John Carter (2012)
TOMATOMETER
AUDIENCE SCORE
Critic Consensus: While John Carter looks terrific and delivers its share of pulpy thrills, it also suffers from uneven pacing and occasionally incomprehensible plotting and characterization.
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Cast
as John Carter
as Dejah Thoris
as Sola
as Tars Tarkas
as Tal Hajus
as Matai Shang
as Tardos Mors
as Sab Than
as Kantos Kan
as Powell
as Sarkoja
as Edgar Rice Burroughs
as Stayman #1/Helm
as Stayman #3
as Lightmaster
as Thern #1
as Thern #2
as Man in the Bowler
as Pretty Woman in NYC Doorway
as Telegraph Clerk
as Thompson
as Dalton
as Stable Boy
as Dix the Storekeeper
as Rowdy #1
as Rowdy #2
as Cavalryman
as Twitchy Corporal
as Stockade Guard
as Sarah Carter
as Apache Leader
as Apache #1
as Apache #2
as Thern in Cave
as Young Thark Warrior
as Council Member #1
as Council Member #2
as Council Member #3
as Council Member #4
as Council Member #5
as Vas Kor
as Lightman/Helm
as Bodyguard (Matai)
as Stayman #1/Navigator
as Spotter #2
as Thark Bookie
as Zodangan General
as Carter's Wife (Corpse)
as Zodangan Officer (Matai)
as Matron of Chamber (Matai)
as Zodangan Officer (Matai)
as Elderly Woman (Matai)
as Zodangan Guard
as Humble Guard
as Orkney Dig Worker
as Doctor
as Priestess
as Additional Voice
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Critic Reviews for John Carter
All Critics (220) | Top Critics (44) | Fresh (112) | Rotten (108) | DVD (5)
A mess.
As one of Pixar's star players, Stanton is an experienced cinematic storyteller, which is why it's disappointing that his first live-action project is so unwieldy at times.
The most indelible performance in the film is not, strictly speaking, a performance at all. Rather it is Woola, a six-legged Martian hound who rather resembles a cross between a bulldog and a fetal gila monster.
The reported $250 million price tag for John Carter gives one pause. I suppose one could argue that masterpieces have no price. Then again, John Carter is no masterpiece.
Where John Carter continually gets it right is pacing, levity, and breadth of story.
Whenever the fighting stops and two people have to stand and talk, all the air goes out of everything. Suddenly it feels as if we're in an empty theater, watching a dusty old sword-and-sandal epic.
Audience Reviews for John Carter
Its a rainy Saturday afternoon movie for tweens. That said, Edgar Rice Burroughs isn't too badly served by this leave-your-thinking-cap-off glorioski extravaganza, with miles and miles of CGI animation used to get ... meh. Yer gonna need more popcorn. Its sorta okay. Is it still raining outside?
Super Reviewer
A US cavalry officer is accidentally transported to Mars where he encounters a warring civilisation who require his help to end the conquest of their world by a brutal warlord. When talking about cynical marketing campaigns, it's usual to point to terrible films that become big hits through licensing, advertising and sponsorship deals, but the other side of the coin is John Carter. To say that this film bombed at the box office would be an understatement of the highest order. Those responsible for the marketing of this film fumbled the ball on such a colossal scale that it couldn't hope to recoup the reported budget of $250,000,000 despite the fact that it really isn't all that bad. It's fair to say that you can see where the money was spent; it's a very attractive film packed with nice production design, spectacular set pieces and a quality cast. The problem with John Carter is that it doesn't really capture the imagination in the way a large scale sci-fi adventure should. The culture created in the form of Barsoom is rather charmless and there's little in the way of chemistry between what should be the big romantic leads at its centre. There are also too many supporting characters who get too little screen time on their own making it hard to care about any of the protagonists. But by far the biggest blunder is in how seriously it takes itself; a little campiness and a self-deprecating sense of humour would have gone a long way to making the film a lot more likeable. The result is a po-faced cross between Flash Gordon and Xena: Warrior Princess with a big budget but having said all that, the pacey if somewhat episodic plot and large scale battle sequences maintain the interest for the duration. As a whole it's rather too clinical and soulless but John Carter didn't deserve to sink without a trace and I'd much rather sit through it again than The Phantom Menace or Attack Of The Clones.
Super Reviewer
I like science fiction, and enjoyed the movie. Perhaps not having read "A Princess of Mars" is a good thing, as I didn't have the book to compare to.
Super Reviewer
John Carter Quotes
| Matai Shang: | On every host planet it always plays out exactly the same way. Populations rise, societies divide, wars spread. And all the while, the neglected planet, slowly fades. |
| John Carter: | The Jeddak of Zodanga means to quash Helium this very night, and if Helium falls, so does Barsoom. We must throw out the thought of old hatreds. Tharks did not cause this, but by Issus, Tharks will end it! We ride for Zodanga! |
| Dejah Thoris: | No. It is your will. When I was little and we would look up at the stars, and you would tell me of the heroes whose glory was written in the sky. How there was a star up there for me. Is this what you imagined would be written on it? |
| Dejah Thoris: | I'm getting away! |
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