Written by Ben Robinson, DFI

Director: Andrew Stanton
Stars: Taylor Kitsch, Willem Dafoe, Mark Strong
Running Time: 132 mins

Hollywood’s blockbuster machine is stirring into life after a quiet winter. “John Carter” serves as an appetizer for the main banquet of 2012, which includes “The Avengers”, “The Amazing Spiderman” and “The Dark Knight Rises”. And Disney has spared no expense on its latest 3D epic – giving director Andrew Stanton (“Wall-E”, “Finding Nemo”) a reported budget of $250 million to play with; creating a brand-new franchise from one of science-fiction oldest properties. Introduced to readers of pulp-fiction literature in 1912, “John Carter” set the template for a whole century’s worth of sci-fi cinema. Many of our favourite movies, including “Star Wars” and “Avatar” have borrowed heavily from Edgar Rice Burroughs’ “John Carter” novels. So if this new movie feels a little second-hand, you know why.

Our hero John Carter (played by rising star Taylor Kitsch, soon to be seen in “Battleship”) is a rebellious confederate soldier from America’s Old West. He is quickly established as a fearless hero, constantly escaping capture and outwitting his enemies. Following a thrilling prison-break, Carter stumbles upon an ancient alien star-portal, and is transported to the savage battlefields of Mars and straight into the middle of a civil war. As in “Avatar”, Carter’s adventure begins when he collides with alien natives – the Tharks (led by a gravel voiced Willem Dafoe, in computerized form), whose civilization is on the brink of destruction by sinister forces. These initial scenes on Mars (or Barsoom as its residents call it) are great fun, with our hero learning how to deal with a change in gravity and attempting to outwit the pursuing Tharks.

After a frosty start, the Tharks realise John Carter is actually quite a good guy to have around – handy with a sword, tasty in a fight, and able to jump great distances without the use of a trampoline. Elsewhere on Mars, two warring tribes – the Zodangans (led by Dominic West) and the Heliumites, led by Ciaran Hinds – battle for supremacy. One thing we must accept when watching a sci-fi or fantasy film is the mandatory use of silly names. There’s nothing we can do about that.

As with all great myths, there’s also a beautiful Princess for our hero to fall in love with – the intrepid Dejah Toris, played with muscular elegance by Lynn Collins (“X-Men Origins: Wolverine”).To make things even more complicated, a shadowy puppet master called Matai Shang (Mark Strong) is generally causing a lot of bother in his attempts to drain the planet of energy.

Are we lost yet? Despite sounding overly complicated, “John Carter” actually cracks along with real pace and energy, and features some exhilarating battle sequences. Unfortunately we have to wait for the really good stuff for almost an hour, while the story is set up, which may lose many younger viewers (and those with short attention spans and busy Blackberries). I was also left slightly underwhelmed by the overall production design, which seemed to borrow “Stargate”, “Return of the Jedi” and “Cowboys & Aliens”.

My next complaint may not be entirely the fault of the filmmakers. A common gripe of the 3D experience is a noticeable darkness of image, caused by cinemas using projector bulbs that aren’t nearly bright enough to compensate for the 3D glasses. This was painfully true for the screening I attended, where often felt I was squinting at the film through a heavy fog.

Despite my reservations, I came away from “John Carter” without the sense of disappointment I felt so strongly with last year’s box-office flops “Sucker Punch”, and “Green Lantern”, all of which represent the filmic equivalent of a McDonald’s Happy Meal.

It’s just a pity we’ve seen it all before, despite “John Carter” being the original tale that gave “Star Wars” and “Avatar” their life-force. There is a lot to enjoy, and if it wasn’t for the poor 3D presentation, I think I might have been swept away.