As most movie goers are fully aware, box office returns are
in no indication of how good a film is. If you don't believe me, see how much
of a huge hit The Flintstones, Independence Day, and the Transformers trilogy
were, and look at how terribly the Linklater Before Sunrise/Before Sunset
films, Citizen Kane, and even The Wizard of Oz did in their initial releases.
The mystery surrounding the colossal flop of "John Carter" is an intriguing one, although some aren't surprised at all. Me I
actually went to see the film with my friend Sam, who has replaced Quoc as my
go to person for dragging me to movies of various quality. I've read two of the
John Carter books many many years ago, so I was mildly excited to see how well
this would translate to the big screen. Most critics panned this, and audiences
never gave it a chance probably due to the fact they have no clue about the
source material, nor would they even care. And really, most of the movie going public haven't the foggiest who Edgar Rice Burroughs even was. Plus the marketing was terrible, as
having a title called John Carter tells you nothing about the plot except for the main
character's name. If this were made in 1947, the title may have meant something.
But it's 2012, and we've seen little to nothing from the franchise since the
forties. Hell if they used the title A Princess from Mars it would've told the
movie goers a more about the story than John Carter.
But I went to see it with an open mind, and found it to be a
fun sci-fi romp that never took itself seriously. Was it Blade Runner or
2001: A Space Oddessy? Obviously not. What I watched was the character that influenced so
much of modern American mythology, such as Star Wars, Superman, and Buck
Rogers. It seemed like a great film for kids and their sci-fi geek parents, but
no one seemed to like it, at all. It seemed like critics and the public wanted
to hate this film for reasons I can't explain. Sometimes its fun to feel
passion, even if it's negative, for a film that is mildly enjoyable.
It's a stretch to say I loved this film as it does have its
flaws. Taylor Kitsch didn't have the charisma nor talent he displayed week
after on the underrated "Friday Night Lights", nor is the plot that
engrossing. The story is indeed simple, but it does give one a sense of urgency. If
you're looking for a light hearted fun sci-fi film, you could do far worse, and
let's be real, you certainly have. This movie is not as bad as you've heard, or even professesed. I enjoyed it, and you probably will too.
"OK, they botched the title. But not the movie itself." - Linda Cook
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