The John Carter Dilemma

We have a 12-year-old daughter and I will admit that I haven’t actually ventured to a theater with her to see an animated/kid-related feature since she was ten. “Monsters vs Aliens” and our investment in a variety of home entertainment services and gear are to blame for that reality. With this new John Carter flick coming up March 9 however, we may be seeing that perfect storm/marketing sweet spot of a movie that will appeal to dads and their pre-teens in one shot. Or we may all be falling for the oldest trick in the book: a damn good trailer.

Those of us who sat through Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones will draw comparisons between that film’s” Jedi Knights vs. Critters Gladiator” scene and that arena scene that dominates the first half of the John Carter trailer. And really my decision to be interested in this movie begins and ends there. I’m sold. Our 12-year-old loves fantasy and creatures and I love comic book-style action. She couldn’t get into Attack of the Clones because there was too much lightsaber action and Jedi folklore for her. I was only able to get through Episode II because of 30+ years of emotional childhood manipulation by George Lucas. After the debacle that was Phantom Menace, I went back for a second helping just like an obedient Star Wars kid should.

She’s mildly interested in John Carter because her peer-based research (cool kids at school) has suggested that the hero character is cute enough yet the whole movie seems Disney-fied enough to fit the bill. The classic themes of the Edgar Rice Burroughs story still resonate and offer a nice mind-opening appeal to parents. So we should be home free on this right?

Almost. She’s been known to lose interest in many cool, awesome, ultimate things in a heartbeat and I have no problem waiting months for a popular film to move past theaters and come into the convenience of my own home. The action and dialog won’t change and all dads have the power to ignore anything at will, so that movie can be just as fresh to me later this year as it was in March.
Of course by then we’ll have a 13-year-old and who knows what will be cool when that happens.

So what say you? Does this movie go into the “Do it now!” or “Wait and see” category? Sound off in the comments.

About Aaron Boulding

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  • EJ

    I took my 2 daughters to a screening and both were not looking forward to it. They’re 14 and 11 and they both loved it! The 14 years old kept talking about it and said she told all her friends the next day.

    • http://www.spinmovr.com/ Aaron Boulding

      The “cool” factor is there for the 14-year-old? Then this movie may be on the way to great things! I’m warming up to it but still not sure if I’m going to go out of my way to see it. I’m a patient dude and the home theater will be open in a few months.