John Carter of Mars might not be that well-known among the members of younger generations, but throughout the early 20th century, the character was one of the most popular in all of pop-culture. Appearing in numerous novels and comics, Carter was an early predecessor to serialized fantasy characters such as Superman, Luke Skywalker, and a whole host of others.
Despite not being relevant for decades, Disney is bringing this classic character back to the mainstream in 2012's potential blockbuster, John Carter. Starring Taylor Kitsch as the titular Carter, and directed by Andrew Stanton (Wall-E), the footage revealed in this John Carter trailer looks exactly like the character that Edgar Rice Burroughs dreamed up in 1911.
From what we see in the trailer, the bizarre world of Mars is populated by malevolent alien races, fantastic technology, and features more scantily clad women than a WWE event. There are also strange creatures at every turn and kinetic action scenes that most movies can't come close to replicating. In short, this is a throwback to the sci-fi serials that populated the world of literature during the fist half of the 20th century, and it’s a welcome change from the overly realistic blockbusters that have taken the cinema hostage over the past few summers. John Carter looks to bring fun and imagination back to the movies, and it's about damn time.
It’s going to be tough for John Carter to surpass big budget blockbusters like The Avengers and The Dark Knight Rises next year, but the movie's unique flavor and impressive visuals can be a welcome change for fantasy fans tired of seeing men in Spandex mincing around the big screen. We just have to hope that they leave out the clichéd rock music when the movie comes out on March 9, 2012.
