Hey folks, Harry here... It's strange - how much I love this version of JOHN CARTER. I've spent the last several years trying very hard not to think about JOHN CARTER. My experience working on the version at Paramount was wondrous, but ultimately when it all fell apart - there was so much brilliant work by so many talented souls - that the idea of all that going for naught... well, suddenly I understood why A PRINCESS OF MARS by Edgar Rice Burroughs was a project that had defeated so many legendary filmmakers over time. From Bob Clampett to John Boorman to Harryhausen to Walt Disney to John McTiernan - and then our own slate of directors.
Going to the Alamo Drafthouse South to watch that preview screening was one of the most miserable drives I've taken - and the night before just sucked. Thinking about how I was going to be the first of our team to see this "Disney" version - and after watching their NARNIA series, which just didn't gibe. I had started to see moments in the Japanese Trailer and I began hearing that folks were liking it, but I figured my experience would completely taint my ability to just ENJOY the movie.
Thank God I was wrong. Stanton has taken one of my favorite books, a story that influenced almost everything we know about modern Hero fiction, Science fiction and fantasy. I like to think of JOHN CARTER as being the Rosetta Stone of Modern Geek Culture. But for me, after I read John Carter as a boy - my father taught me to find MARS in the sky. I'd lay in my front yard and dream about leaping on Mars, having a warrior friend named Tars Tarkas. I definitely wanted a pet like WOOLA.
JOHN CARTER isn't tracking well - and it has nothing to do with the film. Currently, I know that folks as different as Capone, Myself, Moriarty, Devin Faraci & Peter Sciretta have all publicly acknowledged enjoying the film. Can't say the same about very many giant CG Fantasy & Science Fiction series.
There's a ferocity to some of the battles that you're probably not expecting - you'll see flashes of that after the Ape fight sequence, which isn't nearly shown in its entireity. Blow this up full screen - put in some earbuds so you can fully appreciate the sound and Giacchino's score. JOHN CARTER has taken nearly 100 years to get to the screen.
I know for many of you - that doesn't mean a lot. You've never heard of JOHN CARTER. You look at it and see parallels to AVATAR & ATTACK OF THE CLONES - and then a bunch of "so-called experts" tell you those wouldn't exist without this - and you may think... that might've been a good thing. Well, I consider it something of a miracle that this even got to the screen. Here ya go, enjoy...
