John Carter

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John Carter

PG-13

Released Mar 9, 2012

2h 12m

Sci-Fi

Action

Adventure

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

52%

Tomatometer

236 Reviews

60%

Popcornmeter

100,000+ Ratings

When Civil War veteran John Carter (Taylor Kitsch) mysteriously awakes on the surface of Mars -- also called Barsoom -- he little expects the adventure that awaits him. Carter reluctantly becomes embroiled in an epic conflict among the red planet's inhabitants, including Tars Tarkas (Willem Dafoe) and Princess Dejah Thoris (Lynn Collins). As Barsoom is poised on the brink of collapse, war-weary Carter rediscovers his humanity when he realizes that everyone's fate is in his hands.

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Critics Consensus

While John Carter looks terrific and delivers its share of pulpy thrills, it also suffers from uneven pacing and occasionally incomprehensible plotting and characterization.

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J. Hoberman

ARTINFO.com

For the most part, the first "live action" feature by Andrew Stanton, is graphically splendiferous and enjoyably nonsensical.

Feb 25, 2019

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Matt Singer

ScreenCrush

Isn't the disaster some industry observers predicted, but it's not the high-gloss masterpiece some of us hoped for either.

Rated: 5/10

Apr 5, 2012

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David Denby

The New Yorker

A mess.

Mar 26, 2012

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Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

John rides a rhino into battle, fights great white apes in the arena, and leaps great distances like Superman in the early, original comic books.

Sep 22, 2024

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

It’s watchable and, at times, an enjoyable film, just not wowing or immediately satisfying in the way so many of Burroughs’ readers had hoped it would be.

Rated: 2.5/4

Feb 22, 2023

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David Bax

Battleship Pretension

John Carter is a good summer movie in March but, with the exception of that one fleeting segment, it's not a great movie at any time of year.

Mar 16, 2021

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Audience Member

Very surprised. I had always heard this was a bad movie. I enjoyed it very much! Maybe not expecting much helped but it’s got a bit of everything in it. Great action and the story is strong enough to make it worth a watch. I recommend for any sci-fi fan.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

12/24/24

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Robert B

….:-) watching, watching

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

12/19/24

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Char S

Amazing film, wish it would’ve gotten more recognition. It’s like The Mummy meets Indiana Jones meets Star Wars. I do agree with other reviews where it was stated that it would’ve been better as a tv series, so the characters could’ve been fleshed out better. But that may be a selfish thought merely bc I would’ve loved to have seen SO MUCH MORE from these characters! Bc omg so good. I’m a nerd, but dudes I loved this movie.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/30/24

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Aron B

Seriously underrated movie, go to and a shame it didn’t make it. Would love to see 2.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/22/24

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Rebecca F

Its kind of a cross between Star Wars and Indiana Jones vibe: I was completely surprised by how I became an instant fan of this movie . Loved the characters, the funny quips, the cool aliens, the slow burn romance and awesome music. I decided to watch it once I read it was set after the Civil War as I love period films and then it turned into this sci-fi adventure which completely captured my imagination. I would say its for fans of: Sherlock Holmes Indiana Jones Star Wars The Lost World (as in the Arthur Conan Doyle version) Dr Quinn Medicine Woman (for the era) The Patriot And maybe a hint of Tristan and Isolde tossed in there... Have fun, give yourself an evening with popcorn and John Carter.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/28/24

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bob s

Loved the movie when i first saw in the theater and still continue till this day Marketing seemed to be its issue Beautiful character Development, enjoyed the story wished there was another

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

10/20/24

Full Review

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Andrew Stanton

Director

Taylor Kitsch

John Carter

Lynn Collins

Princess Dejah Thoris

Willem Dafoe

Tars Tarkas

Samantha Morton

Sola

Ciarán Hinds

Tardos Mors

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Synopsis

When Civil War veteran John Carter (Taylor Kitsch) mysteriously awakes on the surface of Mars -- also called Barsoom -- he little expects the adventure that awaits him. Carter reluctantly becomes embroiled in an epic conflict among the red planet's inhabitants, including Tars Tarkas (Willem Dafoe) and Princess Dejah Thoris (Lynn Collins). As Barsoom is poised on the brink of collapse, war-weary Carter rediscovers his humanity when he realizes that everyone's fate is in his hands.

Director: Andrew Stanton
Producer: Jim Morris, Colin Wilson, Lindsey Collins
Screenwriter: Andrew Stanton, Mark Andrews, Michael Chabon
Distributor: Walt Disney
Production Co: Walt Disney Studios
Rating: PG-13 (Intense Sequences of Violence|Intense Sequences of Action)
Genre: Sci-Fi, Action, Adventure
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 9, 2012, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 1, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $73.1M
Runtime: 2h 12m

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