John Carter

"Messy and chaotic ... but also colorful and kind of fun. (...) 'John Carter' tries to evoke, to reanimate, a fondly recalled universe of B-movies, pulp novels and boys’ adventure magazines. But it pursues this modest goal according to blockbuster logic" 

"There's nothing to see, nothing to think about, nothing to care about, and nothing to feel, just emptiness. The emptiness is never filled over the course of 132 long, barren minutes" 

"A rather charming pastiche, if perhaps not one with sufficient excitement and razzle-dazzle to justify the reported $250 million production budget" 

John Carter exerts the pull of a tall tale told by a campfire (...) it's built on something rare: wonder instead of Hollywood cynicism (...) Rating: ★★½ (out of four)"



 

"Stanton has been given the resources to create an expansive, expensive world, but lacks the instincts to direct live-action, a limitation that shows most in the performances (...) Kitsch doesn't exhibit enough charisma" 

"It's hard to care about anything going on in this shapeless would-be franchise, which lurches from scene to scene without building any real excitement (...) Rating: ★ (out of four)"