The John Carter Motion Picture is Unloved, but Should It Be?

The Roger Ebert site is a treasure trove of film news and history that can distract a movie buff for hours.  One interesting series, which is called "The Unloved",  that has been started by contributor Scout Tafoya is a video essay regarding films that have been critically panned and often box office failures that he believes not only need to be freed from the stink attached to them but actually great examples of filmmaking.  His latest entry is a picture labelled as one of the biggest box office bombs and often used as an example of what is wrong with franchising, John Carter.  The picture was supposed to kick-off a highly profitable series, but the once incredibly popular pulp novel series by Edgar Rice Burroughs was adapted to film over 50 years too late to where the name no longer had value.

Tafoya argues that the film was unworthy of the scorn of critics and audiences missed out on a classic.  The praise is really high for this film, and I actually must admit I can't argue either way since I haven't seen the picture.  It is a very intriguing video essay, and it is cool to see the defense for a film most critics have fun tossing stones at.  Check out the video and see if it makes you want to track down the film.