Review of John Carter (2012) by Daryl K — 13 Jul 2013

Without James Cameron's 'Avatar', Disney's 'John Carter' wouldn't exist (at least not in its current, blockbustery form.) Like 'Avatar', I think this film would have actually benefitted from an extra hour of running time to better establish the characters, their relationships, and the world.

The story beats are there, but nothing carries the weight necessary to feel an emotional connection. It's as if certain scenes are shortened or missing, and it's up to an audience to fill in the blanks based off knowledge of similar, better films.

This, and the fact that the lead, Taylor Kitsch, has all the charisma of a block of wood, are the major flaws as I see it. Neat visuals, though -- apparently, they did manage to get most of the over-inflated budget up on screen.