrong to compare John Carter with the likes of Star Wars as it so antecedent to modern science fiction that it actually exists as an inspiration to people like George Lucas and James Cameron. So that apart how does it fair as a movie? If you sit down to watch this film looking for some entertainment, some flash special effects, not too much required of you intellectually and you have the ability to suspend your disbelief in order to have some fun then you will enjoy it. Taylor Kitsch makes an acceptable adventure hero, Lynn Collins is a voluptuous romantic interest who can also fight and think for a change. The Green Martians make an interesting counterpoint to the more civilised humanoid Martians being somewhat tribal and prone to self-destructive violence. The special effects are generally good, I particularly liked the flying ships, and the realisation of the green Martians was excellent with a lot of attention to detail. The script could have been better edited however. The early scenes of John Carter on Earth cerate the wrong impression, they being far too realistic creating an obvious jar against the fantasy that is to come. The pace is also off somewhat and there's not enough development of the supporting characters, but actually that is somewhat true of the source material; Edgar Rice Burroughs did not produce the best literature of the early 20th century but he did have some amazing ideas! This is an enjoyable movie if you can leave your cynicism on the shelf. Most of the movie critics that I read seemed to be largely ignorant of John Cart's history and simply could not be bothered to educate themselves, which led to an unwarranted tirade against this film. It deserves better. Not the greatest film ever made but certainly not the worst either. I notice that it is getting a much more favourable reception on imdb now as well. Treat yourself to something different.

This film exceeded my expectations, it was great and deserved to do a lot better in the box office than it did.

Dass John Carter im Kino lief, zog irgendwie völlig an mir vorbei. Ich hab höchstens 1-2 Mal den Namen gehört, aber dann war der Name wieder weg und ich hatte nichts was bei mir irgendein Interesse hätte aufbauen können. Leider! Denn vor kurzem wurde ich von einem Kollegen auf den Film angesprochen. Er erzählte mir ein wenig über die Hintergründe der Geschichte, und um was für eine Art von Film es sich handelt. Ich war hellhörig. Es begab sich dass ich wenig später bei ihm Zuhause war, da ich etwas abholen musste, und zu diesem Zeitpunkt John Carter auf seinem TV lief. WOW! Von den ersten Bildern die ich sah war Neugier da. Ich war Fasziniert und wollte mehr! Ich konnte meinen Kollegen der den Film grade erst selbst erworben und eingeschaltet hat schlecht Fragen ob er ihn mir sofort leiht. Also habe ich ihn mir gleich danach, da ich sowieso in die Innenstadt musste, gekauft! Ich habe ihn mir angeschaut und ich war verliebt! Verliebt in die Atmosphäre die der Film geschaffen hat. Verliebt in das Gefühl was ich hatte, als ich diesen Film sah, der mich in meine Jugend zurückversetzt hat. Es war wie der Abenteuerfilm den ich schonmein ganzes Leben kannte. John Carter muss nicht absolut tiefgründig oder logisch sein um mich trotzdem vollends zu begeistern! Denn irgendwie gerade dieses Einfache an diesem Film ist es was mich so mitgerissen hat. Der Film springt (im wahrsten Sinne des Wortes ;) vor sich hin und man kann sich treiben lassen. Er bereitet zu jeder Zeit Freude und Begeisterung. Es fällt mir schwer mich zu konkretisieren, aber ich glaube es ist einfach das Gesamtbild dieser Geschichte kombiniert mit der tollen Darstellung die diesen Film für mich so besonders macht. Er hat sehr viele Elemente die ich schon als Kind an Filmen liebte. Da ist der gebrochene Held, der nur seinen Frieden finden will, aber dann doch zu einer neuen Bestimmung und einem neuen Sinn in seinem Leben findet. Die Prinzessin bei welcher man durchaus nachvollziehen kann dass sich John Carter in sie verliebt ;). Dann gibt es die Sympathischen Außerirdischen Helden, welche eine im Laufe des Films ans Herz wachsen. Besonders Woola, ein Wesen, was im ersten Moment an ein Hund erinnert mit seiner treuen und naiven Art. Und Last but not Least der Hauptantagonist Matai Shang, den es gilt zu besiegen, oder zumindest zu überlisten, um die Prinzessin zu retten. Im Laufe des Films entstehen immer wieder durchaus interessante aber auch witzige Situationen. Emotional sehr stark ist die Szene in welcher John Carter an seine Familie erinnert wird und sich dann entscheidet zu Kämpfen statt weg zu laufen. Dazu muss man sagen ist der Soundtrack wirklich optimal gelungen, denn dieser macht gerade solche Szenen so nachhaltig. Man erinnert sich auch nach dem Film an eben solche Szenen. Inzwischen habe ich den Film 3 Mal gesehen. Ich liebe ihn einfach. Meine Frau ist auch begeistert davon. Und wenn meine Tochter etwas älter ist (erst 16 Monate alt), dann wird sie den Film auch lieben. :) Der Film ist schon was besonderes, eben auf seine Art. Es erfüllt mich mit großer Trauer zu erfahren dass eben genau dieser Film im Kino so schlecht lief. Am Film selbst kann es nicht liegen. Oder sind im Kino bloß noch Superhelden und Vampire gefragt? Wo bleibt denn dann noch Platz für klassische SciFi/Fantasy Filme? Jedenfalls weiß ich ganz sicher, dass unter den Leuten die ich kenne, und die den Film gesehen haben, niemand dabei ist, der den Film nicht mag. So hoffe ich doch dass man erkennt wie viel Potential der Film hat nachdem er in den Kinos war. Denn ich habe leider schon gehört, dass Disney jegliche Planung für eine Fortsetzung eingestampft hat. Bei den Kinozahlen sicherlich kein Wunder, aber dennoch sehr traurig zu sehen dass es bloß von einem rein kommerziellen Blickwinkel betrachtet wird. Gerade das Ende des Films macht sofort Lust auf mehr. Man will einfach mehr sehen, man bekommt nicht genug. Ich denke der Film hat eine Fortsetzung mehr als verdient! Wir Fans müssen eine Botschaft senden! Ich jedenfalls mache nun nach und nach immer mehrmeiner Freunde darauf aufmerksam und ich werde zu Weihnachten dieses Jahr, statt gewöhnlicher 08/15 Geschenke zum selben Preis nun ein Paar DVDs und Blu-Rays von John Carter unter meinen Familienmitgliedern und Freunden verschenken. :D Ich mache dadurch keine Verluste, da ich ja stattdessen irgendwas anderes verschenken würde, was genau dasselbe gekostet hätte, aber John Carter kann nur davon gewinnen! Zur Blu-Ray allgemein noch ein paar Worte: An Bild und Ton gibt es nichts auszusetzen, diese sind einfach nur fantastisch! Auch toll, aber eigentlich eine Kleinigkeit, finde ich die Kapiteleinteilung. Wenn man ein Kapitel weiterschaltet, erscheint im oberen linken Bildrand immer ein kleines Vorschaubild und der Name des Kapitels. Zu den Sonderausstattungen gehört unter anderem ein Making Of, welches in etwa 35 Minuten lang ist und in welchem der Ablauf eines Drehtages erklärt wird. Erinnert von der Aufmachung her schon ein wenig an 24 mit der eingeblendeten Uhr zwischendurch, aber ist ziemlich amüsant geworden. Dann gibt es noch einen Einblick in die Entstehung von John Carter "Vom Buch zum Film." Welches viele interessante Informationen über die Welt von John Carter beinhaltet. Des Weiteren gibt es noch einen kurzen Clip mit Pannen vom Dreh, dieser geht rund 2 Minuten. Schade davon hätte ich gerne mehr gesehen, aber die Tanzeinlage am Ende holt es wieder raus ;) Last but not Least gibt es eine Reihe von entfallenen Szenen, welche zwar nur teilweise Fertig produziert wurden, aber interessante alternativen bieten. Zum Beispiel ein alternativer Anfang. Optional kann man bei den entfallenen Szenen und beim Film selbst noch Audiokommentare der Produzenten dazu schalten, was gerade bei den entfallenen Szenen Aufschluss darauf gibt, warum diese Szenen der fertigen Version weichen mussten. Also die Ausstattung ist wirklich Top! Ach ja! Nicht zu vergessen sind die Trailer, unter anderem ein Trailer von The Avengers, welcher in top Blu-Ray Qualität einfach nur grandios ausschaut. Also alles in allem bin ich wirklich sehr zufrieden mit diesem Film. Es ist schade dass ich nicht die Chance hatte diesen Film im Kino zu sehen, aber der Kauf der Blu-Ray war die beste Entscheidung die ich im Nachhinein treffen konnte. Ich empfehle den Film inzwischen überall weiter, da er einfach viel mehr Aufmerksamkeit verdient hat. Und ich hoffe diese Rezension führt genau dazu. :)

I went to John Carter knowing I would like it but not expecting more than that. I was pleasantly surprised. I had read only one review before watching it and had only skimmed it to make sure that there was nothing offensive. I did however watch the previews and that is what made me doubtful. The previews and promotional images seemed to focus on the aliens in my thought and don't really like alien movies however, I love most action movies so I still went. Thankfully, this was not the case in the movie. The aliens (Tharks) were portrayed very well so that it did not take long for me to think of them as humans (except the fact they are green, very tall, and have more than one set of arms). Also one should take into consideration that most of the characters are in fact humans. After I went to the movie I looked up more reviews online several had complaints about the story line saying it was too complicated. I went to this movie with my twelve-year-old brother. If you know any twelve-year-old boys that are anything like the ones, I know they do not listen! They can watch the simplest movie and have stupid questions because they did not pay attention. My brother is no exception yet he got this movie fine. No he did not catch all the little details but neither did I, which hopefully should make the second time watching it just as enjoyable. There are some warnings that come with the movie. The action is intense and is probably not family appropriate (the movie is PG-13 American). Also some may take offence from a few of the outfits the leading woman wears. I found the storyline very good, I loved that it was not just fighting; there was meaning to the fighting. John Carter is a excellent hero, although he starts out selfish in the end he is fighting for a cause: the woman he loves and the country he has come to call home. Sadly, I cannot say all the heroes in the popular action heroes have such noble causes. The movie had amazing scenery and looked absolutely incredible in 3D. It had, what I thought, was a great mix of action and romance also with a touch of humour. I would recommend this movie to anyone who likes a good action movie. For the girls I loved the movie the romance is great, its got its funny parts and if you can stand some violence and blue blood, you should enjoy the movie! (Yes it's literally blue blood! Carter kills a white ape and gets himself covered in it. That was the one and only time I was a little grossed out.) Also the the main female character is an great actress and has amazing presence.

Excellent movie with the correct region code.

John Carter (ASIN: B007ERYPPI) bevat 1 blu-ray in een Viva Elite case. De blu-ray is Nederlands ondertiteld (ook de aanwezige extra's) en de Engelse audio track is DTS-HD HR 7.1. De film heeft een beeldverhouding van 21:9 en is gebaseerd op het boek 'A Princess of Mars' (1912) uit de Barsoom-reeks van Edgar Rice Burroughs.