John Carter (2012)

Transplanted to Mars, a Civil War vet discovers a lush planet inhabited by 12-foot tall barbarians. Finding himself a prisoner of these creatures, he escapes, only to encounter a princess who is in desperate need of a savior.

Director:

Andrew Stanton

Writers:

Andrew Stanton (screenplay), Mark Andrews (screenplay),

Stars:

Taylor Kitsch, Lynn Collins, Samantha Morton

1 win & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Taylor Kitsch	...	John Carter
Lynn Collins	...	Dejah Thoris
Samantha Morton	...	Sola
Willem Dafoe	...	Tars Tarkas
Thomas Haden Church	...	Tal Hajus
Mark Strong	...	Matai Shang
Ciarán Hinds	...	Tardos Mors (as Ciaran Hinds)
Dominic West	...	Sab Than
James Purefoy	...	Kantos Kan
Bryan Cranston	...	Powell
Polly Walker	...	Sarkoja
Daryl Sabara	...	Edgar Rice Burroughs
Arkie Reece	...	Stayman #1 / Helm
Davood Ghadami	...	Stayman #3
Pippa Nixon	...	Lightmaster

Storyline

John Carter, a Civil War veteran who in 1868 was trying to live a normal life, is "asked" by the Army to join. But he refuses so he is locked up. He escapes and is pursued. Eventually they run into some Indians and there's a gunfight. Carter seeks refuge in a cave. While there he encounters someone who is holding some kind of medallion. When Carter touches it, he finds himself in a place where he can leap incredible heights, among other things. He later encounters beings he has never seen before. Later he meets a woman who helps him to discover that he is on Mars. And he learns there's some kind of unrest going on.

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Plot Keywords:

mars | escape | princess | cave | medallion | 

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Taglines:

Lost in Our World. Found in Another.

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Fantasy | Sci-Fi

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 March 2012 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Princess of Mars

Filming Locations:

Moab, Utah, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$250,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$30,180,188 (USA) (9 March 2012)

Gross:

$73,058,679 (USA) (22 June 2012)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Walt Disney Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

132 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital Datasat SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The music in the first theatrical trailer uses two instrumental arrangements of "Kashmir" by Led Zeppelin. The first (starting at 0:53) was performed by Australian/British string quartet Bond, the second (starting at 1:25) was performed by Corner Stone Cues (this arrangement is called "Ten Years Kashmir Mvt II (Orch, Choir & Perc Mix))".

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Goofs

When John Carter is trying to pull the chain out of the rock in one shot of the arena fight scene, you can see that the ring connecting the chain to the rock has a gap that would enable Carter to remove the chain just by unhooking it. However, the gap in the ring disappears in the next shot, so there might be a continuity error involved as well.

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Quotes

Tars Tarkas: [shouting to his men as Carter points the weapon at Tarkas]
[subtitled]
Tars Tarkas: Don't shoot it! Don't shoot it! Don't shoot it!
[as Tarkas lunges himself onto Carter, one of his soldiers shoots Carter in the butt, after which Tarkas takes him prisoner, straps him to one of their alien horse creatures, along with some Thark hatchlings]
John Carter: [shouting] What is this place? Where am I?
Tars Tarkas: [subtitled] Virginia. It's okay, just relax.
John Carter: Where's my damn gold?
Young Thark Warrior: [...]

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Crazy Credits

At the end of the movie, a title card comes up that says John Carter of Mars.

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Connections

Referenced in The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Episode #20.108 (2012)

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Soundtracks

"Kings and Queens"
Written by Jared Leto
Performed by 30 Seconds to Mars
Produced by Steve Lillywhite & 30 Seconds to Mars

User Reviews

Breathtaking

We just saw a pre-release showing of this movie and I had to pick my jaw up off the floor a few times. The movie is simply stunning. While there may be small details to niggle at for the most die-hard Burroughs fans, this is "inspired by" a Princess of Mars, it isn't a straight adaptation. The movie is a whirlwind of amazing visuals, powerful dialog and soul-wrenching storytelling.

I'd had high hopes that this movie would live up to the hype surrounding it. It surpasses it, the hype doesn't even come close. From beginning to end, this movie focuses on story, and expands on a great story with stunning effects as opposed to just using great FX in place of solid storytelling.

It also has one of the strongest pieces of non-verbal storytelling outside of Up.

Do not miss this film. Do see it in the theaters. Do see it in 3D.

You will not be disappointed. I'm certainly chomping at the bit for release day so I can see it again and I'm already hoping for a sequel based on The Gods of Mars.