AMERICAN ASSASSIN Review

When you're one of those people that goes to the cinema a lot it is movies such as American Assassin that seem to become the most stale and the most generic the fastest. Of course, to audiences that only see a few movies in theaters every year American Assassin will be a perfectly acceptable piece of action pulp. American Assassin is a film that will no doubt fulfill expectations for those that felt intrigued enough by the trailers to go out and buy a ticket, but while American Assassin is acceptable in terms of technical prowess, some interesting performance choices, and a rather straightforward if not clichéd plot it fails to really exceed in any way within the narrow parameters it has given itself to operate and exist within. No doubt hoping to piggy back off the success of last September's secret assassin thriller, The Accountant, American Assassin has neither the intrigue nor the style that picture had, but rather with this adaptation of the Vince Flynn airport novel director Michael Cuesta (the criminally overlooked Kill the Messenger) has settled squarely into middle-of-the-road  territory with a story that isn't afraid to go big, with Cuesta (in his first major studio movie) unfortunately deciding it best to stay as safe as possible. This inherent feeling stay as safe as possible is to be understood in many ways for, by making this a competent action/thriller and little more, Cuesta stood more of a chance to please the general public than he did taking risks and appeasing a few critics. With such a consensus comes a solid return and more opportunity and eventually, more power over ones endeavors. Cuesta is playing by the rules in American Assassin. To the movie's credit, it does subvert a handful of expectations within certain scenarios while never being afraid to flaunt its more brutal aspects, but it also never embraces its own genre for the more exciting aspects that such a genre has to offer. Rather, this is a movie that is given ample opportunity by its genre to do some cool things with the story it is telling, but rather than take advantage of them American Assassin seems to consistently waste each and every one of them.

Teaser Trailer for AMERICAN ASSASSIN

Lionsgate and CBS Films have released a first look at their feature adaptation for the late Vince Flynn's long-running series that centers around character Mitch Rapp. While I haven't personally read any of Flynn's novels there are apparently a lot of people who do. Each one of Flynn's fifteen (fifteen!) novels that are set in the world of counter terrorism and feature Rapp have been a New York Times best-seller, the three most recent entries having gone to number one, with the series as a whole having sold nearly 20 million copies to date. While we're on the subject, it seems American Assassin is actually the eleventh book in Flynn's series, but the first chronologically. This makes sense as to why the studio would then cast Dylan O'Brien in the lead role at the ripe old age of twenty-five as they are no doubt hoping this film might potentially kick-off a profitable franchise for them. All of that taken into consideration, this teaser for American Assassin is quite terrific and promises everything one could hope for from a piece of genre filmmaking like this. Director Michael Cuesta made one of the more underseen investigative procedural's and all-around underrated films of three years ago with Kill the Messenger and with the tone of the story he's working with here as well as an screenplay adapted by the likes of Michael Finch (Predators), Marshall Herskovitch (The Last Samurai), Stephen Schiff (The Americans), and director Edward Zwick (Blood Diamond) it would seem Cuesta might be able to bring that same sense of urgency, suspense, and intrigue that he did with his last feature. Here's to hoping this is more along the lines of Christopher McQuarrie's Jack Reacher than that of Zwick's lackluster sequel from last year. American Assassin also stars Michael Keaton, Sanaa Lathan, Shiva Negar, Taylor Kitsch,and opens on September 15, 2017.

LONE SURVIVOR Review

In the midst of Hollywood's 2007 politically-charged, post 9/11 war on terror rally to get certain points of views into mainstream entertainment director Peter Berg produced a little seen gem called The Kingdom that starred Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman and Chris Cooper. There were plenty other a strong supporting player here, but despite it all the film failed to connect. That could be blamed as much on the saturation of of the market as it could the films own shortcomings. Prepping ourselves for this along with In the Valley of Elah, Rendition and Lions for Lambs there simply wasn't much of a chance for this well-made, but familiar feeling film dropped on us in the dog days of late September. I bring this up because despite The Kingdom not leaving much of an impression on audiences I actually wound up seeing the film a few times and the final scene in which Berg contrasted the feelings of hate and anger from the U.S. towards the Middle East and vice versa, while a simple statement, was also a strong and powerful one that immediately resonated with me as a viewer; it allowed for all the complexity of war and the purpose of the meanings behind words like honor and courage to be stripped down to not so much their definitions, but the intention behind them. It showed, in that brief moment, that we all have similar ideals and end games, but are naturally coming at them from different perspectives. It is fine to have different perspectives or opinions on things, that is what makes the world and the human race consistently interesting, but to allow those different points of view to culminate in a fight to the death or to use violence to re-enforce these points will bring both sides nothing but pain, eventually overshadowing any victory we might feel we've come away with. There is a difference between compromising, coming to an agreed upon solution and beating someone into submission, but somewhere along the lines of history we found war to be the most effective tool of persuasion and today, that tradition continues stronger than ever. I say all of this to say that while Berg's latest effort, Lone Survivor, is also a simple story he is able to say much more with the film and the implications of the events it documents that we come away with much more than an adrenaline rush of action or misplaced pride, but a real understanding for the value of life and that it is not worth throwing away for inconsequential details.

First Trailer for LONE SURVIVOR

On the eve of the release for Mark Wahlberg's latest actioner, 2 Guns, we have received the trailer for yet another of Mark Wahlberg's actioners, but this one seems to be shooting a little higher than his current team up with Denzel Washington. For Lone Survivor Wahlberg has partnered with director Peter Berg (The Rundown, The Kingdom, Hancock, but also Battleship) to tell the real life story of the failed June 28, 2005 mission "Operation Red Wings". The purpose of the mission was to have four members of SEAL Team 10 (portrayed here by Wahlberg, Taylor Kitsch, Emile Hirsch, and Ben Foster) capture or kill Taliban leader, Ahmad Shahd. It is known that Marcus Luttrell (Wahlberg) is the only member of the team to survive, but just because we know how things end doesn't mean this won't be a fascinating study of soldiers and the small aspects of their day to day lives. All their mundane actions made more poignant by the untimely fate they meet at the conclusion of the film. With a limited release scheduled for December 27th and an expansion on January 10, 2014 it seems the movie is being pushed for some awards consideration and this at least shows good faith in the project. As for the trailer I was surprised by how generic it ultimately looks, more as if it were based on a video game than the true acts of courage the poster so proudly carries. That isn't to say the final product will feel this way and I honestly hope that it doesn't. Berg has made some solid films, but hasn't left his mark on something great yet. This type of story certainly has the potential to do that. Wahlberg is on a roll right now with a string of well received films and box office successes and with the well-intentioned patriotism it seems this is at least destined to do well in the States. Lone Survivor also stars Eric Bana, Alexander Ludwig, and Jerry Ferrara. Hit the jump to check out the trailer.

SAVAGES Review

After watching Savages, Oliver Stone's latest directorial effort, it seems he may have watched one too many Tony Scott films lately. The diverse director whose career I haven't really followed all that closely but have certainly appreciated many of his efforts including his political runs (Platoon, Born on the Fourth of July, JFK, Nixon, W., and World Trade Center) as well as his more mainstream features that tackle other subject matters (Wall Street, The Doors, Natural Born Killers, and Any Given Sunday). I have seen most of these and enjoyed a good number of them especially when Stone really feels passionate about the story he is telling. You can tell from the craft on the screen that he has put a lot of thought into what his audience is going to see. He has studied the subjects intently, if it was some type of biopic or the world in which his story will take place, he does the research and he knows what he is getting himself into. That still rings true when it comes to Savages, but the after effect of the movie as you walk out of the theater is one of slight confusion over what exactly you just witnessed. The highly saturated cinematography may make everyone on screen look gorgeous and sultry but the drug-dealing, and surprisingly overly familiar storyline become an incoherent mess right from the get-go. Not all is horrible as the film contains several redeeming qualities and even a few moments throughout that made me want to re-evaluate the film completely, but by the time the credits began to roll I was back to the fact that the movie, like its main characters, needed that something more to feel like it might reach its full potential.

Elena (Salma Hayek) and Lado (benicio Del Toro) are
some pretty dangerous drug runners in Savages. 

If you haven't paid any attention to the marketing campaign for this piece then you might be shocked to learn this whole situation revolves around a three-way love affair. Based on author Don Winslow's 2010 novel of the same name Savages tells the story of two friends from Laguna Beach who also happen to be some kind of genius pot growers. They attract the interest of some serious cartel's south of the border and from here get into more trouble than they can handle. Apparently, the stuff that Ben, (Aaron Johnson who you'll recognize from Kick-Ass) a peaceful and charitable buddhist who double majored in business and botany, crafted is of its own variety and stands to be more potent and rare than anything else on the market. As our narrator O (Gossip Girl's Blake Lively) informs us, Ben takes 99% of the violence out of the drug business while that remaining one percent is handled by his best friend Chon (Taylor Kitsch of John Carter and Battleship). Chon is a former Navy Seal who joined the service in order to get the best seeds in the world from Afghanistan. In doing so the two have built a lucrative business and have somehow worked out a deal where they share O, which is short for Ophelia, as in the suicidal potential wife of Hamlet in Shakespeare's famous play. How this works between two drastically different guys is never really divulged and is really the center for most of the problems that Savages has in the first place. Oddly enough though, for all the excess of the film the actual relationship between three leads, while seemingly longing to be the most exploited aspect of the film, is actually the most reserved. Where the movie and its director doesn't shy away is in the violence and unpredictability of its several supporting characters. Herein lies the strength of the film as Salma Hayek, Benicio Del Toro, John Travolta all seem to be having loads of fun here.

Chon (Taylor Kitsch), O (Blake Lively), and Ben
(Aaron Johnson) form the love triangle
at the center of the story.

When the non-confrontational Ben decides to decline an offer from the Baja Cartel to join them, their demented and damaged leader Elena (Hayek) does not take kindly to the news of being told no. In order to get the boys and their business right where she wants them she has her heavy handed enforcer Lado (Del Toro) kidnap O and hold her for ransom until Ben and Chon decide to comply with her wishes. This naturally doesn't sit well with the short tempered Chon and it freaks the hell out of the non-violent Ben. It is hard to see where these guys became friends in the first place, but Stone is lucky to have nabbed Johnson for the role of Ben. Johnson is a gifted, if not slightly strange presence that matches the mystique necessary to bring Ben into a real, relatable human being for the audience. On the other hand we have Kitsch who has suffered two major flops so far this year, only one of which seeming to suffer more because of his performance. I was hoping Kitsch would redeem himself here though, and he certainly has. The weak link ends up being Lively as she neither has the credibility or the range to pull off a character who is so sure of herself in her sexuality and so commanding a presence that she should take charge of any situation immediately. In many ways, from what I've gathered about the source material O should be almost as unapologetic a character as Chon. Lively can't hold her own here though, especially when paired up with Hayek who is on fire here in every scene. Lively comes off as more a timid, spoiled, and annoying dumb blonde; a girl who conforms to the ways of what she just watched on MTV rather than the woman who does what she wants to do with no regard for what others think of her. It doesn't help that Lively carries the duty of relaying the story because it exposes her weaknesses within the part and makes the audience question why the two male leads might risk so much for a character we can hardly care about.

Dennis (John Travolta) is a dirty DEA-agent who
is always putting himself first.

Unfortunately, I was unable to read the novel on which this is based before venturing out to the theater to see it. I have to wonder if the transition from page to screen has taken simply the core elements of the story and flashed them across a canvas with careless execution. I would like to believe differently considering this is an Oliver Stone picture and I really do find him an interesting director, but that seems to be the case here. I was anxious, eager even to see this kind of return to the realm of Natural Born Killers for Stone, but Savages doesn't push the envelope in the right ways and instead ends up lingering as a piece of mayhem that involves the unnecessary and disappoints with the short-ended nature with how it treats us to a deeply corrupted and evil world. Only briefly pulling back the curtain completely to give us glimpses of things we don't want to see, but can't help but not look away from. Most of these scenes that in fact do succeed, and do redeem the film from its wallowing love story are the ones that involve an intimidating and unpredictable Benicio Del Toro. This is the kind of role Del Toro has perfected over the years whether it be in The Usual Suspects or Traffic, but he plays it so well he scores every time. I really wish this guy would do more. As for Travolta who portrays a dirty DEA-agent playing both sides of the game he just seems to be having a blast while running circles around the new, young guns who think they know everything and slickly navigating his way around Lado's unnerving interrogations. The three veteran actors here raise the material to the heights I hoped this film was going to originally surpass. The ideas are here, the execution is so sloppy though it turns a movie that could have been a grizzly account of real life drug dealers into a tale of a degenerating world that has long lost its grip on even the most senseless of inhabitants.

           

SAVAGES Review

After watching Savages, Oliver Stone's latest directorial effort, it seems he may have watched one too many Tony Scott films lately. The diverse director whose career I haven't really followed all that closely but have certainly appreciated many of his efforts including his political runs (Platoon, Born on the Fourth of July, JFK, Nixon, W., and World Trade Center) as well as his more mainstream features that tackle other subject matters (Wall Street, The Doors, Natural Born Killers, and Any Given Sunday). I have seen most of these and enjoyed a good number of them especially when Stone really feels passionate about the story he is telling. You can tell from the craft on the screen that he has put a lot of thought into what his audience is going to see. He has studied the subjects intently, if it was some type of biopic or the world in which his story will take place, he does the research and he knows what he is getting himself into. That still rings true when it comes to Savages, but the after effect of the movie as you walk out of the theater is one of slight confusion over what exactly you just witnessed. The highly saturated cinematography may make everyone on screen look gorgeous and sultry but the drug-dealing, and surprisingly overly familiar storyline become an incoherent mess right from the get-go. Not all is horrible as the film contains several redeeming qualities and even a few moments throughout that made me want to re-evaluate the film completely, but by the time the credits began to roll I was back to the fact that the movie, like its main characters, needed that something more to feel like it might reach its full potential.

BATTLESHIP Review

I get it, I really do, but even the most casual of movie-goers seem to have caught on to what "Battleship" really is. First off, it is a movie based entirely on a board game and not one that readily lends itself to any kind of plot. With that in mind Hollywood has turned it in to what else? An alien invasion flick. That is what they know how to do best now isn't it? Why the makers thought the "Transformers" series wasn't sufficient in this area is beyond me especially as "Battleship" tries to dutifully make itself a carbon copy of those films. When I say that movie-goers who only venture out to the theater every once in a while have picked up on the scheme "Battleship" is trying to get away with I mean that it has become extremely obvious that pure B-movie fun has now become even more of a genre for critics to blast as it is apparent little real thought has gone into the production of this film. Some people may let this movie off easily as it is nothing more than an excuse to have a big summer popcorn movie but I can't help but hold "Battleship" more accountable for its actions. It has its moments, sure. It was even able to conjure up some tension at certain points, but the underlying fact that this spectacle was completely unimaginative and lacked originality in every sense of that word would not leave me alone. Director Peter Berg has certainly crafted a great looking film that follows a well worn format to a T, but the best special effects money can buy are no substitute for actual substance or, at the very least, interesting characters. "Battleship" is devoid of either of these and rather than being a pleasant surprise it turns out to be exactly the type of movie everyone expects it to be. A $200 million plus extravaganza that will dazzle your eyes while leaving your brain dumbed-down.

Sam (Brooklyn Decker) and Hopper (Taylor Kitsch) share
a perfectly-lit embrace

While I can occasionally get past the lack of story or plot consistency for the sake of fun, I have felt a harbored kind of dread for "Battleship" ever since the first trailer premiered. What the writers have added to the premise of moving ships around on a grid while the opponent attacks you and you they with strategy and reasoning are a few pretty people and some nice tributes to the brave folks that serve and have served in the U.S. Navy. We are introduced first to Alex Hopper (Taylor Kitsch) a troublemaker who has no ambition for where his life is going while his decorated Commanding Officer brother Stone Hopper (Alexander Skarsgard) is always giving him speeches about how he needs to get his life together. One fateful night Alex lays eyes on a beautiful blonde named Sam (Brooklyn Decker) who happens to be a physical therapist and who also happens to be the daughter of Admiral Shane (Liam Neeson). Alex tries desperately to impress Sam and when we fast forward a few years it looks as if it has paid off. Alex is now a lieutenant in the Navy, and ready to ask the intimidating admiral for his daughters hand in marriage. Let us not also forget there is a really cool and unafraid petty officer on Hopper's ship that looks alot like Rihanna and Japan Navy Captain Yugi Nagata (Tadanobu Nagata) who begins as Hopper's enemy but will clearly become his friend by the end of the film that will somehow resolve the lingering feelings still left from Pearl Harbor. In the opening of "Battleship" we get some quick insight into a group of scientists who have found a "goldilocks" planet that has the capability to sustain life as earth does. They send up some transmissions and lo and behold we get visitors right about the time Hopper needs to prove himself.

The aliens have arrived and they look the same as the ones
in the last movie.

While it may seem like I absolutely hated this film, I can't stand by and say that is completely true as it does offer some nice moments in the 10-minute cold opening sequence that establishes Kitsch's character with a kind of hopeless charisma that is better used here than it was in his box office bomb "John Carter" earlier this year. I wasn't sure I understood the appeal of Kitsch as I haven't seen an episode of the TV-series that launched his career, "Friday Night Lights" though  I have heard nothing but amazing things about it. Here though, Kitsch has a better arc to play and makes a fine attempt to naturally move Hopper from irresponsible youth to a determined and confident adult that is able to make his way in the world. This is a blessing for the film as most of its other big names including Skarsgard and Neeson have limited screen time and nothing much to do when they are present. While most of the action takes place within the Rimpac military exercises that contain 14 Navy's from around the world (which allows for the Japanese and the Americans to work together) there is also the unnecessary subplot that focuses on Decker's Sam and her patient Lieutenant Colonel Mick Canales, played by former field artillary officer Gregory D. Gadson who is actually a double above the knee-amputee. Again, this is a nice nod to those who have served in the armed services and all that they have done for the country, but it doesn't necessarily serve the best purposes of the film. While Gadson is fine for the most part, his inexperience shows especially when he spends the majority of the film with an amateur like Decker. Luckily comic relief in the form of Hamish Linklater (who you might recognize from The New Adventures of Old Christine) keeps these two safe from causing too much cringing in the audience.

Hopper relies on Rihanna to take out the alien forces.

What I really don't understand though is why aliens? I can understand that the writers wanted to give an impression of community and collaboration between the Navy's of the world and thus they bring in extra terrestrials to be the baddies, but really? That is the best you could come up with? It just feels so commonplace in today's movie going experience that audiences have become accustomed to it. After last summer's bomb that was "Cowboys & Aliens" you would think that studios might understand that just because you throw something in your movie that is out of this world doesn't mean it will make it a hit. It certainly doesn't always make it a better movie and if anything "Battleship" serves as a clear demonstration of why this is true. I have no problem with having fun at the movies with a product that serves no other purpose than pure escapism, in fact I enjoy many of these summer blockbusters just as much as anyone else. I think most critics do, they are simply afraid to let their scholarly facade down in fear their credibility may be damaged. I can admit to liking a brainless action movie but that is not what "Battleship" is. This is a film that doesn't defy all logic with a wink to the audience and an eye for satire, but it instead takes itself completely serious and is in many ways studio propoganda to make the movie-going droves believe it is okay to take a familiar title and create a film that bears little relation to those memories the inspiration came from. There has to be a line drawn somewhere and when a talented director like Peter Berg resorts to a copy cat of Michael Bay to produce a loud film based on a board game I think I've found where I'll put the pen to the paper.

BATTLESHIP Review

I get it, I really do, but even the most casual of movie-goers seem to have caught on to what "Battleship" really is. First off, it is a movie based entirely on a board game and not one that readily lends itself to any kind of plot. With that in mind Hollywood has turned it in to what else? An alien invasion flick. That is what they know how to do best now isn't it? Why the makers thought the "Transformers" series wasn't sufficient in this area is beyond me especially as "Battleship" tries to dutifully make itself a carbon copy of those films. When I say that movie-goers who only venture out to the theater every once in a while have picked up on the scheme "Battleship" is trying to get away with I mean that it has become extremely obvious that pure B-movie fun has now become even more of a genre for critics to blast as it is apparent little real thought has gone into the production of this film. Some people may let this movie off easily as it is nothing more than an excuse to have a big summer popcorn movie but I can't help but hold "Battleship" more accountable for its actions. It has its moments, sure. It was even able to conjure up some tension at certain points, but the underlying fact that this spectacle was completely unimaginative and lacked originality in every sense of that word would not leave me alone. Director Peter Berg has certainly crafted a great looking film that follows a well worn format to a T, but the best special effects money can buy are no substitute for actual substance or, at the very least, interesting characters. "Battleship" is devoid of either of these and rather than being a pleasant surprise it turns out to be exactly the type of movie everyone expects it to be. A $200 million plus extravaganza that will dazzle your eyes while leaving your brain dumbed-down.

JOHN CARTER Review

By this time it has been decided that "John Carter" is officially a flop. Sadly, this likely means Disney will not be pouring their money into a sequel for this massive loss which is really a shame because despite the mixed reviews and soft response to the film this is a sprawling adventure with a great imagination and scope to match. I have never read the Edgar Rice Burroughs novels on which this is based, but one can easily tell how this work indeed inspired the likes of "Star Wars" and countless other sci-fi epics. Director Andrew Stanton (Wall-E and Finding Nemo) was the main reason I held out hope for this film and in the end his storytelling ability is what overshadows his missteps. I can only imagine the differences that come with switching from directing animated films to that of a live action film of this size. For a first timer Stanton has done a wonderful job of keeping a rather complex story within certain archetypes and not allowing his narrative to run away with the movie. He probably could have picked a more charismatic leading man as Taylor Kitsch, while looking every bit the part, does not do well to help me understand why Stanton along with directors Peter Berg and Oliver Stone have chosen him to headline their films this year. Kitsch who seems to have been a valuable part of the underrated "Friday Night Lights" series has only had one other starring role in the awful "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" and I felt that same kind of emptiness here from him. Lucky for Kitsch that his supporting cast is full of reliable actors like Samantha Morton, Willem Dafoe, Mark Strong, and Bryan Cranston. Whether they are bringing life to the green-skinned race of Tharks or simply populating the mythology of Burrough's tale these are the real reasons this Mars adventure is brought to life.

Matai Shang (Mark Strong) is the leader of the Therns,
the controllers of the universe.

I was unfamiliar with the stories of John Carter and going in had no real idea of where the story was heading despite the notion I could probably guess. This is classic adventure storytelling that hits all the right marks while giving us a really engaging backdrop. I have always been a sucker for sci-fi stories with lush back stories and mythologies that span further than just our own world. "John Carter" does this in spades. It starts interestingly enough in the late 1800's with his death as he recruits his young nephew to come take care of his estate which turns out to only be a front to allow his nephew the time to get caught up on what Mr. Carter's life has been like for the past thirteen years. Carter's own story starts as the civil war veteran is asked by the army to return, but has come to the decision that every side has their reasons for fighting, that neither is particularly right and that he has no interest in fighting for either one. In trying to escape he stumbles upon a cave with what feel like familiar markings. Inside he encounters a man who quickly tries to kill him but not before accidentally sending our protagonist to the red planet.

To its natives, Mars is known as Barsoom and once he arrives Carter is able to leap enormous distances and somehow has superhuman strength because of something having to do with his bone density and the alien conditions. He is captured by the Tharks led by Tars Tarkas (Dafoe) and is immediately selected to fight for them because of these new abilities. This will help as Barsoom is in the middle of a civil war. The kingdoms of Zodanga and Helium are on the brink of destroying one another when Zodanga's leader Sab Than (Dominic West) proposes a peace with Helium in exchange for its rulers Tardos Mors (Ciaran Hinds) daughters hand in marriage. Naturally, the princess is a rather fiesty intelligent being who will not bow so easily to a meat headed ruler who is full of arrogance. As princess Dejah Thoris Lynn Collins displays more charisma than her counterpart Kitsch, but does nothing to make her character stand out among the legions of heroic princess's of this genre's past. Some way or another John Carter saves the princess as she tries to escape and they become bound to this journey together that orders them to stop the Zodanga before they destroy Helium (though Carter has a problem choosing sides until the princess shows some weaknesses for him). There is also the important aspect of the Therns, a biblical like group of baldies in white robes led by the always evil Mark Strong. They are guiding this whole extravaganza as they are the Gods who control the universe and are behind Sab Than's invasion and craving for power. These, in short, are John Carters real enemies. You got all of that, right?

Dejah Thoris (Lynn Collins) and John Carter (Taylor Kitsch)
face off for the first time.

The good news is that director Stanton and his team have developed such a lovely movie to look at the scope matches that of the story. Though in the beginning we are slightly confused as to who is who and how these guys play into that, it is fairly easy to understand by the time it comes down to the simple goal of stopping the princess from marrying the bad guy. What is most impressive about the film for me was not just the way Stanton was able to navigate through the multiple characters and give them each credible role with the money spent on the project feeling at least justified, no what I was really impressed with was the fact alot of what was going on here felt credible in the first place. It is hard to take half-naked Mars people dressed as if it was ancient Rome interacting with four-armed humongous aliens seriously, it must have been even harder for Stanton to convince his actors that this was all going to turn out to be awesome. Here in lies the problem I have with Kitsch as the lead. He seems to be really trying to make this work, I'll give him that and the argument can even be made that he doesn't seem to buy into it because his character is genuinely startled at where he is in the universe. It is more than this though, Kitsch never convinces me he isn't holding in laughing at the whole thing. Like a popular kid on a playground of nerds his whole persona screams a type of arrogance that doesn't feel like it fits in Burrough's characters skin. This causes a hesitation on the part of the audience to fully give into the idea that this movie actually is pretty cool.

Tars Tarkas (Willem Dafoe) is the leader of the Tharks,
an alien race that lives on Mars. 

What it comes down to is the knowledge that if I were a 10 year-old I would have no doubt, absolutely loved this. I think this will certainly enthrall anyone under the age of 12 since those tweens will likely think they are too cool for this. Being a 25 year-old though, I want to be transported back to that place where I was at 10; simply blown away by a movie and the world that it creates on screen. I want to be taken to that place where my imagination can only attempt to match the characters and places that have been created. I can see how "John Carter" might do this for a whole new generation and even those, like myself who love "Star Wars" and were taken aback by the visuals of "Avatar" might be engaged but it doesn't reach the heights of blowing me away, it simply entertained me. There is nothing wrong with this, but I am sure Disney was counting on much more than entertainment when they sank the reported $250 million into the project. I hate to even doubt the project because I honestly do want to see more from it; at the very least it is an intriguing opening chapter that deserves to be expanded on, whether Stanton will get that chance or not will likely depend on the worldwide box office return, but if that day comes I will be anxiously awaiting John Carter's next adventure, with hopes that Taylor Kitsch has found a more genuine place within himself to apply to the title character.

JOHN CARTER Review

By this time it has been decided that "John Carter" is officially a flop. Sadly, this likely means Disney will not be pouring their money into a sequel for this massive loss which is really a shame because despite the mixed reviews and soft response to the film this is a sprawling adventure with a great imagination and scope to match. I have never read the Edgar Rice Burroughs novels on which this is based, but one can easily tell how this work indeed inspired the likes of "Star Wars" and countless other sci-fi epics. Director Andrew Stanton (Wall-E and Finding Nemo) was the main reason I held out hope for this film and in the end his storytelling ability is what overshadows his missteps. I can only imagine the differences that come with switching from directing animated films to that of a live action film of this size. For a first timer Stanton has done a wonderful job of keeping a rather complex story within certain archetypes and not allowing his narrative to run away with the movie. He probably could have picked a more charismatic leading man as Taylor Kitsch, while looking every bit the part, does not do well to help me understand why Stanton along with directors Peter Berg and Oliver Stone have chosen him to headline their films this year. Kitsch who seems to have been a valuable part of the underrated "Friday Night Lights" series has only had one other starring role in the awful "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" and I felt that same kind of emptiness here from him. Lucky for Kitsch that his supporting cast is full of reliable actors like Samantha Morton, Willem Dafoe, Mark Strong, and Bryan Cranston. Whether they are bringing life to the green-skinned race of Tharks or simply populating the mythology of Burrough's tale these are the real reasons this Mars adventure is brought to life.