dvd of the week
When you cast someone whose last name is Kitsch in a bound-to-be-cheesy sci-fi action film, you’re begging for a review that says that the movie is “kitschy.” And that would be a perfect description of John Carter, which stars Taylor Kitsch: The film is “a worthless imitation of art of recognized value.” In some ways, I thought I was watching some weird mash-up of two other kitsch touchstones, Flash Gordon and Stargate. Yet, I think the director Andrew Stanton, who gave us Wall-E, and the film’s original screenwriter Michael Chabon were trying for populist high art, something along the lines of Avatar or Star Wars. But the film is just two hours and 12 minutes of kitsch: wooden dialogue, outlandish costumes, crazy plotting. That said, its technical achievements are impressive, and it is good, silly sci-fi fun.
