Oh, did I have fun this week!  I got to see Disney's John Carter in a special preview!  Not only were we treated so kindly, but this movie is wonderful!


From Disney:

From Academy Award®–winning filmmaker Andrew Stanton comes “John Carter”—a sweeping action-adventure set on the mysterious and exotic planet of Barsoom (Mars). “John Carter” is based on a classic novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs, whose highly imaginative adventures served as inspiration for many filmmakers, both past and present. The film tells the story of war-weary, former military captain John Carter (Taylor Kitsch), who is inexplicably transported to Mars where he becomes reluctantly embroiled in a conflict of epic proportions amongst the inhabitants of the planet, including Tars Tarkas (Willem Dafoe) and the captivating Princess Dejah Thoris (Lynn Collins). In a world on the brink of collapse, Carter rediscovers his humanity when he realizes that the survival of Barsoom and its people rests in his hands.

My take:

Where to begin?  When the movie began I was immediately caught up in the story.  Right away it took an unexpected turn, and I was hooked!  I was swept up in the story, and swept away with the visual effects.  The best way to sum up the special effects of this movie is you absolutely could not tell they were special effects.  The Tharks (green two-armed martians) were so real.  The flying machines, amazing! The battle scenes were epic (and I don't use that word lightly). 

I loved the scene were John Carter first discovers he's not on Earth anymore.  He has to learn to walk all over again.  I giggled all the way through that!

For families with young children:

This movie is rated PG13.  It has a lot of battles, and I mean alot of battles.  They are mostly sword play, and on the lines of what you would see in Star Wars.  There wasn't alot of blood and 99% of it was a bluish color. (I don't know if that makes it easier to see.)  I thought Disney handled it well.  There is very little if any bad language and no intimate scenes.  Yes, there is definitely romance, but it is done Disney style.  Some of the princesses' costumes showed some skin (think Captain Kirk's Star Trek).

John Carter kept me entertained the whole time!  My son was enthralled, and my husband really enjoyed it.  We saw the movie in 3D and it added so much.  It wasn't cheesy 3D where things seem to fly out of the screen at you.  It was used to add depth and dimension to the movie.  During some of the chase scenes with the flying machines, I had to close my eyes for a minute because I felt like I was riding along with them, and I started to get a little motion sick.  (As you can imagine, roller coasters and I don't get along either!)

I absolutely loved the ending, (not going to tell you so you can enjoy it too) and I'm hoping there's a sequel!

I think my favorite part was watching John Carter start to heal emotionally and rediscover his compassion in this movie.

So, thumbs up Disney!  You've done it again!  

It opens today, Friday, March 9th.  So what are you waiting, for?  Go see John Carter! 

Disclosure:  I had the opportunity to view this movie for the purpose of a review.  The opinions are all my own and free of charge!