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After collecting a boatload of Oscars, Pixar’s most beloved directors have decided to start branching out. In December of 2011, The Incredibles director Brad Bird released his first live-action thriller, Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. Now, WALL•E director Andrew Stanton is following closely behind, venturing into the live-action sci-fi world of Disney’s John Carter—with somewhat less thrilling (and significantly more complicated) results.
Based on A Princess of Mars, the first novel in the Barsoom series by Edgar Rice Burroughs, John Carter follows Civil War vet John Carter (Taylor Kitsch) as he’s magically transported to a strange land filled with tall, green creatures. While he’s held prisoner by these alien beings, he meets Dejah Thoris (Lynn Collins), a smart and beautiful princess who ran away from her home in Helium after her father arranged her engagement to a ruthless warrior who’s plotting to destroy Helium—and perhaps the entire planet.
John just wants to get back to Virginia—and the gold mine he’s just discovered—but he soon finds himself caught in the middle of an otherworldly war.
Of course, there’s more to it than that—much more, in fact. But unless you’re already familiar with the original story, you’ll most likely find yourself struggling to follow along. The first few minutes of the film offer a brief overview of the key Martian players—complete with warring factions, strange magical powers, and mystical beings—but it all goes by so quickly that it’s tough to keep up. By the time the real story begins, then, there’s a pretty good chance that you’ll already feel hopelessly lost, desperately trying to keep track of Martian history and politics and technology—not to mention a whole bunch of alien characters with strange names.
Throughout the film, the tone varies—sometimes serious, sometimes surprisingly silly. And the pacing varies, too. The opening exposition races by—as does the story’s abrupt conclusion. In the middle, though, the pace often drags, with short battle scenes that just aren’t enough to keep things moving swiftly. The result is uneven and a little confused—as if Stanton simply bit off more than he could chew with his first live-action project.
Fortunately, though, there’s also some good news to report. The story may be perplexing, but the effects are absolutely stunning. From the desert-like Martian landscape and the planet’s ancient ruins to the modern civilizations and their massive flying ships, it’s certainly a sight to behold. Don’t bother with the 3D upcharge, though—because the 3D is surprisingly underused.
In the end, though, this long-awaited big-budget sci-fi epic feels a little too much like Prince of Persia on Mars—with a few touches of Avatar thrown in. It’s a beautiful film with a fascinating premise, but its endless complexities will leave non-fanboy audiences feeling frustrated and confused.
Blu-ray 3D Review:
Despite its less-than-stellar box office returns, John Carter was still a fascinating project—one that’s explored in more depth on the film’s Blu-ray 3D release.
The massive four-disc 3D set comes complete with every kind of movie-watching format available: 3D, Blu-ray, DVD, and digital. As is typically the case, there aren’t any special features included on the 3D disc, but there’s plenty to explore on the 2D Blu-ray disc.
In addition to Disney’s Second Screen—which allows you to connect to the Internet for even more content—the disc’s special features menu includes 10 deleted scenes with optional director commentary. Though it’s sometimes a bit depressing to hear Stanton talk about his hopes and expectations for upcoming films in the series, the deleted scenes do offer an interesting look at the process of making the film and creating the effects—since many of the scenes are shown in various stages of completion.
Fans of the original works by Burroughs, meanwhile, will want to check out 100 Years in the Making, which offers a brief look at the author’s writing career (in his own words). It also consults everyone from authors to astrophysicists about the series, and it discusses its influences in modern science-fiction.
For a closer look at the movie-making process, on the other hand, there’s 360 Degrees of John Carter, which allows viewers behind the scenes to experience a day on-set. In this fascinating feature, you’ll get to see a little bit of everything—from hair and makeup and to working with extras to the film’s effects—without getting overloaded with details.
Other extras include a short blooper reel and an insightful commentary track with Stanton and a pair of his producers. But if you have time for just one of the extras on the disc, I recommend 360 Degrees, since it offers an interesting look at not just John Carter but at the filmmaking process in general.
