John Carter Review

Plot Summary:
Former Confederate Army captain John Carter (Taylor Kitsch) is mysteriously transported to Mars, known to the inhabitants as Barsoom. While there, he learns that the planet is dying from the loss of atmosphere and water. Only an alliance between its inhabitants will save the planet, Carter sets out to accomplish that.

The Positives:
One thing I really enjoyed about this film was the special effects. Andrew Stanton, who normally works on Pixar films, creates the world of Barsoom beautifully. The creatures, the landscape, and the buildings all look so realistic and original comparable to other alien films. It is obvious here that Stanton knows how to make great visuals.

Another thing I enjoyed here was the action sequences. While most of the action sequences are similar to other film's scenes, they made them look intriguing and cool. The film for the most part works as an entertaining blockbuster when it has these great action moments.

The Negatives:
Personally I was very disappointed with John Carter, I expected a lot better from the people behind it. Unlike Brad Bird, another Pixar alumni's, recent change into live action, Stanton has no style of its own to differentiate his film from other films of its genre. Also unlike Bird, he does not direct his actors very well and it shows. The performances here are all pretty terrible, both the lead and supporting. Taylor Kitsch's leading performance wanted to put me to sleep, it's simply boring and felt like he was reading his lines.

The script is a huge mess as well. The dialogue here is very cliche and unfunny during "humorous" scenes. It is filled with a lot of plot holes as well, which can confuse the audience. Also, the pacing here is not the greatest. When there are no action scenes, it feels slow and very boring. The film uses boring and uninteresting characters to make the slow scenes even more boring.

While I did enjoy the visuals of the film, at times it reminded me of a certain film I was not fond of. The film is somewhat reminiscent of the Star Wars prequels. The visuals, the music, and even some of the creatures just reminded me of that series. This film is nothing special either, so it is closer to the prequels than the original films.

Conclusion:
I really wanted to like John Carter, but the terrible script, robotic acting, and the slow pacing make this film not work as it should. As an entertaining action film, it's nothing new but still worth renting. I just hope after this film Andrew Stanton sticks to Pixar films and decides to find a creative style of his own.

Rating: 4.5 out of 10