Dork Note: The Dork Review is introducing a new segment to review movies - so everyone say hi to Joe!
My name is Joe: I love movies, I know that many reviewers say that, but I honestly love all movies. Good movies, B-rated movies, I even like horrible movies; movies with great plots (Life of Pi) and movies with absolutely horrendous plots (Last Air Bender… threw up in my mouth a little). There is something about surrendering your imagination for several hours and allowing a team of directors, producers, animators, and key grips to take you to places that you yourself could not think of on your best day dream. I know this sounds like an excerpt from the Reading Rainbow, but it’s true. However, this is the problem I have with regular reviewers; they seem to have forgotten the simplicity of the movie experience. It doesn’t matter if a movie is believable or realistic, it’s a movie; I don’t care how the hero can pull out a rocket launcher from his back pocket, it’s awesome. I am blown away by the imagination of anyone that can put together a script, a group of actors, and some plot points and make a movie.
John Carter was one of those movies I was proud of supporting. Don’t focus on the fact that it takes place on Mars, or that fact that the whole plot of the movie is based on the fact that one does not simply fax himself across huge swathes space quicker than you can send and receive a text. I love the beauty and the audacity of what the movie is trying to do.
The book, Princess of Mars, in which this movie is based on, was original in what Edgar Rice Burrows was trying to imagine for a different culture and a different time. Now fast forward hundreds of scfi movies (War of the Worlds, Star Wars, Starship Troopers, etc.) and you can get the impression that this genre is somewhat played out. I have to disagree.
Maybe I’m a hopeless romantic, or maybe I have a soft spot for a good guy gets the girl type movie but the way John Carter goes about it seems fresh, new, and entertaining.
The movie starts out with a young Edgar Burrows getting a summons from his rich, eccentric uncle John Carter. By the time young Edgar arrives, John Carter dies from a mystery illness and is quickly entombed. Not only does Edgar inherit all of his uncles wealth he also inherits a mysterious journal chronicling his uncles exploits around the world and the solar system.
From this point we are taken on a journey that his both hard to believe and hard to not be entertained by. I won’t give you a point by point blow of the movie or even give away any spoilers. I will merely say that this movie is about redemption and renewal.
John Carter lost everything, and if you have ever been in that same position you too would wish for an escape from your surroundings. The greatest point about this movie is that John felt more like an alien on earth than he ever does on Mars. Sure the story is a mix of Aladdin and Dances with Wolves but I’m not sure that’s a bad thing.
So please rent this movie and sit back and enjoy a story where the good guy gets the princess…on Mars.
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