John Carter (Blu-ray/DVD, 2012, 2-Disc Set)

Once again sour mouthed,pickle minded critics have tried to kill a good movie. All you really need is the willingness to see what happens and how the cast works out.The combo pack is excellent because this action flick will come across well with either dvd or blu ray.
The opening sequences telling the back story of John Carter getting to Mars have been criticized for being long and dark. However, the back story is a witty addition to the Burroughs story, and it works out fine as you will see. One review complained that the landscape of Mars was too bleak and plain. It is, however, the vast panorama of a dry, dying planet. (One character concludes that Carter must be an imaginative liar because he talks about ships sailing on water!)
One of the expectations of anyone who has read the Burroughs books or experienced the old Dell and DC comic adaptions, is what do the four-armed tharks look like. This is one of the few films, along with Avatar, which gives any insight into alien races. We get to know several Martian species in the movie, both "human" and non-human. One of the greats is Carter's "dog" Woolah. Any boy or hero should be proud to have a dog which smiles winningly and bites the enemy so ferociously.
Kudos to the designer of costumes, flying machines, and weapons used in the movie. The aircraft come across quite well and are based on technology unknown a hundred years ago on Earth, or even today.
They are visually quite nice. The long shots are excellent whether showing a horde of tharks chasing Carter or throngs of soldiers of the two warring city states of Barsoom (Mars).
There is no smut or obscenity, but ample measure of violence. We see only a bit of explicit fantasy violence when an enemy is chopped up a bit. This is done with little enough explicit detail to please parents and displease the blood thirst crowd.
If you missed this as it flitted through the theatres, as I did, give it a chance now. You will find visual splendor, action, and an old fashioned good story worth watching more than once.

"a princess of mars" edgar rice burroughs novel about a former civil war officer who travels to the red planted, was an influence on george lucas' star wars franchise. it is therefore surprising that hollywood took so long to produce a big budget film adaptation. fortunately the delay resulted in an excellent film. director andrew stanton's take on the novel is a space opera of the first order, and bears more than a few resemblances to lucas' films. the special effects laden effort features bizarre aliens, a beautiful princess and loads of swashbuckling action, all presented with panache. shortly after viewers meet john carter (taylor kitsch) he is mysteriously transported to mars, a planet he comes something of a superhero thanks to reduced gravity. "john carter" had a disappointing theatrical run in the united states but one has to wonder if that's because it lacks an a list cast. the film itself is first rate and can stand proudly alongside 2012 blockbusters like the hunger games and the avengers. kitsch isn't a household name, but his portrayal of the title character is winning, and he gets solid support from lynn collins, willem dafoe, thomas hayden church and mark strong. as fanciful science fiction tales go, john carter is a classic. this is a great underrated movie and its worth picking up and watching. i am surprised not more people watched this movie.

After seeing this movie in Theaters! John Carter was a fun movie. The special effects were amazing, the story was unique in its own and the cast was believable. John Carter takes you to the world of Mars in a battle to save Mars and Earth. It disappointed the box office reports but alot of people were mis led beleiving that John Carter was a Avatar and Star Wars rip-off. John Carter is a movie of its own kind and damn good one.

I BOUGHT THIS MOVE BECAUS I LOVE SCI-FI AND WHEN I SAW SOME OF THE TRAILERS IT LOOKED REALLY GOOD, AND IT TURNED OUT THAT WAY. I LOVED THE MOVIE, GREAT EFFECTS, AND PLOT ,FAST MOVING. GOT IT FOR A GREAT PRICE. IT RANKS WITH THE BEST SCI-FI MOVIES IN MY COLLECTION, IE: THE MATRIX, STAR WARS, ETC. I'D LOVE TO SEE A SEQUEL.

This is a great movie. If you liked Avatar, you should love this one. It's based an the Edgar Rice Burroughs "Princess of Mars". It's a fun movie and of course, you have to remember that it's make-believe, but I really liked it.