Synopsis
John Carter is a war-weary, former military captain who's inexplicably transported to the mysterious and exotic planet of Barsoom (Mars) and reluctantly becomes embroiled in an epic conflict. It's a world on the brink of collapse, and Carter rediscovers his humanity when he realizes the survival of Barsoom and its people rests in his hands.
Your Movie Library
Cast
- Taylor KitschJohn Carter
- Lynn CollinsDejah Thoris
- Samantha MortonSola
- Mark StrongMatai Shang
- Ciarán HindsTardos Mors
- Dominic WestSab Than
- James PurefoyKantos Kan
- Willem DafoeTars Tarkas
- Thomas Haden ChurchTal Hajus
- Bryan CranstonPowell
- 75
The A.V. Club
Rather than trying to overwhelm viewers by overloading the senses, John Carter's effects strive to create something new using as their foundation a book that's fired imaginations for the past century. - 70
The Hollywood Reporter
Director Andrew Stanton's Disney extravaganza is a rather charming pastiche. - 63
Chicago Sun-Times
Does John Carter get the job done for the weekend action audience? Yes, I suppose it does. The massive city on legs that stomps across the landscape is well-done. The Tharks are ingenious, although I'm not sure why they need tusks. Lynn Collins makes a terrific heroine. - 60
Empire
Stanton has built a fantastic world, but the action is unmemorable. Still, just about every sci-fi/fantasy/superhero adventure you ever loved is in here somewhere. - 50
Boxoffice Magazine
The film's biggest (and saddest) crime is malaise - it's not that John Carter doesn't care about what it's doing, it just can't make us care, even though the magnitude of every event, conflict and emotion is as melodramatic as its Victorian roots. - 50
Arizona Republic
It's all too much, and it's too hard to follow. Less is more, and this movie proves it. - 40
Variety
Stanton has been given the resources to create an expansive, expensive world, but lacks the instincts to direct live-action, a limitation that shows most in the performances. Bare of chest and fair of feature, Kitsch doesn't exhibit enough charisma to carry a project of this scale. - 25
Entertainment Weekly
Nothing in John Carter really works, since everything in the movie has been done so many times before, and so much better.