Strife on Mars?
John Carter is a mess of genres, plotlines and themes, but a completely absorbing mess — perhaps thanks to the 3D visual effects and sweeping landscapes. The film, directed by Andrew Stanton and based on a 1917 novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs, follows the adventures of John Carter (Taylor Kitsch), a 19th century civil war veteran prospecting gold in the American West who transports himself to Mars. Once there, John Carter is thrust into a war between the planet’s two city–states, Helium and Zodanga, for the sake of the Princess of Helium, Dejah Thoris (Lynn Collins).