John Carter

Well, first of all: they fucked up the title. It should be called "John Carter of Mars." And it’s not like it’s a bad movie. Lead actors are sincere and shapely. Creatures are animated skillfully. Landscapes, both real and computer-generated, are rendered beautifully. Costumes are inventive. So it’s not so easily explained why this movie landed with a thud. They say it’s the science fiction on which all other science fiction is based. So maybe that’s the problem. Maybe there’s just something about it that seems a little too familiar.