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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Mitch B

The fish out of water story is good and I love the atmosphere and found John Carter's advice to his nephew, Ned, to be wise and moving. It's my favorite scene. Not a bad movie at all.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/01/25

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John W

A great cast. A classic Sci-fi story. Not perfect, but a good movie and worth a watch.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

06/15/25

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Alessandro A

I didn't expect much but I loved it. Many interesting ideas combined with an excellent CGI. Not predictable and enjoyable. I can only recommend it.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/03/25

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Pinkajax

This movie was phenomenal, especially if you knew any its history. The story was originally written in 1911 by Edgar Rice Burroughs. The book, of course, was better as all books usually are. Only because it was longer and more detailed. The Wright Brothers had only recently flown for the first time. This movie could not be made back in the 20's, 30's, 40's or even 50's. Flash Gordon was new 1955-56. It was real " hokey". They decided to wait to make the movie. The 60's & 70's were Star Trek. Again special effects just weren't there yet. Then all the Star Wars came out and special effects and make were getting better. Then movies like Avatar were coming on yhe scene and make-up and special effects were finally where the movie could come alive but hardly anyone was aware of the books and stories behind the Burroughs' Mars series. Nor were people even giving it a chance. I loved the movie and seen it several times...bought the dvd and enjoyed it some more. I wish they could have done a series of movies following the Mars novels with John Carter and Thuvia, Princess of Barsoom.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/08/25

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Adam P

I love this film and would have loved to see more! A must watch film! A great story that is fun for everyone.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/15/25

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Holly L

I really enjoyed this movie & have watched it a couple more times since it came out in the theatres. I feel that it sometimes strays from the book plot but it is very entertaining and tells the basic story. I just wish they had made a sequel to this cliffhanger!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

04/09/25

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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

Oblivion

53%

61%

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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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