What do an American Civil War veteran, 4m tall monsters and Mars have in common?
Very little unless your imagination is tuned in and you are watching the fantasy story of John Carter.
With real Avatar flavour to it, John Carter is a movie you must pay close attention toif you want to piece it all together by the end.
Carter (Taylor Kitsch) is an embittered soldier who now looks out only for himself, after his wife and child were murdered.
When he discovers a cave of gold, he believes he can turn his life around. That's until a chance encounter with a travelling Martian sees Carter transported to the Red Planet.
Here he encounters plenty of weird and wonderful aliens.
Impressed by his athletic prowess, the 4m tall insect-like aliens with four arms spare his life. Carter soon proves his worth to them but all he is focused on finding a way back home.
That is until his path crosses with Dejah Thoris (Lynn Collins), the Princess of Helium.
The city her father rules is about to be overtaken by their enemies. In order to survive, Dejah must accept a marriage offer from Sab Than (Dominic West) and in doing so, unite the warring cities.
Carter and the insect people realise they have to stop this wedding as the future of the planet depends on it.
Carter must overcome an army of warriors and two giant white gorillas, who have a bad attitude and a taste for human blood.
This movie is real fantasy stuff mixed in with some good action scenes.
A little too long for my liking, it is nevertheless an entertaining story that tests both your imagination and your ability to put the plot together.
