Brian's Review - John Carter

Mars is beautiful this time of year.

Released: 2012
Genre(s): Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

Some may chastise me for saying it, but Disney's recent live-action films have been pretty inconsistent in quality, with most failing to meet expectations. While "John Carter" failed to universally impress critics, there's no denying that this is Disney's most entertaining live-action adventure yet, adapting the beginning of Edgar Rice Burroughs' Barsoom series into a sci-fi actioner that embodies what Disney is all about: fun. The movie's effects aren't the most imaginative, but they're above-average, breathing plenty of life into the many alien denizens of the red planet and its wide, sweeping environments. The action is frantic and done on a huge scale, channeling the frenzied madness of a video game - this film is honestly an action junkie's dream, throwing more explosions, massive battle sequences, and jaw-dropping set pieces at the viewer than any other Disney movie to date. Consequently, this is also one of Disney's most violent films of recent memory, unflinchingly embracing its PG-13 rating; however, most of the blood and gore (yes, gore in a Disney flick!) is CGI, coming off no worse than "Star Wars" or similar interstellar action romps. My biggest issue with all this is that John Carter himself comes off as somewhat of an unlikable thug, recklessly destroying and dismembering, completely inconsiderate in his capacity, even when he's attempting to help. It is this unfocused, brutish meandering about that makes his journey feel less meaningful than it should. Fortunately, due to this, it becomes obvious that "John Carter" does not take itself too seriously either, allowing indulgence in a certain level of sci-fi silliness, while never pretending that it's more important than it is. It's a simple kind of film, and it's well aware of this fact, but its presentation is dazzling and its execution is refreshingly bold for a company normally associated with animated features. It's an ambitious enough attempt to make you want to fly - or teleport - to this red world of breathtaking wonder.

Rating (out of 5): 3.5