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4.2 / 5
4.2 / 5
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Rating breakdown 37 reviews
5 Stars
21
4 Stars
8
3 Stars
4
2 Stars
2
1 Star
2
Dialogue 
2 / 5
2 / 5
Special Effects 
2.5 / 5
2.5 / 5
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3 / 5
3 / 5
Acting 
2.5 / 5
2.5 / 5
Story 
2.5 / 5
2.5 / 5
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2.5 / 5
2.5 / 5
30 out of 37(81%)reviewers recommend this movie.
Overall rating 
4.2 / 5
4.2 / 5
Open Ratings Snapshot
Rating breakdown 37 reviews
5 Stars
21
4 Stars
8
3 Stars
4
2 Stars
2
1 Star
2
Dialogue 
2 / 5
2 / 5
Special Effects 
2.5 / 5
2.5 / 5
Art Direction 
3 / 5
3 / 5
Acting 
2.5 / 5
2.5 / 5
Story 
2.5 / 5
2.5 / 5
Camerawork 
2.5 / 5
2.5 / 5
30 out of 37(81%)reviewers recommend this movie.
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Overall rating 
4.2 / 5
4.2 / 5
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Rating breakdown 37 reviews
5 Stars
21
4 Stars
8
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4
2 Stars
2
1 Star
2
Dialogue 
2 / 5
2 / 5
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2.5 / 5
2.5 / 5
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3 / 5
3 / 5
Acting 
2.5 / 5
2.5 / 5
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2.5 / 5
2.5 / 5
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2.5 / 5
2.5 / 5
30 out of 37(81%)reviewers recommend this movie.
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Product ReviewsReview This Movie
Overall rating 
5 / 5
5 / 5
John Carter: I want to go to Mars!
PostedJuly 5, 2012
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from Waltham, Mass.
Age:35 to 44
Gender:Male
Goes to the movies:monthly
Dialogue 
3 / 5
3 / 5
Special Effects 
4 / 5
4 / 5
Art Direction 
5 / 5
5 / 5
Acting 
4 / 5
4 / 5
Story 
4 / 5
4 / 5
Camerawork 
4 / 5
4 / 5
I enjoyed John Carter, an adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs' "Barsoom" stories.
The movie is framed with scenes of a young Burroughs, played by Spy Kids' Daryl Sabara, being summoned to the estate of his late uncle, a world traveler and former Confederate cavalryman. Taylor Kitsch, from Friday Night Lights and X-Men Origins: Wolverine, is the eponymous Capt. Carter, who finds himself mysteriously transported from late 1860s Arizona to an inhabited Mars.
On the desert world, Carter encounters tribes of Tharks, four-armed green men, led by the honorable Tars Tharkas (voice and motion capture of Willem Defoe). Despite his initial reluctance to become involved in another civil war, Carter is soon entangled in the conflict between the city-states of Zodanga and Helium, both of which are populated by humanlike "red" Martians.
After meeting the beautiful scientist and princess Deja Thoris (played by X-Men Origins' Lynn Collins), Carter decides to fight Sab Than (Dominic West), the Jeddak (chieftan) of Zodanga, and Thern mystic Matai Shang (Mark Strong). He's aided by Sola (Samantha Morton), the compassionate daughter of Tars Tharkas, and doglike calot Woola.
If this plot seems familiar, it's because Burroughs created the template for the "planetary romance," which led to a century of space operas from Flash Gordon, Buck Rogers, and even Superman to Dune, Star Trek, and Star Wars to Stargate, Farscape, and Avatar. The lost but brave Earth man, the spunky princess and sidekicks, the honorable alien warriors, and the mystic duels have become clichés, but John Carter shows us the vitality of their source.
The actors seem to be enjoying themselves with the interplanetary swashbuckling. The script by Michael Chabon takes itself seriously, but not too seriously, with humor similar to that found in the original Star Wars or another pulp revival, The Mummy. I'm currently reading Chabon's Pulitzer Prize-winning The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay for former co-worker Ken G.'s "Escapists" book club.
Even in this age of computer-enhanced visuals, the Tharks' facial expressions, the fleet-footed Woola and fierce white apes, the crawling city of Zodanga, and the steampunk airships were all impressively designed and rendered. The aliens interacted smoothly with the human actors. Despite the daunting amount of exposition required for such a movie, I thought that director Andrew Stanton, who also directed Pixar's Wall-E, did a decent job of pacing.
The grand vistas include the rough-and-tumble frontier of the American west, the windswept deserts of Mars, the rain-soaked streets of New York, and soaring structures and ancient ruins of Barsoom. The soundtrack also evokes a lost age of adventure, although it's not as memorable as the works of John Williams.
I'd give John Carter, which is rated PG-13 for violence, an 8.5 out of 10, four out of five stars, or an A-. Many critics have gleefully pointed out that Disney's adaptation is somehow subject to the "curse of the Mars movies" and gotten less-than-stellar box office. However, I and other fans feel that many of their criticisms are unfair and typical of mainstream prejudice against genre entertainment.
By contrast, I've found video game flick Prince of Persia nearly unwatchable, and a preview image for the upcoming Lone Ranger also stirs doubts about its quality aside from easy parody. I recommend John Carter to anyone who appreciates old-fashioned sword-and-planet fun. (See a linked version of this review and more at Gene's Worlds.)
Pros well paced, great story, great visuals
Cons unfamiliar to nonfans
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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Overall rating 
1 / 5
1 / 5
Terrible
PostedMay 28, 2012
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from LA
Age:45 to 54
Gender:Male
Goes to the movies:weekly
Dialogue 
1 / 5
1 / 5
Special Effects 
1 / 5
1 / 5
Art Direction 
1 / 5
1 / 5
Acting 
1 / 5
1 / 5
Story 
1 / 5
1 / 5
Camerawork 
1 / 5
1 / 5
This is a terrible movie in every way a movie can be terrible and some that no man has ever contemplated.
There has never been a good movie made about Mars and this film keeps that tradition.
Cons bad acting, too complex, slow
No, I do not recommend this movie.
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Overall rating 
5 / 5
5 / 5
John Carter
PostedApril 16, 2012
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from Simi Valley, CA
Good adventure flick. Loved the books. Including ERB in the film was a great idea. The effects were really good too.
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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Overall rating 
3 / 5
3 / 5
John Carter
PostedApril 2, 2012
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from Jacksonville, AR
Although I consider this movie to be "average", I still enjoyed and recommend it.
Can't believe a Disney movie used the LORD's name in vain though.
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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Overall rating 
5 / 5
5 / 5
John Carter
PostedApril 2, 2012
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from Texas
As an avid reader, I thought the movie was exceptional relating to the books. It was an Avatar/Star Wars mix. At no time did the story drag or were there irrelevant scenes to the overall story. I highly recommend...
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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Overall rating 
3 / 5
3 / 5
Relic
PostedMarch 30, 2012
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from San Francisco
Early science fiction and fantasy can be chancy for the filmgoer. You don't see too many Jules Verne books being adapted to film anymore. John Carter tries to buck the trend to present an old-style science fiction/fantasy from the pen of Edgar Rice Burroughs (Tarzan), and the results are mixed.
You can't knock the filmmakers' commitment to the project. John Carter was produced for a reported $150 million dollars, primarily for an assortment of cutting-edge digital effects, with scenes which have hundreds of characters on screen at the same time. Visually, John Carter is often appealing, and there's even an unpredictable twist ending.
Let's not ignore the obvious, though. John Carter is closer to pulp than you might want to admit, and the sci-fi devices won't be convincing for anyone but the very young and impressionable. The only familiar actor is Willem Dafoe - and he's the voice of an alien. The logical flaws are so rampant that the film wisely decides to ignore them.
John Carter is a film you want to love, but it's embarrassing more often then it should be.
No, I do not recommend this movie.
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Overall rating 
5 / 5
5 / 5
Better than expected
PostedMarch 26, 2012
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from Reston, VA
I went to this movie not knowing the story line or frankly, having great expectations. I had read enough critical remarks about the acting, plot and how it bombed at the box office after blowing $250mil.
I was pleasantly surprised on how much I liked this movie, it was fast paced, good special affects and not as predictable as others have indicated in their reviews. The two hours went by fast. I'm an avid movie goer and would not hesitate recommending this to anyone who may be on the fence about seeing it.
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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Overall rating 
5 / 5
5 / 5
Pleasantly Surprised
PostedMarch 25, 2012
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I went into seeing John Carter hoping against hope that the critics were wrong and that this movie would turn out to be as amazing as the trailer suggested. Boy was I pleasantly surprised. :)
John Carter drew me in immediately. The prologue was action packed immediately giving way to an interesting back story. This thriller gave me chills reminiscent from the old Indiana Jones movies of my childhood. With a bit of action, fun, comedy, sadness, vindication, and an expertly crafted ending, I loved John Carter from start to finish.
Please, stop reading critic reviews and go watch now!
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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