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John Carter
John Carter
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John Carter

John Carter

2012
Sci-fi, Fantasy
2h 12m
Transplanted to Mars, a Civil War vet discovers a lush planet inhabited by 12-foot tall barbarians. Finding himself a prisoner of these creatures, he escapes, only to encounter a princess who is in desperate need of a savior. (imdb)

John Carter

2012
Sci-fi, Fantasy
2h 12m
Your probable score
Avg Percentile 36.65% from 2472 total ratings

Ratings & Reviews

(2496)
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Rated 05 Jul 2015
92
84th
What the hell's wrong with everyone? This movie is great, and it deserves none of the vitriol that the internet hivemind has spewed its way. It delivers the raw imagination, beauty, and narrative power of the venerable source material in a fun and engaging way. Solid entertainment that rewards repeat viewings.
Rated 21 Mar 2012
78
73rd
What a shame that the press seems so eager to bury this film under a mountain of schadenfreude, as this is a fine pulp adventure deserving of an audience. Who cares what it cost, so long as it works. And it does. The Barsoom books have been stripped bare by Lucas, Cameron and many others, but Stanton asserts himself as a stronger storyteller than those who've walked this ground before. Lynn Collins is outstanding. The title sucks though -- imagine if Raiders had been called "Indiana Jones". Who?
Rated 09 Jul 2012
86
92nd
A lot of the character design and the vehicles remind me of "Star Wars: Episode One", except this movie is good. it's a great story that I was glued to the screen for the entire play time, and that ending kept me guessing, but left me satisfied.
Rated 10 Mar 2012
7
84th
If you, like me, are a lover of big bombastic fantasy adventure flicks, this mostly hits the spot for a fun Saturday matinee screening, despite some occasional cheesiness and clunky exposition on par with anything in the Star Wars prequels. Lynn Collins actually surpasses the titular character as the Princess of Mars, which is cool since women in these sorts of movies can often feel shallowly-sketched and only put in there out of marketing necessity.
Rated 20 May 2012
40
24th
Someone should read a book on how to put together a film. This is just all over and does not know what story it wants to tell. If it had cut away all the indifferent sideplots and focused on one it might not would have ended out as Disney's: John Carter of Arse!
Rated 12 Mar 2012
40
27th
Solid fun, but there is something completely wrong with film's structure. It comes across as an unbelievable uneven narratif in terms of speed and what it choses to tell. The storybuilding is somewhat extensive but some of the key moments are either way to short or too long. I would like to a second take on this, though..
Rated 24 Mar 2013
88
90th
Slipped in blu-ray and waited two hours for it to start sucking. Spent another two hours trying to figure out why people didn't like it. Realized quickly I didn't care. Ate a pepperoni stick.
Rated 31 Mar 2012
80
87th
I am shocked at the indiscriminate trashing of this film while other garbage films get a high ranking. Did people go and see it first? I really like it. I thought that it brought the book to life in a very creative way. It is a good visual movie. Taylor Kitsch's performance meshing well with the acutal character profile and understated does work people. I read a review on Rotten Tomatoes that said, forget the naysayers and just go and see it; -- so I did and I am glad that I followed that
Rated 18 Mar 2012
65
45th
Any problems with the film are that, with most high fantasy and sci-fi movies, few screenwriters can write stories that are as imaginative as the production design or avoid an incomprehensible encyclopaedia of terms and names. In this film's favour, it's still an entertaining sci-fi adventure romp with far more virtues than its critical trashing suggests, brimming with imagination and not just coasting through its story.
Rated 13 Mar 2012
85
91st
Fun and fascinating adventure whose greatest charm is not to be ashamed of bringing fantasy to the limit. A mix of non-stop action with old-fashioned romance in a movie made with cutting-edge special effects.
Rated 19 Jan 2014
55
41st
So... Mars is divided into three fractions: The "McNulty" Baddies, The "cast of Rome" nobels and the critters from Attack of the Clones (only wingless this time). And despite the inherent silliness of it all, this fantasy universe offers some good fun. That is, until Mars gets visited by the charmless, egocentric douchebag John Carter, who the plot sadly revolves around. Still, it's not as bad as its reputation.
Rated 29 Aug 2015
91
70th
Despite an awkward start, this develops into a charming, lush planetary romance with just the right amount of good humor and energy. Of particular note is Willem Defoe's wonderfully enthusiastic voice performance as an alien warlord, and the wonderful CGI creation that is Wolla. Unjustly overlooked.
Rated 31 Jan 2013
80
85th
One of the best told sci-fi/fantasy stories I have seen in a while. The plot is a bit predictable but always entertaining, the characters are introduced in a proper way and the story covers enough ground to really get a feel for the planet and its inhabitants.
Rated 06 Sep 2012
85
73rd
A perfect example of classic pulp fiction. Too bad pulp fiction is out of style. Silly fun with great effects. A great time at the movies.
Rated 05 Jul 2012
80
72nd
Don't believe the negative reviews -- IF you are a fan of the original ERB novels, this is an entirely creditable adaptation.
Rated 19 May 2012
75
37th
it's a sad thing to witness that despite the fact the story you've adapted into a movie was one of the pioneers of the concept and yet it is bound to be labeled as cliché. of course by "the story", i address to, you know, "white man saves the savages" concept. Sorry burroughs, theme of your story has been already hit the theaters so many times. nothing new on western front except the cool visual arts and some interesting stuff related physics.
Rated 21 Apr 2012
95
91st
Endearing, sweet, funny, and exciting. Exactly what I expect from the studio and this genre.
Rated 17 Mar 2012
95
74th
My wife and I were looking forward to a fun night out and this movie delivered. Take Edgar Rice Burroughs's Barsoom novels, scramble the events in a blender, season with Star Wars design and a soupcon of steampunk and you have John Carter. If Woola doesn't make you laugh, you're probably a thern.
Rated 10 Mar 2012
83
59th
I found the movie alot better on my second viewing. Give this one another shot, if you have the inclination.
Rated 09 Sep 2018
45
46th
worth a watch
Rated 12 Jul 2015
75
63rd
You know, John Carter's got its problems, but I really liked it despite that. Doesn't deserve to be one of the top ten box office bombs of all time. There's really no excuse for making a $300 million movie, but at least you can see the money on the screen - the visuals are wonderful. The acting's good (even if Kitsch is a little weak), and the story and setting, while initially incomprehensible, actually get pretty compelling after awhile. It's too bad it's never getting those sequels, though.
Rated 03 Jun 2013
80
77th
The problem with this film isn't the film itself, it is the bad bad bad shitty bad advertising that went along with it. Basically turned me off to seeing it, and the main reason it probably bombed. Also, Disney isn't good at doing movies about Mars.
Rated 17 Jul 2012
60
33rd
It's a difficult task to watch this movie. Had to keep reminding myself that the movie didn't steal from other movies. This was me all through the movie. "Aw come on, they stole that from Avatar or Star Wars or other sci-fi movies" only to remind myself that the story is from 1912, so unless Burroughs invented a time machine, went forward in time and ripped off Cameron and Lucas, this is the mother of modern sci fi. Nothing to fancy about the movie. A nice movie for the entire family.
Rated 09 Jun 2012
63
34th
This isn't terrible. It does seem confusing and overlong though. That being said you could do worse if you looking to kill an afternoon with some decent special effects and a surprising amount of effective humor mixed in.
Rated 18 Mar 2012
67
7th
dude, a principle character with the initials j.c. with god-like abilities!? Plus he's a confederate-vet/prospector? Josey Wales anybody? this had great pulp written all over it. there are all kinds of wrong ways you could go with this juicy tale and still turn out something half-decent. & that's what happened. Actors sucked. Dialogue blew. Action scenes "Disney-fied"/neutered. In the end turned out just like the books, great story but poor execution. production design was phenomenal tho.
Rated 13 Mar 2012
65
53rd
The story is nothing new, the leads don't work that well, yes, but I think there are a lot to admire in this too. Despite the cliché-ridden story, the script isn't really bad, it even has some strong points. The techs are very good. And Stanton obviously put all he had into this to make it an enjoyable film with a heart. It reminded me films like Indiana Jones and even Back to the Future, honestly. I'm not disappointed.
Rated 10 Mar 2012
40
19th
A turd that would have been improved infinitely by a less trite script and more charismatic leads. They're delivering clunker-pieces of dialogue uselessly, both as bland as the action around them. The creature animation is cool, however.
Rated 21 Jul 2018
70
18th
It's an okay movie. It drags a little at times, and leaves more questions then answers about the motivations of some of the characters, but was enjoyable enough. It's not as bad as the reviews and the reception let on, but not good enough to really rise above all the negative press.
Rated 26 Jun 2016
30
2nd
Stanton wanted to create an epic throwback sci-fi actioner, but the end result is closer to the Star Wars prequels rather than the original trilogy, except without the scope and visual ingenuity. It is a slow and boring film with a charisma free lead; they couldn't have found a more wooden actor if they tried. There are some decent scenes--the colosseum battle sequence, for example--but they are surrounded by walls of utter tedium. A bad script and a lack of creative vision are to blame.
Rated 29 Feb 2016
94
97th
i agree with john schnepp, it shoulda been called john carter of mars and marketed better cuz it's a fire fantasy movie
Rated 05 Feb 2015
57
34th
This film's biggest problem is its unwillingness to fully commit to its pulp origins and leanings. It constantly tries to avoid them through awkward frame stories, plodding early pacing, and musical montage sequences to avoid storytelling. Yet it retains much of the ridiculousness of its roots, so it's attempts at faux-seriousness become painfully awkward. I wonder if this was originally a better film, butchered in the editing room by producers, because it has its moments of brilliance.
Rated 17 Nov 2013
40
7th
Everyone keeps saying it's not that bad, and maybe it isn't, but it's boring as all hell. The lead is maybe the boringest boring guy to ever boringly lead a boring movie.
Rated 03 Feb 2013
75
18th
I thought this was perfectly fine! It's fairly funny when it wants to be and the effects are all great. The story is interesting but it does drag a few times. I may need to rewatch it for a final opinion. As of right now, I found it to be an entertaining time-killer.
Rated 15 Jan 2013
3
38th
Pretty goofy. It's all over the place, the pacing is wonky, the politics are boring, it's overlong and yet underdeveloped in a lot of ways...on the flip side, it's suffused with an appropriately gung-ho spirit of adventure and seeing Jimmy McNulty as supreme alien bad guy is kind of awesome. In the end, watchable.
Rated 11 Jul 2012
50
35th
Passes the time.
Rated 05 Jun 2012
45
7th
If you're going to have corny green aliens with 4 arms and alien bulldogs you better have a pretty damn compelling storyline with action to back it up sans cheesy jumping. Cameron understood this with Avatar but Disney clearly didn't. The story adapted is hopelessly retro but with a better director it might have been workable. The costumes and sets all look nicely done in parts but it seemed like Disney was only interested in throwing money about hoping to shit out a sci-fi franchise.
Rated 03 Jun 2012
41
61st
This film wouldn't have been so bad if it hadn't been so blatant in solving problems that it just set up. Two examples: Carter arrives on Mars and can't walk and so there is a hilarious scene of him falling over. When all the humour has been extracted he can suddenly work normally. Second example: He can't understand the natives and they can't understand him. Cue mysterious "essence of Mars" drink and that's that dealt with. This makes for an unsatisfying watch, and it was also too long.
Rated 29 May 2012
63
30th
To think, if they just cut some of that special effects budget and hired a decent writer, this could've been avoided.
Rated 27 May 2012
50
10th
Dune, Star Wars, Prince of Persia, Avatar mashup with solid pulp fiction basis but poor script. Shoud never have been picked up by Disney!
Rated 27 May 2012
65
17th
There is no doubt in my mind, there was a much better movie waiting to be made from the source material. Instead what Disney went for is an action set piece, full beautiful set pieces on a distant planet. There was never enough to fall in love with in John Carter, it was always breaking into the next action scene, one after the other. It never seemed like John Carter was able to slow down and deal with the fate bestowed upon him. The movie could have used better characterization in my mind.
Rated 21 May 2012
36
14th
Mildly entertaining action on top of a rather poor script with lackluster acting.
Rated 20 May 2012
27
2nd
Rated 13 Apr 2012
3
32nd
Deservedly overlooked but I kind of wish it wasn't. Fits into the realm of 'dumb blockbusters' in a strangely ambitious and convoluted way that never gels quite right. It's not like Roland Emmerich films make any sense either though, so what gives?
Rated 27 Mar 2012
95
78th
Great movie from a great book. Not every movie can make 200 millions. Audience sometimes just don't give movies a chance.
Rated 15 Mar 2012
50
39th
I've got mixed feelings towards this film. It's the first big scale Barsoom film, but same time the director/writer has done questionable choices. Tharks life looked nice (two tharks clanging their tusks on each other was the best part!), but for example red people failed to shine in any way. And excluding the part of Willem Dafoe the entire cast were nothing special. There was caps in the plot and the whole story was badly mediocre.
Rated 09 Mar 2012
25
17th
John Carter managed to in tandem bore and confuse me, and nothing else. Honestly, I don't know what to say about this. I don't know where the budget went. I don't know who OKed this script. The story had a ton of potential and this narrative wasted every single ounce of it. I've rarely cared so little during a film. Couple good moments, and the relationship between Kitsch and Collins' characters kept me marginally entertained at times, but that's it. Avoid! You would not think Stanton made this.
Rated 16 Jul 2024
75
60th
What a pleasant surprise! It is true that things look very much like Star Wars, but they look good, so who cares? The plot doesn't make too much sense, as usual in fantasy; the acting is decent; the pacing is good, with never a dull moment: heaps of movie fun! Pity that Disney managed to lose big money with this, so we will never see a sequel.. or will we?
Rated 27 Aug 2023
61
56th
The premise is fun and original, and the narrative is suitably far reaching and epic. It tried to go for a planet of the apes kind of thing, but a lot of the dialogue was unnatural and clunky
Rated 04 Jun 2022
33
4th
Weak and tedious sci-fi actioner suffers from a muddled screenplay, listless direction (even the action scenes aren’t particularly distinguished), and universally wan, diffident performances, especially Kitsch’s blockish lead. Faint, probably hopeful overtures of AVATAR abound in this tale of a stranger in a strange land, but it’s all pretty much for naught. Some fine scenery and production design is really the only highlight.
Rated 12 Mar 2021
76
30th
underrated
Rated 15 Dec 2020
75
27th
This was panned by the critics when it first came out, but it wasn't really that bad.
Rated 11 May 2020
55
32nd
It's not good, but it's entertaining.
Rated 25 Aug 2019
20
13th
The pacing was pretty bad, but some entertaining action scenes. A weird mishmash of multiple John Carter novels that led to a very messy story.
Rated 06 May 2019
62
28th
Certainly not as bad as the media hype around the film's budget and eventual failure at the box office, but not overly memorable either. If you want something big and pulpy then this fantasy romp isn't a bad way to go.
Rated 04 May 2019
48
14th
There are some wildly exciting action scenes, and the seedlings of a great sci-fi film here. Despite a long(ish?) running time, though, the ideas come off underdeveloped, and the cast is somewhat of a letdown. I can't shake the feeling that more capable and more ambitious hands could have done something great with this story.
Rated 12 Jan 2019
72
82nd
This is a film that shows that box office numbers don't always tell the story of whether a movie is good or not. This is an entertaining sci-fi/action flick which has great visuals and moves at a brisk pace. There are flaws, but they are relatively minor.
Rated 27 Aug 2018
65
42nd
A trite, largely unengaging story breathes due only to its original setting and interesting visuals, of a brightness and colour unique to much of recent cinema. Given a better script, more patience and commitment to the potentially unique voice of its world, elements of this story could really have shone, but were lost in an uninspired machine-cut screenplay.
Rated 25 Jun 2017
54
26th
A somewhat ambitious movie that fails to completely embrace its corny origin by trying to appeal to a much younger audience. It still manages to be appealing on some levels.
Rated 25 Jun 2017
58
31st
Desperately needs a proper screen presence as the lead. Otherwise a fun little action/adventure.
Rated 30 May 2017
75
55th
2017-05-30 surprisingly pretty decent
Rated 03 May 2017
55
38th
Massively overhated
Rated 05 Feb 2017
67
40th
The film has a lot of things going in favour of it. A brilliant premise, beautiful setting and fascinating sci-fi ideas, but it lacks a good execution of the story. Some serious pacing issues made it really slow at times that make the film a bit too long. Nonetheless, the ending is executed exceptionally well and John Carter, despite it's stupid and unappealing name, is a very fun watch.
Rated 21 Nov 2016
70
36th
a lot of money was spent to make this turd
Rated 13 Mar 2016
80
31st
More fun then the terrible reviews let on
Rated 02 Nov 2015
50
12th
Not much to save this one, bad script, bad acting, bad directing.. The story shows its age and the scope is too big for its own good.
Rated 15 Jun 2015
5
19th
'John Carter' has its fun moments, but the uninteresting characters and often confusing story coupled with the imperfect pacing makes for a take it or (more likely) leave it experience.
Rated 15 Jun 2015
78
52nd
Maybe it's b/c the film repeatedly tells us that the bad guys mean to destroy Mars, but never shows us, or the fact that Carter's got no good reason to want to get back home, but adults are unlikely 2 feel emotionally invested in the hero's journey until the surprisingly good epilogue, when he longs to return to his great love & there are some thoroughly unexpected twists. Kids should love it & adults familiar with the story's historical importance should enjoy seeing what inspired so many.
Rated 17 Apr 2015
50
55th
A lot of (bad) CGI but a lot of fun also.
Rated 27 Feb 2015
42
30th
Despite the original story inspiring Avatar, Star Wars, and countless other sci-fi blockbusters, John Carter surprisingly comes away feeling like a cheap imitation. Or rather, an expensive but somewhat less enjoyable imitation.
Rated 09 Feb 2015
67
52nd
Not as bad as everyone tells me, but surely not as good as Disney wanted it to be. This film has something which makes me utmost interested and yet, it could hold my attention for the entire movie.
Rated 03 Dec 2014
72
37th
I kept hearing that this was a seriously underrated movie that failed because of bad marketing- so I watched it. Not that it is bad- its pretty good- but honestly not good enough. It just didn't do enough to stand out from the XMen, Avengers and Hunger Games crowd.
Rated 01 Nov 2014
20
3rd
Got an hour in before the tedium forced me to quit.
Rated 09 Aug 2014
75
29th
Did not realize this was a Disney movie. Had a VERY Disney feel to it. Meh, decently fun to watch with the girlfriend, but definitely not a gritty Sci-Fi I was hoping to see. Just ignore some of the cheesy Disney lines and predictable Disney plotline and you're good. Sorta like a live-action fairy tale.
Rated 01 Aug 2014
62
31st
It actually wasn't awful. It just didn't translate well to film. Some great special effects make for a fun ride if you've never seen it and have spare time on a rainy afternoon. Just don't expect much.
Rated 23 Jul 2014
35
10th
Probably should be rated much lower, but, call me shallow, I found myself enjoying it a little bit a couple of times.
Rated 09 Jun 2014
19
3rd
Ugly, boring and downright unlikeable. Lynn Collins is bad. Taylor Kitsch is horrendous. The editing is tame and off from beginning to end. A huge fuck up in every possible way.
Rated 02 May 2014
50
46th
I was expecting this movie to be terrible but it wasn't. I wouldn't say it was good, but I'd rate it as slightly better than the majority of recent much more successful action blockbusters. Disney did a horrible job of marketing this movie esp. when they dropped the "of Mars" from the title. My dad was a huge fan of the hugely popular Edgar Rice Burroughs stories, but he's also almost 80! Since it wasn't already adapted to film like Tarzan, hardly anyone under 50 even knows who John Carter is!
Rated 17 Jan 2014
85
33rd
Certainly very interesting, waiting for part 2 to see the full story.
Rated 03 Jan 2014
51
25th
While John Carter looks terrific and delivers its share of pulpy thrills, it also suffers from uneven pacing and occasionally incomprehensible plotting and characterization.
Rated 29 Dec 2013
70
36th
John Carter reminded me of Stargate. Both movies are fun, they have interesting plots, and they both combine our world to outer space via a gateway. The acting was pretty standard fare. I thought that the fight between the two human races could have been justified better. Also, the origin and reason behind the people who are destroying the worlds wasn't too clear. I want to watch it again to flesh out more of the story. But, I guess that is a good sign, if I want to watch it again.
Rated 07 Oct 2013
3
73rd
Some inventive design, interesting ideas and a good score here but too many plot problems. Comparing it to other children's adventures; POtC & sequels, Star Wars, Avatar etc.- I preferred this. By the end I was interested in what would come next, shame about that.
Rated 05 Oct 2013
63
27th
63.000
Rated 19 Aug 2013
50
2nd
Awful. They really should stop using Taylor Kitsch in movies. He is the kiss of death.
Rated 02 May 2013
66
24th
It could have been better, grittier, more compelling, less "disney". That doesn't make it bad, but the source material deserved better. It's still a worthy effort which was shunned by audiences and critics.
Rated 27 Apr 2013
80
70th
This enjoyably adolescent, pulpy sci-fi romp wasn't received very well, possibly because the affection for the genre seems real and not ironic, possibly because its reluctant hero is a bit of a bungler. Regardless, I only checked Twitter a couple times while watching. And somehow, by the end, I wanted to go back to Mars, something I can't say about Narnia.
Rated 20 Mar 2013
45
11th
what an ugly mess
Rated 19 Mar 2013
70
30th
Not as bad, as everyone says.
Rated 18 Mar 2013
50
30th
It had potential and budget to be much much more, but its attempt to be an easy-going entertaining film makes it lose the seriousness that could have made it great.
Rated 28 Feb 2013
3
31st
Far better than I thought it would be. This film is truly only a failure in that the marketing hindered rather than helped it. Hopefully one day will be recognized as a hidden gem of the movie world.
Rated 16 Feb 2013
50
7th
Bad, very predictable story though this film is not entirely unoriginal. Acting was rather stale but the setting is actually pretty cool. All in all, not recommended.
Rated 09 Feb 2013
62
22nd
This movie was a huge letdown. The cgi effects are breathtaking, but that's it. Beyond the tyle is nothing to be found than a substanceless boring story and characters with no idea. It's like Bunken said, very pity.
Rated 12 Jan 2013
75
40th
It's really not THAT bad! The comedic elements certainly help.
Rated 06 Jan 2013
55
35th
5+ pretty good
Rated 06 Jan 2013
70
43rd
Surprisingly, not too bad for a movie about a man from the 1800s transported to a futuristic Mars. Wierd but entertaining. From memory lots of death and destruction but possibly passable for family watching.
Rated 28 Dec 2012
3
36th
ah, zodanga, where the men are as limited as the menu, and the women are as hard as the beds.
Rated 03 Dec 2012
64
13th
sub par acting and a peculiar plot. still a relatively fun ride however
Rated 30 Nov 2012
70
61st
This middle section, in which both Carter and the audience get a crash course in the politics, history, and theology of the Red Planet, is the movie at its most imaginative and most fun.
Rated 30 Nov 2012
35
10th
I was gonna be that guy who defends Stanton. I mean coming from the man who has both Wall-E and Finding Nemo under his belt, this can't be as bad as I've been led to believe. But then I actually saw the film and I just couldn't believe how right they were. It was as dull and dry as Barsoom itself.
Rated 21 Nov 2012
64
32nd
I won't lie I wasn't excited for this movie at all. It starts off confusing, then when on Mars becomes boring and confusing. However, I will not lie despite the politics of war (of which I am never a fan, the idiotically obvious parallel in the wars on both planets, and at times equally cliche and at times perplexing soap opera moments, this movie makes for an intriguing watch, and is worth a try.
Rated 19 Nov 2012
65
46th
I really wanted to like this movie, but it's just a middling mess.

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