The hype around John Carter is such that one goes in willing to be awed by a movie that promises to be in the same league as Star Wars, and given director Andrew Stanton's track record with Finding Nemo and Wall-E, it is but natural to take this feeling for granted. However, there is so much formula in the film that it sorely lacks that "new" that could have made it a great movie.
The story begins with John Carter (played by Taylor Kitsch, and well, at that), a civil war veteran who's lost his family and is now prospecting for gold somewhere in Arizona. During a chase sequence, ....