John Carter: Every piece of marketing for this movie made it look like total garbage. While it’s no amazing cinematic feat, it does manage to be enjoyable. Taylor Kitsch plays the title character, and he’s taking a critical shellacking for his central performance. I happen to think his performance is the best thing in the film. Based on novels written by Edgar Rice Burroughs way back when, this science fiction fantasy on Mars is a bit overblown in spots, and totally fun in others. I loved when John Carter, a Civil War soldier teleported to Mars, first discovered his ability to jump on the planet. And Willem Dafoe provides his voice to the animated, four-armed Tars, a decent special effect. Casting around Kitsch is awful (Mark Strong and Dominic West as villains … AGAIN), and it feels a bit long. But, like Waterworld before it, it’s much better than some critics will lead you to believe.
John Carter
