Review: John Carter

Everyone is familiar, whether they know it or not, with the work of Edgar Rice Burroughs, thanks to the popularity throughout the 20th century of Tarzan in film and TV. Burroughs was a highly prolific pulp author until his death in 1950, with many other series and stand-alone works.  You may also be familiar with another popular film adaptation of his work, The Land That Time Forgot.

Now, 100 years after the publication of Burroughs' A Princess of Mars, and after more failed attempts at flight than the Wright Brothers, the novel has finally been successfully adapted for the silver screen.

Of all the great works of science fiction and fantasy, none has cried out for a film adaptation more than Burroughs' Tales of Barsoom series.  Even Tolkein’s Lord of the Rings had an animated adaptation by Ralph Bakshi in the 1970s. The John Carter novels were arguably as powerful an influence on 20th and 21st century fiction as Tolkien. If you are unfamiliar with the source, you can find A Princess of Mars freely available on the Project Gutenberg website.

The series tells a story about a man who falls asleep in a cave and wakes up on a planet he assumes to be Mars, where due to lower gravity, he has comparatively greater strength than the inhabitants and is able to jump vast distances, not entirely unlike the earliest incarnation of Superman. He’s a superhero on Barsoom (the local name for the planet) but from time to time has to return to his body on Earth. Each return visit to Barsoom is chronicled in a different book of the series.

This Disney-produced feature was not only wildly enjoyable, it was also a much more faithful adaptation than anyone had generally expected. While there are of course a few changes to specifics, broadly everything in the movie John Carter is clearly recognizable as very close to the events of the book. It is a striking, even perfect match visually for everything described in the book, including even the description of Woola, John Carter's pet Martian dog (best described as a "puppy-lizard").

Taylor Kitsch, in the title role, fits the part well, as does Lynn Collins as Carter’s love interest Dejah Thoris. For his first time directing a live action film, Andrew Stanton shows he's just as capable working with people as with Pixar creations.

Visually, John Carter is a master-class creation.  The only fault preventing it being a perfect movie (and others may disagree) was the score by Michael Giacchino, which failed to effectively provide appropriate emotional resonance with any scene in the film. There were no recognizable themes, and no movement in the score that elicited any strong emotion. With luck, that will change upon repeat viewing.