John Carter is released in cinemas today. So to whet your appetite we have the first 10 minutes of the film!

Now don’t go expecting to be transported to Mars quite yet, this is the earthbound segment of the film. However, it does provide an opportunity to meet the character John Carter, played by Taylor Kitsch, and prove the film has more to it than just special effects.

For those of you not up to the play with John Carter, this Disney epic is based on the 1911 Edgar Rice Burroughs’ novel A Princess of Mars – the first publication to feature our lead character. The film tells the tale of a former Civil War Confederate Army captain who is transported to Mars and into the middle of a civil war amongst alien races. And this war has a princess… who’s in need of a hero. Queue the Bonnie Tyler tune.

The promo for John Carter has not been as heavy-handed as you’d expect from a blockbuster these days – which I personally think is a good thing. But in a sad reflection of what it takes to get people into the theatre these days, the way in which Disney have promoted John Carter might come back to bite them. So I guess it’s not surprising that this clip has been released to give the film one final push.

Enjoy!

Well, that was fun. I’m liking Taylor Kitsch in the lead and he looks to be far less wooden than the previous special effects driven promo suggested. Plus I’m a big Brian Cranston (Drive, TV’s Breaking Bad) fan, so it’s nice to see his part (albeit minor) in the film.

I, for one, am looking forward to seeing if John Carter is the entertaining watch it appears to be.

So are you going to see John Carter?

 John Carter, who is inexplicably transported to mysterious and exotic planet Mars, becomes embroiled in a conflict of epic proportions and discovers that the survival of the planet and its people rests in his hands.

Directed by Andrew Stanton, John Carter stars Taylor Kitsch (Snakes on a Plane), Lynn Collins (23), Samantha Morton (River Queen), Mark Strong (Kick Ass), Ciaran Hinds (Munich), Dominic West (300), James Purefoy (Ironclad), Bryan Cranston (Drive), Polly Walker (Clash of the Titans), Daryl Sabara (Spy Kids), Thomas Haden Church (Sideways) and Willem Dafoe (Spiderman).

John Carter opens today!