JOHN CARTER (2012)

                   This is the latest in my series of reviews of movies based on books by Edgar Rice Burroughs and their comparison to the book.  “John Carter” (originally intended to be entitled “John Carter on Mars” until Disney ludicrously decided Mars in the title would turn off females) was the culmination of decades of interest in filming “A Princess of Mars” which was published in 1917.  The novel was the compilation of a series that ran in a pulp magazine named The All-Story in 1912 under the title “Under the Moons of Mars”.  Burroughs wrote the series under the pseudonym  Normal (accidentally changed to Norman) Bean (“normal human being”) because he was worried readers would find it silly.  In the 1930’s, Disney took a run at an animated version, but early samples were greeted with less than enthusiasm by theater owners.  Other attempts also fell through until Andrew Stanton took an interest in the project.  He had the cachet from having directed “Wall-E” and “Finding Nemo”, but had never directed a live-action film.  He was given a huge budget that reached $263 million, although Disney was skeptical from the start.  It had good reason to be.  The.movie was a huge bomb (although it did well in Russia). 

               The movie begins with a narrator giving background about conditions on Mars (Barsoom).  The planet is dying.  There are two rival cities.  Helium is the center of science and civilization.  Zodanga is intent on planetary dominance.  The uneasy balance is about to be broken because the leader of Zodanga, Sab Than (Dominic West), has been given a super weapon by a mysterious group of godlike men called Therns led by Matai Shang (Mark Strong).  Mars is going to need a savior.  Cut to New York City in 1881.  John Carter (Taylor Kitsch) has recently died and has left his journal to his nephew, Edgar Rice Burroughs.  The journal launches the flashback to how Carter ended up on Mars.

               Carter is a Civil War veteran in the West.  He is obsessed with finding gold.  When he escapes from being conscripted into the cavalry, he takes refuge in a cave and is attacked by a Thern.  Suddenly, he finds himself on Mars where the low gravity and his denser bones gives him great strength and the ability to leap far distances.  He is captured by green Martians called Tharks.  However, his special powers allow him to escape and he gains the respect of the Tharks.  He befriends the chief’s daughter Sola and acquires a “dog” because this is a Disney movie.  He manages to rescue the Princess Dejah of Helium (Lynn Collins).  They undertake a journey down a river to try to get him back to Earth.  Carter and Dejah don’t get along at first, so you can guess where their relationship is heading.  This will become awkward because Dejah is supposed to marry Sab to bring peace to the cities.  (Think “Princess Bride”.)     The movie is careening to a big set piece battle between Zadonga and Helium, with the Tharks siding with Helium.  Supervillain Shang is around to cause trouble.

               “John Carter” did not deserve the ridicule it got from the critics.  It is not a great movie, but it is also not a disaster.  If you did not have money invested in Disney, you might marvel at the special effects.  The huge budget shows.  The film is gorgeous.  The CGI is amazing and even the multi-limbed Tharks look real.  Unfortunately, the technology allows for the hordeish melees typical of modern battle scenes.  For instance, at one point, John Carter defeats an entire army of Green Martians, by himself.  The hyperbole of Carter’s prowess can be blamed both on Burrough’s imagination and modern cinemas penchant for overdoing every action scene.  While the land battles tend to be messy, the air battles are cool.  The airships are similar to Roman galleys and tactics include boarding.  They look like what a fantasy writer might have envisioned was the future of warfare. 

               Part of the reason for the failure of the movie at the box office must have been the lack of living Burroughs fans who would have flocked to see their muse’s imagination brought to the screen.  To everyone else, the pulpy nature of the story might seem quaint.  The story requires a love for the fantastic as opposed to the logical.  There are plenty of threads to be pulled at if you are of a mind.  For example, the objective of the Therns makes little sense.  More specifically, the super weapon should have made all challenges to Zadonga moot.  Setting the movie on Mars did not cut it off from Earthly clichés.  For a fantasy, it is pretty predictable.  Stranger rescues Princess, they fall in love, he wins battles for her.

               Disney assembled a worthy cast to the point where the supporting actors (Mark Strong, Bryan Cranston, Claran Hinds, James Purefoy) could give acting lessons to Kitsch and Collins.  (In my opinion, the movie would have been better if Purefoy had played Carter.)  Whether you are a child or not, Woola steals the show.  The soundtrack by Michael Giacchino lends some class.

               I am going to assume most readers of this are familiar with Burroughs’ novel and prefer it to the movie.  I have a theory that a movie should be able to exceed the source novel for entertainment value.  The screenwriters (Stanton, Mark Andrews, and Michael Chabon) did what they thought was right to update the story for a modern audience.  It is clear, they did not use Burroughs fans as a test audience.  Substantial changes were made to the narrative and to the characters.  They decided to make Carter a typical modern anti-hero.  He is not the knight of the book.  He is reluctant to get involved and is focused on getting home until he falls in love with Dejah.  He fights for no one until he fights for someone.  And he’s a dick, until his innate humanity comes out.  He is damaged goods as the movie gives him a back-story involving his family.  As far as Dejah, clearly you don’t attract females with a heroine who is a damsel in need of rescuing.  Watch any recent Disney animated movie.  Dejah is both a scientist and a kick-ass warrior.  In the book, she agrees to the marriage for the good of her city. In the movie, she selfishly refuses to get married.  The rest of the characters are essentially the same, with the exception of Shang, who does not appear in the first book.  The movie loses Tars Tarka’s back-story and omits most of his heroism.  Carter sucks up most of this.  On the other hand, Sab is bumped up to Lex Luther status.             

               The screenwriters decided that Carter would logically be focused on returning to Earth because so would the audience.  In the book, he assimilates enthusiastically into Martian culture.  He learns the language, but not via a ludicrous potion device. The book reads like a travelogue and tourist guide in parts.  Hell, there is a chapter on Martian sex!  The movie Carter is your standard fish out of water.

               The writers added elements so the movie could join the action/adventure club.  The movie adds the medallion as a McGuffin because Carter must have a way to get back to Earth.  (The book Carter is content with life on Mars because he has been reborn there.)  The villain is given tattoos and a super weapon.  Carter is not the virtuous knight of the book, but this makes him more interesting, if stereotypical.  He does not win all his fights easily, like in the book.  His arc with Dejah is also tropeish, but an improvement over the roller-coaster ride of the book.  But the biggest improvement is the movie ditches the racism and sexism of the book.  ERB could be excused for making the Tharks savages in the book because it was the early 20^th Century, but this would not have flown in the 21^st Century.  Finally, excuse the pun, the movie replaces the ridiculous ending of the book with a much better conclusion.

               ERB was wrong about the public finding the serial to be too outlandish when it was published in 1912.  It turned out to be very popular and launched the series of novels.  However, the movie was made one hundred years later and times have changed.  The “improvements” made by the screenwriters were considered necessary to attract a modern audience that grew up with “Star Wars”.  This resulted in a generic action film, but a competently made one that is entertaining.  If you are an ERB purist (which I am not), the changes made dumbed down the movie.  If you are not, the movie improves on some of the novel’s weaknesses.

GRADE  =  C 

DUELING CHRISTMAS WAR MOVIES

 

Christmas Homecoming (2017)

               I have an expansive definition for war movies, so I include military movies in the genre. As you can tell from the title, there is no combat in this movie. And you might guess that it is a Hallmark movie. If you have seen even a few Hallmark Christmas movies, you know the formula that is used. Hallmark does not believe in revisionism. Its huge catalogue of Christmas movies includes few that would be considered very good. They are all comforting and mildly entertaining. And very family friendly. There are over 450 Hallmark Christmas movies so there has to be a few war movies in there.

               Amanda (Julie Benz) is a war widow who is the curator for the town’s war museum. Her husband was killed two years ago, but she still has not recovered completely. She is sour on Christmas and can’t get into the spirit. A wounded Master Sergeant Jim Mullins rents a room from her. Jim is fully into Christmas. Will he melt Amanda’s heart and restore her love of the season? If you don’t know the answer to that question, you have never seen a Hallmark movie or a Hallmark card. By the way, Amanda and Jim send out Hallmark cards in one scene. I would say that is acceptable product placement.

               Would you believe Amanda has a boyfriend? Craig (Toby Levins) has never seen a Hallmark movie so he has no idea that he is heartbreak bait. Because he is your usual clueless beau who is the last person in the cast and all the viewers to know he’s a sap. However, he is Type A of Hallmark jilted third legs which means he takes it well. He is not Type B which is the villainous boyfriend who deserves to be crushed.

               Jim warms up Amanda by being relentlessly giddy about Christmas. He is like a big teddy bear of a kid. “This is going to sound corny, but I believe in the Christmas spirit.” Is this the first time “corny” has been mentioned in a Hallmark Christmas movie? The word would fit every one of them. The one fairly novel element of the plot (but the opposite of novel for a war movie) is that Jim is being torn by his growing affection for Amanda and his affection for his mates. It’s coin toss in war movies whether the character will choose bros over hos. Guess what wins out in this movie. Jim seals the deal and completes his spiritifiction of Amanda by  helping her with a fundraiser to save the museum. He literally outbids Craig for her hand.

               I have seen a few Hallmark Christmas movies (and zero other Hallmark movies) and “Christmas Homecoming” is better than average. The leads are appealing, of course. There is some chemistry. The evolution of their relationship makes sense. You do feel sorry for Craig. He doesn’t deserve the jilting, but he takes it like a man. Plus, Amanda had not committed to him so it’s not like she left him at the altar. The movie is not smarmy. Before you say that it can’t be a war movie just because one of the cast is a veteran, the inclusion of the museum subplot puts it more comfortably in the genre. But feel free to say “bah, humbug” to that.

GRADE  =  C

Operation Christmas (2016)

               “Operation Christmas” is one of the over 450 Hallmark Christmas movies. It is one of a few Hallmark War Christmas movies along with “Operation Christmas Drop” and “Christmas Homecoming”. It should not be confused with the Colombian army’s operation against guerrillas. This is a fictional story of love set in the Christmas season in America.

               Olivia (Tricia Helfer – Cyborg “Number 6” in “Battlestar Galactica”) meets Scott (Marc Blucas – Riley in “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”) on a ski slope. Scott is an Army sergeant. They are both single. She’s divorced and he’s a widow. But any possibility for romance is ruined by the fact that she is Kings fan and he’s an Islanders fan. (Why didn’t the screenwriters choose a real rivalry like Rangers and Islanders?)  He’s an optimist and she’s a cynic. But wait, this is a Hallmark movie, so there is still hope. And when you factor in their adorable kids becoming friends any doubt is removed.

               Just when things are warming up, prodded by the kids, he is called back to duty right before Christmas and can’t make a date. Naturally, his message does not get to her. She knew Christmas sucks! BUMP #1  Eleven months later, Scott shows up as her liaison for her Toys for Tots drive. This is his first opportunity to explain what happened, charmingly. Apparently, he was so busy killing terrorists that he could not correspond with her to offer numerous apologies. She’s not buying his very late explanation, but she has to work with him. Awkward!  He takes her to church and they have their first kiss. Relationship sailing smoothly, right? BUMP #2 Army life doesn’t fit civilian life very well. There are more bumps to come, but love will conquer. Duh!

               “Operation Christmas” is a typical Hallmark Christmas movie. Or a typical rom-com without the com. It does differ from most Hallmark movies because there is no love triangle. There is no villain. As usual, we have a cynical woman who needs melting. And since this woman is played by Tricia Helfer, there’s your lure, guys. Tell your wife or girlfriend (or both) that you will watch a Hallmark Christmas movie because you love her so  much. And for the females in the audience, you have Marc Blucas. (He also starred in “Holiday for Heroes”.) Call it a tie. And thrown in some cute kids with acting chops who do the matchmaking scheming. Throw in beautiful, very white scenery provided by British Columbia. And add TEN songs. You end up with a nice, comforting Christmas flick.  

GRADE  =  C

The Wereth Eleven (2011)

 

              “The Wereth Eleven” is a docudrama that tells the story of eleven African-American soldiers who were murdered by the SS during the Battle of the Bulge. It uses CGI to recreate some of the incidents and archival footage, including from the Germans. There are also scenes using actors.  One of the unit’s veterans is interviewed as well as a son of one of the eleven and the son of a Belgian family that tried to give them refuge. There is extensive narration.

              The Wereth Eleven were eleven members of the 333^rd Field Artillery Battalion which was overrun on the second day of the battle. Unlike the whites from Battery B of the 285^th Field Artillery Observation Battalion that were taken prisoner that same day at Malmedy and then executed, the members of the 333^rd were taken prisoner and made it to German prison camps. There is a clip from a German propaganda film that includes members of the 333^rd being marched to Germany. The Wereth Eleven members were the exceptions to that because unfortunately they avoided capture at first. I have recently been researching the Battle of the Bulge and ran across this story. The fact that I was not familiar with it shows how unknown the story is. The movie attempts to rectify that and does a good job of it.

Thankfully, the producers decided to go a different route than movies like “Miracle at St. Anna”. Sincere efforts like that are often hurt by poor acting and dialogue. This movie avoids that by using a minimum of recreations and they are not laughable. For instance, the deaths are not the hilarious ones associated with low budget films, and even some big budget ones like “Battle of the Bulge”. The blend of CGI, footage, and real actors works. The narration is often, but adds to the story. The film has time and place for some of the scenes, but maps would have been nice. The interviewees are good and the one veteran of the battalion, George Shomo, is outstanding.

Docudramas do not get the love that some of them deserve. I would rather see a CGI Tiger tank then another tank mocked up as one. It is often the best way to tell a true war story. A good docudrama avoids the historical fiction that creeps in when you have a screenplay, actors, and limited authentic gear, weapons, and vehicles. And it avoids a big problem in low budget WWII films. They often use overage, overweight reenactors. “The Wereth Eleven” uses a trip to the Ardennes by the son of one of the Eleven and an executive producer who is an older white man wearing a uniform. It’s almost as though the movie is asking us, “would you prefer to see this guy acting in the movie?”

What “The Wereth Eleven” does, it does well, but it does not tell the whole story. Clocking in at just over an hour, it could have used more time to flesh out the discrimination the unit faced starting in boot camp and how it earned respect in France. The film briefly mentions an incident when the battalion provided very accurate fire to aid a white unit, but it does not add more depth to their evolution. It also does not do a good job fleshing out the situation they were in during the first half of December in 1944. It uses a postscript to explain the lack of an investigation and the failure to bring anyone to justice for the execution. However, those caveats aside, it does an admirable job of bringing a forgotten story to light.

GRADE =  B

Here is the story I posted about the real Wereth Eleven, don’t read on if you want to avoid spoilers.  THE WERETH 11 -  The 333^rd Field Artillery Battalion was an African-American (“colored”) unit that landed at Utah Beach in July, 1944. It was commanded by Lt. Col. Harmon Kelsey. Kelsey was not happy with the assignment and was sure the unit would never see combat because it was incompetent blacks. He was wrong on both counts. It first saw combat in Normandy when it was tasked with destroying a church steeple that was being used to snipe at 82^nd Airborne paratroopers and for artillery spotting. The men got to work, chanting their unit song – “Stand Back! Ready! Rommel count your men! Fire! Rommel, how many men you got now?”  Within minutes the steeple was destroyed, along with the Germans in it. The unit gradually  gained a reputation for being quicker and more accurate than white artillery units. In the siege of Brest, it fired 1,500 rounds in one day. An article in Yank magazine made the unit famous in the American army. It ended up being assigned to Troy Middleton’s VIII Corps. In the Ardennes, it was located near Schonberg in support of the 2^nd and 106^th Divisions. When the Battle of the Bulge began, Schonberg fell on Dec. 17, 1944. Most of the battalion was taken prisoner. 11 men escaped into the countryside. They tried to make it to American lines. They ended up knocking on the door of the Langer family. The Langers were anti-German in a small community that was mainly pro-German. They were hiding two Belgians escaping German conscription. Unfortunately, one of their neighbors ratted them out and Germans from the 1^st SS Panzer Division arrived and the Americans were take without a fight. They were led to a field where they were tortured, mutilated, and murdered. They were treated much worse than the white soldiers executed at Malmedy.  The culprits were never brought to justice.

Army of Darkness (1992)

               “Army of Darkness” is the third in the Evil Dead series. It was directed, co-written (with his brother), and co-edited by Sam Raimi. In a tonal departure from the previous two films, this one is more of a comedy horror movie. It was a box office disappointment, making only $22 million with a budget of $11 million. It has since gained cult status. Although it got mixed reviews, it did win the Saturn Award for Best Horror Film. It was a weak year for horror films. Raimi’s script drew on a variety of sources for inspiration, like “A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court”, “Gulliver’s Travels”, and  “Jason and the Argonauts”.

               Ash (Bruce Campbell) is time portaled back to medieval England. He is immediately captured by the army of Lord Arthur (Marcus Gilbert) and is part of a slave march back to the castle. (The march is to music that reminds of the scene in “Ben Hur” when Judah first meets Jesus.)  Ash is thrown into a death pit that evokes the garbage room in “Star Wars”. We meet the first of the cheesy monsters the movie will unapologetically foist on us. Ash is reunited with his chainsaw. And is united with a love interest in the comely Sheila (Embeth Davidtz who won the role over Tuesday Weld). The resident Wise Man tells Ash that for him to be able to return to his own time, he must get a book called the Necronomicon. It’s not going to be easy as the arrogantly IQ-challenged Ash resurrects an evil version of himself and a skeleton army. (The skeleton’s are the Jason homage.) The army of the dead lay siege to the castle and mayhem ensues. Not caring about upseting the time continuum, Ash introduces the knights to dynamite so the movie can have explosions. This builds to the inevitable duel between Ash and Evil Ash.

               If you expect a scarefest similar to “The Evil Dead”, you will be disappointed with the tongue in cheek vibe of this film. But you will not be disappointed if you are a Bruce Campbell fan or a fan of mock horror films. Campbell is clearly having a great time chewing all the scenery. It looks like fun, but parts of the shoot were hard on him. Specifically, the fight scenes against special effects to be created later. Campbell had to memorize the choreography steps. One sequence took 37 takes with Bruce swearing profusely throughout. His friend Sam Raimi enjoyed torturing him. It does not appear that Campbell was tortured by the hammy dialogue. The film is definitely low brow. At least, in this horror movie, the laughs are intentional.

The special effects are from the Ray Harryhausen school of stop animation.  Unlike Jason’s skeleton foes, the skeleton’s in this movie are a variety and bring smiles rather than scares. The long battle is amusing with the choreography surprisingly good. Unlike many horror movies, there is no reason to fear for the protagonist. At least not in the theatrical release. In the original ending, Ash time travels to post-apocalyptic London. The studio deemed this too jarring for audiences. It was probably right.

Is it a war movie? Well, we have an army and a castle siege. Obviously, it is not a documentary on how to capture or defend a castle. Swords clang and battering rams ram, but dynamite arrows blow up skeletons. There is a melee inside the castle that would fit in many medieval warfare movies. If war movies are characterized by unlimited ammunition, then it qualifies. Ash’s two-barrel shotgun makes mockery of that trope. If you want to watch a movie that makes fun of horror movies and war movies, check it out. You can watch it late at night, alone. With your grandkids.

 

GRADE =  B