I just saw it and enjoyed it.

Unlike most movies, I think it did what it set out to do in a very competently. That sounds like damning with faint praise, but in today's day and age; making a competent movie that actually does what it sets out to do is pretty impressive.

I was never bored during the film, and some parts were pretty cool. I would be interested in seeing more.

This reminds me how important it is to frame a problem within a common reference.

Given that this is a $250 million film, was a 'competent' film in which 'some parts were pretty cool' and 'never boring' adequate? Did it look like a $250 million film? Was it cast appropriately to support that big a budget?

Unfortunately for Stanton, due to the budget there are some aspects of this film and marketing campaign that absolutely 'had to be there.' A very high bar was set.

I finally got around to seeing this. I enjoyed it quite a bit. I was a bit skeptical about Lynn Collins as Dejah Thoris, but she won me over quite handily. The special effects were really good and the action scenes flowed nicely without drawing too much attention to themselves (over-elaborate choreography, bullet-time shots, etc.). I was a bit surprised at how some elements of the story were incorporated into the film, but that's fine.

My favorite moment: Carter leads the Tharks in an assault on Zodanga, only to learn that the wedding is being held in Helium. Tars Tarkas promptly whops Carter on the back of the head.