‘John Carter’ releases Super Bowl trailer and new images

Disney promoted its upcoming fantasy action-adventure film “John Carter” with a trailer released during Sunday’s Super Bowl. Disney followed the teaser with new images, published Feb. 6, that provides additional looks at director Andrew Stanton’s adaptation of the Edgar Rice Burroughs’ classic novel.

Yesterday’s trailer focuses on the movie’s special effects, action scenes and shots of Taylor Kitsch as the title character, a former military captain who is strangely transported to an inhabited Mars. While on Barsoom, the inhabitants’ name for their home, Carter becomes enmeshed in the planet’s conflicts.

The new trailer uses quick edits and a collage of stills to set up this scenario, emphasizing Carter as a leader who becomes involved with both Tars Tarkas (Willem Dafoe), king of the Tharks, and Princess Dejah Thoris (Lynn Collins) of the empire Helium. Yet the approximately 70-second teaser spends just as much time giving us a glimpse of this otherworldly environment

Like the first “John Carter” trailer, this one seems almost a bit too focused on providing cool shots of Barsoom and its strange creatures and not enough time demonstrating that Kitsch, as Carter, will portray an interesting, charismatic leader. But perhaps that’s the point, selling the fantastical elements of the world, such as the Great Apes that Carter battles in a stadium atmosphere, rather than the characters.

The film's realization of Burroughs’ Mars, from its cities to its species, is certainly the focus of the Disney's new and previously released “John Carter” images. A few photos focus on Collins’ Princess Dejah (a Red Martian), Carter’s love interest, and the Tharks (Green Martians) with whom Carter forms an allegiance.

But many images focus on the world that will appeal to Burroughs' audience of sci-fi and fantasy readers. They provide a better look at the largely arid Barsoom and its harsh conditions, its cities and technology.

Stanton, best known for his work with Pixar (“Finding Nemo,” “Wall-E”), described himself at Disney’s 2011 D23 Expo as a fan of Burroughs’ work and the film as a personal project. Given the director’s previously skills at realizing fantastical worlds, then, and Stanton’s known dislike of trailers with spoilers, perhaps the trailer and images are playing to the film’s strengths and focus rather than cloaking any weaknesses.

What do you think? Are you looking forward to seeing “John Carter?”

“John Carter” opens in 3D, 2D and IMAX 3D theaters on March 9, 2012.

Pittsburgh movie-goers will be able to see the film when it’s released at the AMC Loews Waterfront 22, SouthSide Works Cinema and Waterworks Cinema 10. Look for locations and movie tickets available for online purchase at Fandango.

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