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

234 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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Frank N

Loved it. Even bought the DVD which I have watched several times and will watch again. I read where it bombed at the box office and I honestly cannot imagine why as it had fun, fights, intrigue, supernatural (mildly) and the romance supported the movie without being overdone. And great acting. What was not to like ?

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/31/25

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thiago s

Filme fraco, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são fracas, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

08/28/25

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Alex M

I have when general movie watchers and book readers say this movie it not good because it is damn good!!! I love it and want to have a sequel! So whatever the reason was that this movie was not promoted a it should be - do better in sequel and get the money flow in! I want to have the sequel!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/18/25

Full Review

Jack O

This is a great adventure movie. It has some cheesiness to it and some ropey plot points - kind of in the manner of a classic Ray Harryhausen film - but there's lots of things I love about this movie - especially the dog. I much prefer this movie to 'Avatar', for example.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

08/18/25

Full Review

Jakob S

An amazing movie. Great cast and epic performances. Loads of hidden truths to this movie as well that relate to our world. Insane the critics rated poorly. Would’ve been incredible to see the second and third movie. I hope Disney picks this trilogy back up immediately!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/09/25

Full Review

Paul S

I like to think this movie is Dune if it was set on Mars. It started a little confusing, and the story was all over the place, but overall, this was a pretty good movie. The visuals were great and the worldbuilding in the movie is creative and mesmerizing. I definitely recommend it for sci-fi, action, and adventure fans!

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

08/07/25

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

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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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