John Carter is an example of how poor marketing can kill a good movie.

Foremost among the many mistakes was changing the title of the film from the familiar A Princess of Mars, which would have had instant recognition among fans of Edgar Rice Burroughs -- or, truly, any fans of classic science fiction and fantasy -- as the first in a series of highly acclaimed novels written in the first half of the 20th century. Choosing John Carter of Mars, as director Andrew Stanton did initially, would still have garnered more interest among fans, but Stanton inexplicably dropped "of Mars" from the title, releasing simply John Carter to a moviegoing audience who didn't know what to expect. The trailers he released failed to excite any interest, either.

After bombing at the box office -- it's still widely believed to be one of the largest box office losses in Disney history -- plans for two sequels were dropped. And it's a shame, because the movie is, while not perfect, much better than Stanton's blunders would have you believe.

The plot begins with Edgar Rice Burroughs (Daryl Sabara), the heir of John Carter (Taylor Kitsch), arriving at Carter's estate in 1881 to find out that his wealth has largely been placed into a 25-year trust; Carter's body has been left unembalmed, in an open casket, in a sealed mausoleum that unlocks only from the inside. Unusual instructions, to say the least. Then the story flashes back to 1868, after Carter fought in the Civil War. The military is trying to draw him back into service, but Carter wants only to pursue his dreams of finding gold in them thar hills. He finally does, but mystical energies transmit him to Mars, or Barsoom as it's known there, where he finds himself embroiled in a thousand-year war between various red-skinned factions of native Barsoomians (who for the most part appear human) as well as the more primitive and nomadic Tharks -- tall, green-skinned, tusked, four-armed and quite alien-looking. Because of the different atmosphere and gravity, Carter has something close to superhuman strength and can leap fantastic heights.

He quickly meets and falls in love with the titular princess, Dejah Thoris (Lynn Collins), who is struggling to save her city of Helium from an invasion by Sab Than (Dominic West), Jeddak of Zodanga, who has a powerful new weapon from the mystical Thern leader Matai Shang (Mark Strong). Carter and Dejah are both captured by the Tharks and befriend their Jeddak emperor Tars Tarkas (Willem Dafoe). As the various factions maneuver for supremacy, Carter also seeks a way back to Earth ... until, suddenly, he decides that saving Dejah is more important to him than returning home.

He also acquires a loyal Martian dog along the way.

John Carter is a solid adaptation of the first book of Burroughs' Martian series. While there was no plan to film all 11 books in the series, I do wish the two planned sequels had been made. This is an enjoyable science-fantasy romp that doesn't deserve its bad reputation.