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Review: John Carter 3D

By River Reporter Feb 23, 2012

Giant spiders, Martians, 12-foot barbarians and a princess. Laura Varley tells you all about the latest sci-fi fantasy hit, John Carter 3D.

By Laura Varley

By Laura Varley

John Carter (Taylor Kitsch) is a man who’s after treasure in this film adaptation of the popular book and comic A Princess of Mars.

He’s a civil war veteran looking for a cave of gold which is apparently guarded by a giant spider. However, upon finding the cave he is attacked and somehow transported to Mars.

Mars, known as Barsoom to the locals, has its own battle going on – two cities fighting for control of Mars. The princess of Helium (Lynn Collins) comes to John Carter for his help but he only cares about getting home to America to his cave of gold. She must convince John to help her whilst he overcomes his own demons of the past.

The story has been well-adapted for the screen and although it’s a typical save-the-princess plot line, John Carter 3D keeps its audience captivated through the exploration of this vast, imaginary world full of magic and strange beings.

Kitsch and Collins are joined on the cast by veteran actor Willem Dafoe, who plays Tars Tarkas, the leader of a hoard of 12-foot barbarians who try to kill John Carter. Because of the lesser gravity on Mars, Carter discovers he can jump incredibly high and far which attracts the interest of Tarkas, who captures him to use as a warrior.

The 3D effect doesn’t add much to the film apart from depth – you wouldn’t be missing out much if you watched it in 2D. Nonetheless, the effects have been well done. Watching the air-ships destroy each other in 3D is great fun.

But the CGI is what really stands out: all the monsters and creatures of Mars come to life in such a beautifully designed fantasy world. It all seems so real. There are plenty of fight scenes, airship chases and eye-candy to keep you interested (John Carter and the princess are very beautiful people), as well as a cracking story. The lizard creature that acts like a dog and can run incredibly fast is so sweet and funny, he tends to steal the show at times.

A brilliant sci-fi fantasy, John Carter 3D will capture your imagination and make you never want to leave the world of Barsoom.

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