A Movie A Week - Week 9: John Carter

Movie: John Carter
Theater: AMC Discover Mills 18
Snack: Hot Dog and Coke

So, this one is way late.  I did see the movie on schedule, I just didn't get around to writing it up until now.  In my defense, I've been real busy saving the galaxy from the Reaper invasion in Mass Effect 3.

"John Carter" has gotten beaten up a bit.  The reviews haven't been great and it hasn't drawn blockbuster numbers in the ticket sales department.  The film is not without its flaws, but I found it to be a lot of fun.  The pacing is a little slow, which actually works for it in some places, letting the audience take in the world and get to know the characters.  In other places, however, the movie drags a bit and could probably stand to lose fifteen to thirty minutes.  This slow pacing, I think is one of the things that has hampered the movie's appeal to audiences.  It lacks the break-neck pace of most modern action/adventure films, and that fact may have thrown audiences more used to quicker movement in their stories.

Another obstacle is that Disney did not seem to know how to sell the film.  The ads were all kind of bland, with no hint of the things that work so well in the film, like the scope of the world or the character relationships.  I thought the love story aspect worked particularly well, and really should have been played up in at least some of the ads.  I don't think I ever even saw an ad with a "From the creator of Tarzan . . ."  The title is problematic as well.  Why no "John Carter of Mars," or "A Princess of Mars."  "John Carter," as a title, provides no context for the film and has to have hurt the ability to draw an audience.

Maybe, if the film had been stronger it could have overcome these problems.  Unfortunately, while very enjoyable, "John Carter" is just flawed enough to keep it from generating the kind of buzz that might have helped it find an audience.