Ensign Lestat's Film Log, 14/03/2012
'John Carter' is adapted from the Edgar Rice Burroughs story 'A Princess of Mars'. Burroughs' most renowned creation is, of course, 'Tarzan', but his John Carter series was quite popular in its time and has been credited as one of the inspirations for 'Star Wars'.
The film begins with a voice-over narrator (which didn't bother me, surprisingly) explaining to us that Mars was once inhabited, and its inhabitants referred to the planet as Barsoom. There is war on Barsoom, instigated by the power-hungry Sab Than, Jeddak or Leader of Zodanga (Dominic West, does he ever play a good guy?). Sab Than gains extraordinary power when he joins forces with Matai Shang (Mark Strong), a mysterious creature with God-like abilities produced by technology.
We are then transported to America in 1881, where we follow a man sending a telegram and then follow his telegram to his nephew, Edgar Burroughs (Daryl Sabara). Edgar is informed that soon after meeting with his solicitor and doctor, his uncle, John Carter (Taylor Kitsch) passed away of apparent natural causes. He has left strict and peculiar instructions for his burial in a mausoleum. His estate has thereby been passed on to Edgar, along with a journal that can only be read by Edgar. Edgar begins to read the journal which tells an extraordinary story.
The journal entry is told to the audience through Kitsch's voice-over, which is an old-fashioned technique, but is well-suited to the era the film is set in.
Carter's journal entry reveals that thirteen years prior to his writing this entry he came across a 'cave of gold' as he calls it, in Arizona. But his search for gold comes to an abrupt end when he is requested by an army colonel to join the cavalry. Hilarity ensues as Carter tries and fails several times to escape the colonel's clutches, before finally succeeding by duping one of the guards.
While attempting to escape he and the colonel's men are confronted by and then flee some Apache Indians. This is when Carter enters a cave containing a 'spider' carving. He encounters an attacker (one of the Matai), who he quickly dispatches. As the attacker is dying, Carter notices a medallion in his hand. Carter picks it up as the alien mumbles some words.
The next thing Carter knows he's in the middle of a desert. His attempts to walk find him sailing through the air. More hilarity ensues as he desperately attempts to come to terms with this new circumstance. Once finally regaining balance and stability he looks into a structure to find hatching eggs that produce four-legged green creatures.
He hardly has a moment to adapt before he is attacked and then captured by a bunch of green aliens. What the green aliens, or Tharks, want with Carter remains a mystery to me because the IMAX screen where I live does not display subtitles in English. Anyway, soon everyone starts speaking in English, which is a real relief. The Tharks, with a chained Carter, then witness (and wager on) a battle between Sab Than's ships and a city called Helium's lone ship. Carter gets into the fray, using his new-found jumping ability to save Dejah (Lynn Collins).
Dejah, who is revealed to be the Princess of Helium, then promises to help Carter find his way back home. They go on a journey along the river Iss, with Sola (Samantha Morton in motion-capture) and Carter's alien dog.
That seems like a lot of the film, but it isn't. A lot happens in the story, and we often go backwards and forwards between places, characters and on a handful of occasions, time.
The overriding themes of the original story were racial divides, and the film touches upon these, but only a little. The film is created for an action-loving audience, with breathtaking visual effects, incredible action sequences, and enough otherworldly jargon to captivate the average geek's imagination.
For all intents and purposes, this film is fabulous, epic and a clear-cut addition to sci-fi classics of yore. And yet, it isn't. And this can be put down to some very basic reasons - it seems to me this film garnered hype, but received next to no promotion from its studio, Disney. Its director, Andrew Stanton, has never made a live-action film before. Its two leads are not A-list Hollywood stars. But, its biggest drawback is that the text is so old, some aspects of the film come across as old-fashioned, and the storyline and execution as rip-offs of other sci-fi blockbusters.
SPOILER ALERT: Just how old the text is becomes evident closer to the end of the film. Carter, before making sure the battle against the Matai is won, assumes that Matai Shang has been killed and goes up to Dejah and gets down on one knee (literally) and proposes to her. I repeat, down on one knee, proposing marriage. Who on Earth does that anymore? Oh wait, this is on Mars - must be the air or something. But seriously speaking, I don't think I've seen someone propose like that on-screen... ever. Or at least not in a genre film like this. And following the proposal, the two marry, Carter taking the place of Dejah's erstwhile fiance, Sab Than. Wow! Not seen a wedding on-screen since Padme and Anakin's secret one in AOTC (that's Star Wars - Attack of the Clones for normal people). This old school-style ending really seemed out of place with the rest of the film. I think perhaps they should have just updated that bit. No proposal, no wedding. END OF SPOILER.
Barring going for a first-time live-action director to direct an epic sci-fi and poor promotion, I do not think the producers could have done much differently. I don't personally believe that a blockbuster should only belong to big name stars. Profitable franchises of the past decade, such as 'Harry Potter' and 'Twilight' employed relative unknowns, most of whom had far less experience than Kitsch and Collins have prior to this film. Kitsch starred in 'Friday Night Lights' which would be very familar to American audiences, but alien to most people overseas, as the series dealt with American football. But the film has done better overseas - but how much does that count for? The overseas is much bigger than the U.S. It's $250 million budget may get made up in sales, but it is unlikely to achieve the amount of profit required to justify a deserved sequel. The world of 'John Carter' is well-built and complete, and it would be interesting to watch more of Carter and Dejah's adventures, but that will now not happen.
I've been so caught up reading other people's opinions of this film, that I'm beginning to forget my own. The start of the film is slow. Kitsch seems to spend an age hidden behind a thick, straggly beard. It also seems to take an age before he lands on Mars and meets the aliens. I think his acclimatisation scene was a couple of shots too many (even though it was rather funny). Once he meets the aliens the action picks up (and by action I mean the story, plot, effects and, yes, the action), but even then there are achingly long time-outs which could have been edited and just been shorter.
From the very first scene this film promises to be different. There are female crewmen aboard Sab Than's ship screaming orders and engaging in combat. They are dressed exactly the same as their male counterparts (all of whom are in crop breast-plate armour and metal briefs). It puts both genders on an even keel, which I have not seen in Hollywood films... ever.
This gender equality continues somewhat with the introduction of Dejah. She is every bit a warrior, quickly upstaging the chivalrous John Carter during their first encounter - Carter takes her sword and asks her to get behind him, then proceeds to attempt battle against marauding aliens, only to see the sword flying into the air. She picks it up and ably dispatches the lot and Carter goes, 'Or maybe I should get behind you'. That respect remains throughout the film. Kitsch plays the 'Smurfette' in this film - this term is usually attributed to female characters who enter a story completely unaware of what is happening. Explanations of the world and its rules to the smurfette is a technique used to inform the audience. Here, Kitsch plays the lost smurfette, and Collins plays the mature and highly intelligent scientist. The 'Natives' of the planet are not fools in this story, they are technologically advanced and have a vast knowledge about the universe. These are aspects that are refreshingly new in this film.
Sola, the female green Martian, who aids and accompanies Carter throughout the film is more evidence of the subversiveness of this film. Where Carter has accidental agility, she has immense strength and strategic abilities.
I admit that gender equality is always one of the most attractive aspects of a film to me. The reason I will always love 'Thor' more than any of the other Marvel films (so far, anyway) is down to this simple reason - strong female characters that trump the males, but are at the same hand in hand with them. 'Thor' and 'John Carter' are not gender wars, nor do they (well, 'Thor' more than this one, anyway) put your nose out of joint with in-your-face femininity (read: very pathetic outfits).
That brings me to the costumes. The outfits are reminiscent of those in '300', but with body armour. Very strange. It seems to me the studio had an eye on attracting the audience to potential eye-candy. Our audience of ten had two children in it. I'm not sure what the parents were thinking bringing them to this film - but they'll have gone away with some very strange ideas in their heads, that's for sure!
When it comes to costumes, Collins definitely gets the more revealing ones, but admittedly all that she wears is trumped by Taylor Kitsch! And I think the director and producers knew this.
The first clear shot of Kitsch's face, all clean-shaven and dirt-free, is him, shirtless and in chains. That's an attempt to pander to the gallery if ever I saw one. He is also dressed in the (and I don't use this word lightly) sexiest male outfit this side of... Actually it's the best one ever! He's dressed in a short skirt with a huge slit - yup, not seen that one ever before! It helps that he has the shape and frame to pull it off. And even when his face is hidden behind the beard, his eyes are expressive, lending well to his acting. Kitsch, in fact, does a good job as the vulnerable, humble and damaged Carter. The flashbacks explain why he is reluctant to accept arms, and he ably allows us to step into the shoes of his character.
The film has some comic elements in it, which has seemed quite absent in genre films of late. I don't think I've ever laughed at any of Kitsch's on-screen antics before, so that was, again, very refreshing.
One thing I thought of, belatedly, was the chemistry between the two leads. It's not something that I look for, but when it strikes me I can't shake it. Kitsch and Collins look very comfortable together, as if they're good old friends on an adventure. They make for a convincing romantic pair, but lack flying sparks. Actually, that's probably an advantage, considering the state of Carter's heart and mind when he meets Dejah. It's a slow-burn sort of relationship, and that comfortable bond that the two share works well for the film.
The film isn't poorly made. In the first scene, Dominic West's acting was very poor - I felt he didn't quite know what he was doing, or saying. Ciaran Hinds, who plays the leader of Helium, is also another disappointment - he spends most of the film looking confused. All the other actors do commendable jobs. This is a sci-fi, so we're not expecting Oscar-worthy performances, but they give it their all, and aid the audience in becoming immersed in this new world.
I guess I can't help but harp on the negatives. The trouble, or one of its many problems, is that it is a middling effort. It is not a bad film - trust me it doesn't fall into the same category as the 'Transformers' films, but neither is it spectacular. The reason the film isn't spectacular is because its scenes just seem so familiar. That cannot be helped - the text was written in the early 1900s. There are scenes that look like they've walked right out of the six 'Star Wars' films. One scene where Carter is talking to Tars Tarkas, Jeddak of the Green Martians (Willem Defoe in motion-capture) looks exactly like Luke Skywalker talking to Yoda in 'Star Wars - Return of the Jedi'. In fact the shooting angle and some of the lines are virtually the same.
Another scene, near the end of the film, sees Dejah walking out of a room looking for Carter, and it could have easily been Padme looking for Anakin Skywalker (it was also reminiscent of a scene in 'X-Men Origins: Wolverine' also featuring Collins). The greatest similarities come in the form of the arena scene; 'Star Wars - Attack of the Clones' anyone.
To top it all Taylor Kitsch's John Carter looks eerily like the video game protagonist of The Prince of Jake Gyllenhaal's 'Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time'. 'Prince' is one of my favourite video games, and I had been very excited at the prospect of it being made into a film. One of my first choices for playing the nameless protagonist was Taylor Kitsch - he really does look like he walked right out of the game. Perhaps he should have been given that role, and this epic adventure to Gyllenhaal!
Persia - long hair, lean build, similar facial structure, athletic and gymnastic prowess. When watching the trailer, I felt this was a lot like
Fantasies aside, I think laying blame on the cast members would be incorrect. Kitsch's resume is relatively short - well, then again, he started off as a model and made his breakthrough in acting much later than others. He gives his characters his all, and passionately pursues his roles. His Gambit in 'Wolverine' was a breathtaking cameo, even though his accent was mixed up and confused. He was fantastic in 'The Bang Bang Club' with a very correct South African accent, and sporting a slim build and the haunted look of a drug addict. In this film he starts off speaking in his acquired Texan accent, before easing into the slight Southern accent required for his character.
I had wanted to watch this film from the first time I'd heard it was in production, that was way back in 2009. 'John Carter of Mars' was Kitsch's next film after 'Wolverine' and I immediately had visions of a film like 'Red Planet' and 'Mission to Mars' (the worst film I have ever seen). Then suddenly it started getting called only 'John Carter' and I wondered what this film could possibly be about. A simple title like this is misleading - it sounds like a drama about a revolutionary, or an activist, or something like that. Imagine my surprise when the promos revealed it to be a science fiction along the lines of 'Star Wars' and an action-adventure like 'Prince of Persia'! And here is where one can pick yet another bone with the producers. I've just read that the 'of Mars' part of the title was dropped because the studio felt it would 'put off' female audience members. Seriously! You have got to be joking! Is this world full of idiots? Morons? Dimwits? Or is that just the female of the species? Or maybe, just the studio executives! I cannot believe that someone thought it prudent to woo female audience members by evicting 'Mars' from the title. Will John Carter not be on Mars just because Mars is missing from the title? And why would women not want to watch a film about Mars? Or any other planet for that matter?
I agree that action/ sci-fi/ and the like usually pander to a male audience and the male gaze. Hence the enjoyment of these films is greatly reduced for women. But this film, just from its trailer, is evidently trying its hardest to keep both genders happy. By putting up a generic name, the studios have utterly confused anyone who hasn't sat through several screenings of the trailer before other films.
While these poor decisions by the studio has led to what many are referring to as a major box office flop, how it will affect the likes of Kitsch and Collins remains to be seen. Both have other projects underway, which is beneficial. Kitsch is also set to appear in summer blockbuster 'Battleship', which, if executed well, could well create a path for more big budget roles for him in the coming future.
I enjoyed this film, even though I can't recall much of it due to Kitsch's distracting beauty. As I said earlier, I feel the director knew he had hit the jackpot when it comes to attractive male leads, and he uses it to his advantage. The entire film ends with Kitsch in a crisp suit, so cleanly shaven, there isn't a spec on his face, and his hair coiffed like that of a supermodel, which makes all else fade from memory. I know I break from convention talking about Kitsch's looks, but I have to admit, it is very in-your-face.
Which brings me back to my earlier complaint - who cares if Kitsch isn't a recognisable star, he has talent, and he has beauty (a fair share more than Shia LaBeouf when he appeared in 'Transformers'). So what's kept the audiences away? Probably the poor reviews complaining about the unrecognisable face. And anyway, recognisable or not, a face like Kitsch's doesn't take a second to become imprinted in one's mind. He is a spectacular beauty, who takes his acting seriously enough to hopefully have a prolonged career, even if it is in only commercial stuff like 'John Carter'. Disney should have had faith in their choice and rammed Taylor's potential as the next Hollywood beauty down the audience's throat. Yet another grouse I have against them in the making of this film.
This film is about having fun. Even though deeper meaning and themes run through it, the overall experience is that of entertaining the audience. I mean, how can you not have fun when, for half the film, Taylor Kitsch's character is referred to as Virginia, and he makes this annoyed expression that says, 'Not again!'? It's funny and fun. Definitely worth a watch (or maybe even two).
'John Carter' is adapted from the Edgar Rice Burroughs story 'A Princess of Mars'. Burroughs' most renowned creation is, of course, 'Tarzan', but his John Carter series was quite popular in its time and has been credited as one of the inspirations for 'Star Wars'.
The film begins with a voice-over narrator (which didn't bother me, surprisingly) explaining to us that Mars was once inhabited, and its inhabitants referred to the planet as Barsoom. There is war on Barsoom, instigated by the power-hungry Sab Than, Jeddak or Leader of Zodanga (Dominic West, does he ever play a good guy?). Sab Than gains extraordinary power when he joins forces with Matai Shang (Mark Strong), a mysterious creature with God-like abilities produced by technology.
We are then transported to America in 1881, where we follow a man sending a telegram and then follow his telegram to his nephew, Edgar Burroughs (Daryl Sabara). Edgar is informed that soon after meeting with his solicitor and doctor, his uncle, John Carter (Taylor Kitsch) passed away of apparent natural causes. He has left strict and peculiar instructions for his burial in a mausoleum. His estate has thereby been passed on to Edgar, along with a journal that can only be read by Edgar. Edgar begins to read the journal which tells an extraordinary story.
The journal entry is told to the audience through Kitsch's voice-over, which is an old-fashioned technique, but is well-suited to the era the film is set in.
Carter's journal entry reveals that thirteen years prior to his writing this entry he came across a 'cave of gold' as he calls it, in Arizona. But his search for gold comes to an abrupt end when he is requested by an army colonel to join the cavalry. Hilarity ensues as Carter tries and fails several times to escape the colonel's clutches, before finally succeeding by duping one of the guards.
While attempting to escape he and the colonel's men are confronted by and then flee some Apache Indians. This is when Carter enters a cave containing a 'spider' carving. He encounters an attacker (one of the Matai), who he quickly dispatches. As the attacker is dying, Carter notices a medallion in his hand. Carter picks it up as the alien mumbles some words.
The next thing Carter knows he's in the middle of a desert. His attempts to walk find him sailing through the air. More hilarity ensues as he desperately attempts to come to terms with this new circumstance. Once finally regaining balance and stability he looks into a structure to find hatching eggs that produce four-legged green creatures.
He hardly has a moment to adapt before he is attacked and then captured by a bunch of green aliens. What the green aliens, or Tharks, want with Carter remains a mystery to me because the IMAX screen where I live does not display subtitles in English. Anyway, soon everyone starts speaking in English, which is a real relief. The Tharks, with a chained Carter, then witness (and wager on) a battle between Sab Than's ships and a city called Helium's lone ship. Carter gets into the fray, using his new-found jumping ability to save Dejah (Lynn Collins).
Dejah, who is revealed to be the Princess of Helium, then promises to help Carter find his way back home. They go on a journey along the river Iss, with Sola (Samantha Morton in motion-capture) and Carter's alien dog.
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| Yes, unbelievably, that is Samantha Morton in the background. |
The overriding themes of the original story were racial divides, and the film touches upon these, but only a little. The film is created for an action-loving audience, with breathtaking visual effects, incredible action sequences, and enough otherworldly jargon to captivate the average geek's imagination.
For all intents and purposes, this film is fabulous, epic and a clear-cut addition to sci-fi classics of yore. And yet, it isn't. And this can be put down to some very basic reasons - it seems to me this film garnered hype, but received next to no promotion from its studio, Disney. Its director, Andrew Stanton, has never made a live-action film before. Its two leads are not A-list Hollywood stars. But, its biggest drawback is that the text is so old, some aspects of the film come across as old-fashioned, and the storyline and execution as rip-offs of other sci-fi blockbusters.
SPOILER ALERT: Just how old the text is becomes evident closer to the end of the film. Carter, before making sure the battle against the Matai is won, assumes that Matai Shang has been killed and goes up to Dejah and gets down on one knee (literally) and proposes to her. I repeat, down on one knee, proposing marriage. Who on Earth does that anymore? Oh wait, this is on Mars - must be the air or something. But seriously speaking, I don't think I've seen someone propose like that on-screen... ever. Or at least not in a genre film like this. And following the proposal, the two marry, Carter taking the place of Dejah's erstwhile fiance, Sab Than. Wow! Not seen a wedding on-screen since Padme and Anakin's secret one in AOTC (that's Star Wars - Attack of the Clones for normal people). This old school-style ending really seemed out of place with the rest of the film. I think perhaps they should have just updated that bit. No proposal, no wedding. END OF SPOILER.
I've been so caught up reading other people's opinions of this film, that I'm beginning to forget my own. The start of the film is slow. Kitsch seems to spend an age hidden behind a thick, straggly beard. It also seems to take an age before he lands on Mars and meets the aliens. I think his acclimatisation scene was a couple of shots too many (even though it was rather funny). Once he meets the aliens the action picks up (and by action I mean the story, plot, effects and, yes, the action), but even then there are achingly long time-outs which could have been edited and just been shorter.
From the very first scene this film promises to be different. There are female crewmen aboard Sab Than's ship screaming orders and engaging in combat. They are dressed exactly the same as their male counterparts (all of whom are in crop breast-plate armour and metal briefs). It puts both genders on an even keel, which I have not seen in Hollywood films... ever.
This gender equality continues somewhat with the introduction of Dejah. She is every bit a warrior, quickly upstaging the chivalrous John Carter during their first encounter - Carter takes her sword and asks her to get behind him, then proceeds to attempt battle against marauding aliens, only to see the sword flying into the air. She picks it up and ably dispatches the lot and Carter goes, 'Or maybe I should get behind you'. That respect remains throughout the film. Kitsch plays the 'Smurfette' in this film - this term is usually attributed to female characters who enter a story completely unaware of what is happening. Explanations of the world and its rules to the smurfette is a technique used to inform the audience. Here, Kitsch plays the lost smurfette, and Collins plays the mature and highly intelligent scientist. The 'Natives' of the planet are not fools in this story, they are technologically advanced and have a vast knowledge about the universe. These are aspects that are refreshingly new in this film.
Sola, the female green Martian, who aids and accompanies Carter throughout the film is more evidence of the subversiveness of this film. Where Carter has accidental agility, she has immense strength and strategic abilities.
I admit that gender equality is always one of the most attractive aspects of a film to me. The reason I will always love 'Thor' more than any of the other Marvel films (so far, anyway) is down to this simple reason - strong female characters that trump the males, but are at the same hand in hand with them. 'Thor' and 'John Carter' are not gender wars, nor do they (well, 'Thor' more than this one, anyway) put your nose out of joint with in-your-face femininity (read: very pathetic outfits).
That brings me to the costumes. The outfits are reminiscent of those in '300', but with body armour. Very strange. It seems to me the studio had an eye on attracting the audience to potential eye-candy. Our audience of ten had two children in it. I'm not sure what the parents were thinking bringing them to this film - but they'll have gone away with some very strange ideas in their heads, that's for sure!
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| Michael Fassbender in '300' gets the better of the Martians in the wardrobe department |
The first clear shot of Kitsch's face, all clean-shaven and dirt-free, is him, shirtless and in chains. That's an attempt to pander to the gallery if ever I saw one. He is also dressed in the (and I don't use this word lightly) sexiest male outfit this side of... Actually it's the best one ever! He's dressed in a short skirt with a huge slit - yup, not seen that one ever before! It helps that he has the shape and frame to pull it off. And even when his face is hidden behind the beard, his eyes are expressive, lending well to his acting. Kitsch, in fact, does a good job as the vulnerable, humble and damaged Carter. The flashbacks explain why he is reluctant to accept arms, and he ably allows us to step into the shoes of his character.
The film has some comic elements in it, which has seemed quite absent in genre films of late. I don't think I've ever laughed at any of Kitsch's on-screen antics before, so that was, again, very refreshing.
One thing I thought of, belatedly, was the chemistry between the two leads. It's not something that I look for, but when it strikes me I can't shake it. Kitsch and Collins look very comfortable together, as if they're good old friends on an adventure. They make for a convincing romantic pair, but lack flying sparks. Actually, that's probably an advantage, considering the state of Carter's heart and mind when he meets Dejah. It's a slow-burn sort of relationship, and that comfortable bond that the two share works well for the film.
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| Kitsch and Collins share a comfortable bond in the film |
I guess I can't help but harp on the negatives. The trouble, or one of its many problems, is that it is a middling effort. It is not a bad film - trust me it doesn't fall into the same category as the 'Transformers' films, but neither is it spectacular. The reason the film isn't spectacular is because its scenes just seem so familiar. That cannot be helped - the text was written in the early 1900s. There are scenes that look like they've walked right out of the six 'Star Wars' films. One scene where Carter is talking to Tars Tarkas, Jeddak of the Green Martians (Willem Defoe in motion-capture) looks exactly like Luke Skywalker talking to Yoda in 'Star Wars - Return of the Jedi'. In fact the shooting angle and some of the lines are virtually the same.
Another scene, near the end of the film, sees Dejah walking out of a room looking for Carter, and it could have easily been Padme looking for Anakin Skywalker (it was also reminiscent of a scene in 'X-Men Origins: Wolverine' also featuring Collins). The greatest similarities come in the form of the arena scene; 'Star Wars - Attack of the Clones' anyone.
To top it all Taylor Kitsch's John Carter looks eerily like the video game protagonist of The Prince of Jake Gyllenhaal's 'Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time'. 'Prince' is one of my favourite video games, and I had been very excited at the prospect of it being made into a film. One of my first choices for playing the nameless protagonist was Taylor Kitsch - he really does look like he walked right out of the game. Perhaps he should have been given that role, and this epic adventure to Gyllenhaal!Persia - long hair, lean build, similar facial structure, athletic and gymnastic prowess. When watching the trailer, I felt this was a lot like
Fantasies aside, I think laying blame on the cast members would be incorrect. Kitsch's resume is relatively short - well, then again, he started off as a model and made his breakthrough in acting much later than others. He gives his characters his all, and passionately pursues his roles. His Gambit in 'Wolverine' was a breathtaking cameo, even though his accent was mixed up and confused. He was fantastic in 'The Bang Bang Club' with a very correct South African accent, and sporting a slim build and the haunted look of a drug addict. In this film he starts off speaking in his acquired Texan accent, before easing into the slight Southern accent required for his character.
I had wanted to watch this film from the first time I'd heard it was in production, that was way back in 2009. 'John Carter of Mars' was Kitsch's next film after 'Wolverine' and I immediately had visions of a film like 'Red Planet' and 'Mission to Mars' (the worst film I have ever seen). Then suddenly it started getting called only 'John Carter' and I wondered what this film could possibly be about. A simple title like this is misleading - it sounds like a drama about a revolutionary, or an activist, or something like that. Imagine my surprise when the promos revealed it to be a science fiction along the lines of 'Star Wars' and an action-adventure like 'Prince of Persia'! And here is where one can pick yet another bone with the producers. I've just read that the 'of Mars' part of the title was dropped because the studio felt it would 'put off' female audience members. Seriously! You have got to be joking! Is this world full of idiots? Morons? Dimwits? Or is that just the female of the species? Or maybe, just the studio executives! I cannot believe that someone thought it prudent to woo female audience members by evicting 'Mars' from the title. Will John Carter not be on Mars just because Mars is missing from the title? And why would women not want to watch a film about Mars? Or any other planet for that matter?
I agree that action/ sci-fi/ and the like usually pander to a male audience and the male gaze. Hence the enjoyment of these films is greatly reduced for women. But this film, just from its trailer, is evidently trying its hardest to keep both genders happy. By putting up a generic name, the studios have utterly confused anyone who hasn't sat through several screenings of the trailer before other films.
I enjoyed this film, even though I can't recall much of it due to Kitsch's distracting beauty. As I said earlier, I feel the director knew he had hit the jackpot when it comes to attractive male leads, and he uses it to his advantage. The entire film ends with Kitsch in a crisp suit, so cleanly shaven, there isn't a spec on his face, and his hair coiffed like that of a supermodel, which makes all else fade from memory. I know I break from convention talking about Kitsch's looks, but I have to admit, it is very in-your-face.
Which brings me back to my earlier complaint - who cares if Kitsch isn't a recognisable star, he has talent, and he has beauty (a fair share more than Shia LaBeouf when he appeared in 'Transformers'). So what's kept the audiences away? Probably the poor reviews complaining about the unrecognisable face. And anyway, recognisable or not, a face like Kitsch's doesn't take a second to become imprinted in one's mind. He is a spectacular beauty, who takes his acting seriously enough to hopefully have a prolonged career, even if it is in only commercial stuff like 'John Carter'. Disney should have had faith in their choice and rammed Taylor's potential as the next Hollywood beauty down the audience's throat. Yet another grouse I have against them in the making of this film.
This film is about having fun. Even though deeper meaning and themes run through it, the overall experience is that of entertaining the audience. I mean, how can you not have fun when, for half the film, Taylor Kitsch's character is referred to as Virginia, and he makes this annoyed expression that says, 'Not again!'? It's funny and fun. Definitely worth a watch (or maybe even two).
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