JOHN CARTER
An epic Mars adventure about courage, sacrifice, and salvation.
Should You Watch It?
John Carter delivers what its four-star rating promises: a rousing 3D spectacle filled with epic battles, daring action, fascinating creatures, and a handsome hero who learns to live for others. The faithful dog-like creature adds fun, while the story’s emotional center is John Carter’s transformation from selfish gold-seeker to unselfish protector.
The film’s spiritual ideas are mixed. Its savior imagery includes a goddess, mysterious powers, and a demonic offer of authority, while its heroism lacks clear reliance on God. Still, the movie strongly values sacrifice, compassion, courage, protection of women, and resistance to oppression.
The content concerns are real but fit the source’s −1 rating: lots of action violence, brief profanity, references to a goddess, and creatures that could scare young children. For older children and adults, John Carter is worth the trip; use discernment with younger children.
The Story
NO SPOILERS — WE KEEP THE SURPRISESJohn Carter is a fearless but disillusioned Confederate Captain from Virginia who refuses to return to war and searches instead for a cave filled with gold. After encountering a mysterious man and medallion, Carter is transported to Mars.
There he discovers strange creatures, red-skinned humans, green-skinned warriors, and the remarkable ability to leap great heights because of Mars’ weaker gravity. His fighting skill draws him into a planetary conflict involving Princess Dejah Thoris, an attacked kingdom, ruthless enemies, and a possible savior.
Is It Any Good?
Four stars means this is a highly entertaining adventure, and the source review praises its scale. The 3D spectacle, visual effects, epic battles, daring action, and imaginative creatures give viewers plenty to see. Its characters also carry familiar echoes of Avatar, Star Wars, The Matrix, and Gladiator without losing the central hero’s journey.
The movie runs 132 minutes and fills that time with action and spectacle. The hero is handsome, the princess gorgeous, the villains nasty, and the faithful dog-like creature is fun. The story also gives its hero a meaningful transformation from selfishness and apathy to compassion and sacrifice.
The Worldview
The film presents a strong moral vision with redemptive elements. Good overcomes evil, and John Carter changes from a self-centered man seeking gold into someone willing to sacrifice for oppressed people. The story values courage, compassion, chivalry, protecting women, fighting for benevolent causes, and resisting brutality. It also includes an apparent Christian funeral for two loved ones.
The film’s idea of salvation, however, is not biblical. John Carter becomes a planetary savior through combat, while the story includes the goddess Issus, mysterious powers, shape-changing Therns, and a demonic offer of rulership in exchange for obedience. The movie also gives a light environmentalist message and does not clearly connect heroic action to reliance on God.
The film’s central longing is for a savior who will oppose evil and defend the helpless. Scripture points beyond any warrior hero: Jesus says, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life” (John 14:6).
The Content Guide
The specifics — spoilers included by nature — so you can judge for your own family.
Content Summary
Very strong moral worldview with some redemptive elements (including an apparent Christian funeral for two loved ones), where good overcomes evil and main character goes from self-centered man seeking gold to unselfish sacrifice for others who are oppressed, marred by references to a goddess, including the beginning of the climactic battle where the changed hero rallies non-human troops in her name, but in the second book by the original author, the goddess is shown to be a phony villain, plus a light environmentalist attitude and some patriotic, chivalrous fervor of fighting for a benevolent kingdom and for good causes, including protecting women; eight mostly light obscenities (“h” words and a couple “d” words), one GD, and one or two light exclamatory profanities; huge amounts of action violence with major battles, lots of sword fighting and explosions, some scenes, reminiscent of the Roman Coliseum, feature combat between small characters and very large scary ones, with a large audience cheering, one scene includes images of creature’s blue blood as man with large sword pops out of its back after it falls, man loses an arm, and alien is beheaded; no sexual activity beyond a kiss; upper male nudity, light female cleavage, and some female midriffs shown; brief alcohol use; no smoking or drugs; and, some major evil characters transform into whatever appearance they consider convenient, there is deceit and dishonesty involved in the war on Mars, and man rebukes brutality against friendly animal and against other people.
Talk About It
Questions for the drive home, the dinner table, or the youth group.
John Carter moves from selfishness to sacrifice. What changes him, and what helps you move from living for yourself toward loving others?
Philippians 2:3–4 · 1 John 3:16–18The film presents several kinds of savior figures. What does the Bible say makes Jesus’ salvation different from every human hero’s?
John 14:6 · Acts 4:12The story includes a struggle against oppression and brutality. How should Christians respond when they see injustice?
Micah 6:8 · Proverbs 31:8–9John Carter is brave in battle, but the film does not clearly show reliance on God. What does David’s battle with Goliath teach about the source of true courage?
1 Samuel 17:45–47The Final Word
John Carter is a spectacular, morally energetic adventure with a memorable transformation at its center. Its violence, brief profanity, goddess references, and frightening creatures call for discernment with younger children. For older children and adults, WORTH THE TRIP — OLDER CHILDREN AND UP.
