Another New 'John Carter' TV Spot Highlights The Action, Downplays The Dialogue

I haven't been quiet about my ambivalence toward John Carter, Andrew Stanton's live-action directing debut, but I think I've finally figured out what my problem with the film is: the dialogue. Or at least, that's what I've come to suspect after watching this new 60-second TV spot. The new video downplays the talking bits and highlights the action, and perhaps as a result, it may be my favorite teaser / trailer / commercial for John Carter yet. Watch it after the jump.

[via Coming Soon, in case you couldn't tell]

Taylor Kitsch's readings of cliched lines like "We did not cause this. But we will end it!" still has me rolling my eyes a bit, which is a shame since I absolutely loved him on Friday Night Lights. Thankfully, the spot is much more focused on the visual aspects of the picture, and what visuals they are. The movement and scope we glimpse here seem worth seeing on a crisp, clear IMAX 3D screen, even if the storytelling and characterization prove not up to par. Sure, it still looks a little an outtake from one of the Star Wars prequels, but those films always looked pretty nice — it was everything else that made them terrible.

Also starring Lynn Collins, Bryan Cranston, Willem Dafoe, Mark Strong, and more, John Carter hits March 9.

Synopsis:

From Academy Award(R)-winning filmmaker Andrew Stanton comes "John Carter"–a sweeping action-adventure set on the mysterious and exotic planet of Barsoom (Mars). "John Carter" is based on a classic novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs, whose highly imaginative adventures served as inspiration for many filmmakers, both past and present. The film tells the story of war-weary, former military captain John Carter (Taylor Kitsch), who is inexplicably transported to Mars where he becomes reluctantly embroiled in a conflict of epic proportions amongst the inhabitants of the planet, including Tars Tarkas (Willem Dafoe) and the captivating Princess Dejah Thoris (Lynn Collins). In a world on the brink of collapse, Carter rediscovers his humanity when he realizes that the survival of Barsoom and its people rests in his hands.