Having not read any Edgar Rice Burroughs novels (yet), I went into my John Carter screening having seen only one trailer and having also read about how some fans did a trailer remix because they were unhappy with Disney’s edit. I didn’t watch this re-edited trailer, but I got the idea that the movie was misrepresented by the trailer I did see. Not that it mattered much. The movie stood on its own from the start.
And John Carter turned out to be good fun – I enjoyed it quite a bit. It reminded me of James Cameron’s Avatar, except that John Carter benefits from a storyline, which is always nice to have in a film. John Carter also benefited from some very nice set and production design, and the addition of Mark Strong, who is rapidly becoming the quintessential British Villain replacement for Alan Rickman (just forget about Green Lantern).
I chose a 2D screening of John Carter (as I try to do with all films, since 3D is a pretty terrible novelty right now) and I was pleased I did. The fast shots and sweeping IMAX-like camera movements they like to use in effects films these days only serve to highlight the limitations of 3D, so having everything in focus at all times was a definite plus.
John Carter is a definite DVD or Blu-ray purchase for me. While not perfect in its execution (a lot of nice set pieces are just background fill with no purpose other than to look good while characters talk) and reliant on a couple of time-cheating coincidences to keep the pace up, it’s an enjoyable sci-fi film with great visuals and visual effects, above average performances and a fair bit of action. Worth the price of admission, too. See it at the cinema in 2D for the best experience.