Movie Monday: John Carter

I went to see this movie with my boys, mostly because there wasn't a lot to choose from. We had already seen The Lorax, and they're not quite old enough for the Hunger Games. I had seen the previews and wasn't exactly excited to see it, but I looked at a couple of viewer reviews (I never listen to the critics), and I was hopeful that we would all enjoy it. I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised!

I'm not sure why this movie hasn't received more attention, especially since it is a Disney made film. The director/writer, Andrew Stanton, worked on Wall-E and Finding Nemo, but this was his first live-action film. The movie earned almost half of it's domestic box office revenue to date in its first weekend, earning just over $30 million and debuting at #2 . Foreign revenues for the film have almost tripled the domestic revenues. According to the LA Times, one of the biggest hurdles this movie faced was the executive turnover and marketing inexperience. Usually Disney movies are marketing to the nth degree, and you can't help but want to go see them. I don't think that the previews did this movie justice, and there was very little buzz about it before it debuted. My kids wanted to see it when they saw the previews, but they quickly forgot about it once we left the theater.

Brief Synopsis:
A civil war veteran, who has lost his wife and child and is wanted by the military, is transported to Barsoom (Mars) after picking up a  medallion in a cave.  He is taken prisoner by the native race, and is quickly thrust into the middle of a civil war between the cities of Helium and Zodanga. The Jeddak (King) of Zodanka proposes a cease-fire as long as the Princess of Helium agrees to marry him. John Carter helps the Princess escape and they set off to find a way for John Carter to get back to Earth. The Princess is recaptured after they find the weapon that the Jeddak has been using. John Carter saves the Princess from her impending marriage,  and they are about to live happily every ever after, until he is banished back to Earth by a shape-shifting Thern (White Martian).

The twist, that is unclear until the very end, is that while John Carter is on Barsoom, his body double is still on Earth in an inanimate (coma-like) state. After he returns to Earth, he fakes his own death to draw out the God-like Thern that was sent there to watch him. He is able to use the Thern's medallion to go back to Barsoom forever, leaving his nephew inherit his fortune and watch over his human body.

For a full plot summary, visit John Carter on Wikipedia.

Overall Review:
There is a lot of special effects in this movie, which are actually pretty cool. I loved the ships and the Ninth Ray weapon that the Therns have. The love story between John Carter and the Princess is predictable, but a welcome reprieve from the fighting and special effects. To me, this movie is Star Wars meets Avatar. While I'm not usually a big sci-fi fan, I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would, and the kids were engulfed the entire movie. Even my 3 year old, who had no idea what was going on, stayed quiet and glued to the screen. I hope that more people go see this movie. It is a good movie for the whole family. Two thumbs up!!!