John Carter Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack Review
John Carter Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack Review
SoHood.com Reviewed by: Michelle Thomas
Movie Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Extras Rating: 5 out of 5
Overview: From Academy Award(R)-winning filmmaker Andrew Stanton (Best Animated Film, Wall-E, 2008) comes John Carter — a sweeping action-adventure set on the mysterious and exotic planet of Barsoom (Mars). Based on Edgar Rice Burroughs’s classic novel, John Carter is a war-weary, former military captain who’s inexplicably transported to Mars and reluctantly becomes embroiled in an epic conflict. It’s a world on the brink of collapse, and Carter rediscovers his humanity when he realizes the survival of Barsoom and its people rests in his hands. Stunning special effects, great characters and villains — and complete with extraordinary bonus features — John Carter is a heroic and inspirational adventure that will thrill you beyond imagination.
Review: Edgar Rice Burroughs’s classic novel “A Princess of Mars” from the “Barsoom Mars book series which came out in 1917, finally got its due on screen. When John Carter played by actor Taylor Kitsch (Friday Night Lights, Battleship) accidentally stumbles upon a man lying in a cave, he touches an alien medallion that transports him to Mars.
John meets Tars Tarkas whose the leader of Tharkian green Martians tribe. His voice is played by Willem Dafoe. He becomes an ally of John Carter, partially due to John Carter hearing the story of his only love (falling in love is against the rules of the Tharks) and his daughter, Sola, he had with his lover. But Tars has to worry about Tal Hajus whose a Thark warrior, and his voiced is played by (Thomas Haden Church) who frequently disagrees with the Tars Tarkas. He was there when they found John Carter and wanted to kill him, but Tars Tarkas stopped him, and at some point he tried to challenge his authority, but no one supported him.
Tardos Mors (Ciarán Hinds) informs his daughter Dejah Thoris, Princess of Helium, played by actress Lynn Collins (TV Series True Blood) that she will have to marry Zodangan king, Sab Than (Dominic West) as part of the peace treaty between Zodanga and Helium to end the war. Dejah vehemently refuses and escapes Helium, only to meet her savior John Carter. He then finds himself caught up in a Civil War between Zodanga and Helium.
Matai Shang is played by Mark Strong (Sherlock Holmes, Body of lies), he’s a mysterious character in the film. He changes identity with an alien medallion that holds tremendous powers. Matai has a hidden agenda to use the princess of Helium, Dejah and Zodangan king, Sab Than for his own purpose.
For 2 hours of entertainment, I surely hope that Disney does a follow up sequel to John Carter so they can expand on the culture cultures on Mars. Overall, an excellent movie with spectacular visuals and it should rightfully be considered among the best sci-fi book adaptation films ever made.
The Good: Amazing visuals especially on blu-ray.
The Bad: Not much to say bad about it at all.
Memorable Quotes:
John Carter: Stand behind me, this might get dangerous.
[John fights the Zodangans. When he looses his sword, Dejah takes it and kills the remaining enemies]
John Carter: Or maybe I ought to get behind you…
Dejah Thoris: [Cleans the blood off the sword with John's clothes] You let me know when it gets dangerous.
The specific aspects of the Audio and visuals for the Contraband Blu-ray Disc:
The picture quality on this is Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC. Video resolution: 1080p, Aspect ratio: 2.35:1, Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1 and the Audio on this Blu-ray is DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1.
Commentary: The images and sounds were top notch in my book. I really enjoyed it.
John Carter – Trailer – Own it June 5th on Blu-ray & DVD
John Carter Bonus Features On Blu-ray & DVD:
• DVD Feature Film+ Bonus
• Disney Second Screen
• 360 Degrees of John Carter
• Deleted Scene with Option Commentary by Director Andrew Stanton
• Barsoom Bloopers
• 100 Years in the Making
• Audio Commentary with Film Makers
About the Film
- Stars: Willem Dafoe, Lynn Collins, Thomas Haden Church, Taylor Kitsch
- Language: English
- Number of discs:2
- Studio: Walt Disney Video
- Blu-ray Release Date: June 5, 2012
- Run Time:132 minutes
- Buy Online