What does everyone think about this attempt at a new franchise from Disney? I remember seeing it in the theater and I really enjoyed it! I had hoped we would see more in the 'John Carter' universe, but that was not to be. Poor marketing is often blamed, as is critics suggesting it was "derivative".
I liked it overall. Carter's characterization is very different from the books, but his book characterization is so weird that I completely understand why they changed it, even if I was annoyed.
(For those who haven't read it: book Carter is a career soldier who claims to be so old that he can't remember how many wars he's fought in, despite having the appearance of a man in his thirties. He was living with a family in Virginia when the American Civil War broke out and jumped at the chance to get back into combat, which he seems to live for, and he doesn't seem to care much about the reasons for fighting: it seems like he joined the Confederate army mostly because he happened to be there at the time, and if he had been living with a family of New Yorkers he would have been just as happy to fight for the Union. The backstory about a dead family is invented for the movie; in the book he went west mostly out of boredom due to the war being over, but being an unapologetic Confederate is obviously unacceptable today so they had to do something to make him sympathetic.
On arriving on Mars after having a vision when he catches sight of the planet, book Carter immediately decides to embrace every opportunity to fight, adventure, and generally behave like an action hero who isn't afraid to wade through rivers of blood while the bodies of his enemies pile up around him. He and Kantos Kan are really kindred spirits, whereas in the movie the enthusiastic Kan basically has to drag him into the plot after he spends the first act or so trying to avoid any possible action.)
Also the book is very specific that most Martians don't wear clothes, but that probably wouldn't have gone over well either, lol.