About.com Rating

Bottom line:John Carter presents an epic sci-fi saga. A Civil War vet is accidentally transported to Mars and becomes caught up in a battle of warring factions. The movie has heavy battle style violence throughout as well as a few alien monsters that could be frighteing for kids.
MPAA Rating: PG-13, for intense sequences of violence and action
Guide age recommendation: 12+
Genre: Action/adventure
Runtime: 135 minutes
Starring: Taylor Kitsch, Lynn Collins, Samantha Morton, Mark Strong
Release Date: March 9, 2012

John Carter - Overview

When his adventurous uncle John passes, Edgar Rice Burroughs inherits a vast fortune and gains access to his uncle's journal.

The journal tells a fantastic story:

Virginian cavalryman and Civil War veteran John Carter just wants to stay away from battle and find his cave of gold. Ironically, when he finally finds it, he is suddenly accosted by a strange being whose medallion immediately transports Carter to Mars (known as Barsoom to its inhabitants).

On the red planet, the lower gravitational force allows Carter to leap extraordinarily high without getting hurt. His new talent proves beneficial when he crosses paths with a race of tall green Barsoomians called Tharks, but they are still able to take him captive. In captivity, he discovers that there are two human factions at war with each other on Barsoom.

Sab Than, leader of Zodanga, has been given powerful technology by a few enlightened immortal beings called Therns. The Therns claim that they are the messengers of the Barsoomian Goddess Issus. Zodanga is at war with Helium, and Sab Than is demanding the hand of Helium princess Dejah Thoris, who is on the verge of discovering the mysterious technology that gives Zodanga such an advantage.

Though he just wants to find a way back to earth, John Carter finds himself caught up in the battle on Barsoom. Persuaded by the exotic Dejah Thoris, Carter fights against the Zodangans, and he still has the Tharks to contend with as well. But, the mysterious Therns have the power to change his life forever.

John Carter - Guide Review for Parents

Based on the influential Barsoom book series by Edgar Rice Burroughs, John Carter presents an epic story saturated with sci-fi action. The film is what I like to call "Disney PG-13." Meaning, it's kind of like the Pirates movies -- there's a lot of action and related violence but not a lot of blood and gore, profanity or sexual content.

John Carter is heavier on violence than the Pirates, however, and the story is not quite as immersive or memorable. On the positive side, the movie features a highly intelligent and strong, albeit scantily clad, female character. I love that the Barsoomian princess is a scientist and the intellectual powerhouse of her people. The movie also has a few decent comical moments, huge special effects, and a clever ending.

Parents should know that John Carter contains heavy action violence with some blood. Characters use guns, swords, knives and other weapons as well as hand to hand combat. Some fights with aliens and monsters like enormous white apes could be scary or unsettling for kids. Also, John's flashbacks of his wife and son who died and of finding them dead in his burned house could be disturbing to kids. Some mild profanity is used. For more details on the content of the movie, please see the overview below.

John Carter - Content Overview

*May contain spoilers.

• Violence (Extreme): The movie contains heavy violence throughout both on earth and on Mars. John is imprisoned by Colonel Powell on earth and by Tharks and others on Mars, resulting in various demeaning situations. Epic battles ensue on Mars with both alien and human casualties inflicted by weapons like guns, swords and knives. Some blood is shown. An alien character is shown being punished and branded.
• Scary Scenes (High): Scenes listed under "violence" could be scary to kids. Barsoomian aliens and a few monsters could also leave a lasting unwelcome impression on young minds.
• Sex/Nudity (Medium): Dejah Thoris wears revealing and provocative clothing. A couple of kisses are shown, and some jokes with mild innuendo are made.
• Drugs and Alcohol (Low) Men are shown drinking in an old tavern.
• Language (Medium): Mild profanities such as "damn" and "hell" are used. "My God," or variations of the phrase are used a few times.
• Disrespectful/Imitative Behavior (Extreme): The Therns are attempting to control the course of human events to their advantage, while Sab Than uses the power they gave him to control others, wage war, and demand the princess' hand in marriage. The alien Tharks mistreat and demean a female Thark who does not live up to their standards.

• Sad/Unsettling Scenes (High): John's flashbacks of his dead family could be unsettling to kids. The Thark Sola endures harsh mistreatment.
• Movie Topics Kids Might Have Questions About: alien life and human life on other planets, supernatural beings, mistreatment and cruelty, marriage, the Civil War, early wars with Native Americans

Disclosure: The studio provided a free screening of this movie for review purposes. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.