Slashfilm: John Carter, the Early Buzz (is actually pretty good)
by Angie Han for Slashfilm
One film I’ve been decidedly mixed on is John Carter, Andrew Stanton‘s live-action debut. Much as I love the talent involved — stars Taylor Kitsch, Willem Dafoe, Mark Strong, etc., screenwriter Michael Chabon, and of course Stanton — I haven’t loved the footage we’ve seen of it so far. But trailers, clips, and Super Bowl spots only tell us so much, and some of the buzz from the early screenings have made the project sound a bit more promising. Hit the jump for more.
One of the most in-depth early reviews comes from The John Carter Files.com:
Movie was really excellent and well worth watching. The audience reacted positively to the entire thing. All around me were pleasantly surprised, as most, like me, hadn’t even heard of the film. Many people took a long time to fill out their surveys and felt a responsibility to accurately convey their opinions. I felt the audience was emotionally engaged. we were rooting for JC all the way. We wanted him to marry the princess. we wanted her to love him. I would definitely recommend it.
Another wildly positive review comes from writer Ayelet Waldman, though her praise comes with a huge caveat: She’s married to Chabon, one of the screenwriters, and saw the film at a Pixar crew screening. Here are a few choice quotes from her Twitter (via IMDb):
Just saw John Carter. It was AWESOME. Seriously. Best action movie I’ve seen … maybe ever? Lush and gorgeous. Great love story. FAB!!!! The thing about #johncarter is that the female lead is smart, & kicks ASS. It’s so female friendly!
Finally Nick Soapdish wrote to Ain’t It Cool News after watching not the whole film, but a few clips. You can head over to their site to read his descriptions of each scene he saw, but here are his overall impression: