John Carter 9 1/2/10
This is the movie that I have been waiting to see for almost 50 years, ever since, at age 14, I read my first Edgar Rice Burroughs novel, "The Mastermind Of Mars." Before I had finished the first chapter, I was, and remain to this day, a totally unrepentant fan of everything that Burroughs has ever written. Tarzan's Africa, John Carter's Barsoom, David Innes' Pelucidar, Carson Napier's Vepaja, and all of the dozens of other worlds, from the Earth's Core to Beyond The Farthest Star, I've read and enjoyed them all. But of all those worlds, Barsoom, or Mars, remains my favorite, with its strange and wondrous creatures to John Carter himself, Virginian, Prince of Helium, and Warlord of Mars. And, of course, the incomparable Dejah Thoris, most beautiful woman on Barsoom.
The movie isn't a total retelling of "A Princess Of Mars." No single movie could possibly contain that total story, and changes, not all of which I agree with, have had to be made in order to bring the basic story to the screen. But what remains is close enough to the original story to make it well worth waiting half a century to see. Before seeing the movie, I was quite frankly worried that John Carter would receive the same sort of treatment that Hollywood has given Tarzan, Burroughs' most well known character, over the years. Now, I'm more afraid that the remaining two books in the series' beginning trilogy, will never be made into movies.
(And, incidentally, for those who might not be aware of the fact, John Carter, written a hundred years ago, is the direct inspiration for the "Gor," "Witch World," "Dune," "Michael Kane Of Old Mars" and "Dragon Riders Of Pern" series of books, among others, and the movie "Star Wars" series, the "Highlander" series, "Avatar," and the movie adaptations of the "Conan," and "Lord Of The Rings" series, to name only a few. So, if you go, [and PLEASE do, box office sales is the only way that this series will be allowed to continue] to see this movie, just keep in mind that, despite what you might think, "John Carter" isn't a rip off of all of those previous novels and movies, just the opposite is true. They were inspired by "John Carter."
(Please excuse my somewhat lengthy review. As I've mentioned a couple of times before, I've been waiting for almost fifty years to comment on this movie)
