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Cast: Traci Lords, Antonio Sabato, Jr., Matt Lasky
After a devastating enemy ambush leaves soldier John Carter (Antonio Sabato Jr.) fighting for his life, he awakens to discover that the experimental treatment designed to save him has inexplicably transported him to Mars. On the red planet, Carter finds himself endowed with extraordinary powers -- and in the middle of a feud between warring alien races.
Adapting any novel to film is a tough task and what makes this one even harder is the fact that Edgar Rice Burroughs is such a big book. Condensing it into an hour and a half movie is not an easy feat so I thought Writer/Director, Mark Atkins did a really good job here. There certainly has been liberties taken here and some things are changed around but over-all I found this to be a highly entertaining adventure that manages to over-come some flaws. I have always been a fan of Antonio Sabato Jr., before his reality TV show that is but only because I really do not like Reality shows. Antonio does a nice job playing John Carter and as always he handles the action scenes with ease. There is a "Making Of" featurette on the DVD, I am not going too suggest you watch it before the film but after watching it you will find out that some of the changes that were made were done for budget reasons, the film was shot in only 12 days so you get a better appreciation for what was accomplished here. The entire cast did a nice job, the only real weak link might of been Traci Lords who I thought never brought enough emotion to her scenes, but she sure was nice to look at. The make-up and effects were very nice considering the budget, the "jump" scenes I thought were really cool and the rest of the effects were done very well also and used perfectly to only enhance the story. I am sure there all those that think this film doesn't do the great novel any justice but considering the budget and limited time available to get it done I thought this turned out to be a nice sci-fi adventure that has plenty of action and a nice little story. By now most people should already know what to expect from a film like this so there is no reason to complain later, if your a fan of low-budget films or are just looking for something different to watch then I got to recommend picking this up. A nice job all around and I do got to say that The Asylum is really improving as far as their special effects go. Besides the "Making of" the DVD also comes with Deleted Scenes and Trailers.
Released by The Asylum Home Entertainment
*** 1/2 Out Of *****