A Princess of Mars is a science fantasy novel written by American author Edgar Rice Burroughs, first serialized under the title Under the Moons of Mars in All-Story magazine from February to July 1912 and published in book form by A. C. McClurg & Co. in 1917.[1] The story centers on John Carter, a Confederate Civil War veteran prospecting for gold in Arizona, who is mysteriously transported to the planet Mars—known to its inhabitants as Barsoom—where he gains superhuman strength due to the lower gravity and becomes entangled in interspecies conflicts among the red-skinned humanoid Heliumites, the nomadic four-armed green Tharks, and other Martian factions.[2] Captured by the Tharks shortly after arrival, Carter befriends the chieftain Tars Tarkas and later rescues Dejah Thoris, a princess of the city-state of Helium, sparking a romance amid their escape and a larger struggle to prevent the failure of Barsoom's Atmosphere Factory, which sustains the planet's thinning air.[3] As the inaugural entry in Burroughs's eleven-book Barsoom series, the novel blends pulp adventure, romance, and speculative elements like ancient civilizations and dying worlds, drawing on early 20th-century astronomical interest in Mars while establishing tropes of planetary romance in science fiction.[4]Burroughs, born in 1875 and best known for creating the character Tarzan in 1912, wrote A Princess of Mars as his debut novel at age 36, inspired by his own frustrations with mundane business work and a desire to craft escapist tales of heroism and exotic locales.[5] The book's narrative unfolds through Carter's first-person memoir, discovered posthumously by his nephew, emphasizing themes of American frontierindividualism transposed to an alien wilderness, with Barsoom depicted as a harsh, canal-scarred desert world inhabited by diverse, warring races including the noble red Martians, savage green nomads, and enigmatic white apostles of Issus in later series entries.[6] Key plot elements include Carter's gladiatorial combats in Thark arenas, aerial battles in Helium's radium-powered fliers, and a climactic siege where his earthly tactical knowledge helps repel an invasion, ultimately securing peace and his union with Dejah Thoris—though the novel ends on a cliffhanger with Carter's return to Earth.[2]Since its release, A Princess of Mars has sold millions of copies worldwide and profoundly influenced the genre, inspiring authors like Ray Bradbury and filmmakers, including the 2012 Disney adaptation John Carter directed by Andrew Stanton, which grossed over $284 million despite mixed reviews.[7] It has been adapted into comic strips, radio dramas, animated projects, and a forthcoming animated television series announced in July 2025 at San Diego Comic-Con, with its iconic imagery of sword-wielding heroes, thoat-riding warriors, and towering Martian landscapes permeating popular culture.[5][8] Critically, the work is praised for its fast-paced storytelling and imaginative world-building but critiqued for racial stereotypes in its portrayal of Martian societies, reflecting early 20th-century colonial attitudes.[9] Today, it remains a cornerstone of science fiction, available in public domain editions and studied for its role in shaping visions of extraterrestrial adventure.[10]
Background
Source material
A Princess of Mars is a science fantasy novel written by Edgar Rice Burroughs, originally serialized in six parts in *The All-Story* magazine from February to July 1912 under the title Under the Moons of Mars and the pseudonym Norman Bean.[11] The story follows John Carter, a former Confederate cavalry officer and Virginia gentleman, who mysteriously transports from Earth to the dying planet Mars—referred to as Barsoom by its inhabitants—where he gains superhuman strength due to the lower gravity. There, Carter encounters the nomadic, four-armed green-skinned Tharks, becomes entangled in inter-city conflicts among the red-skinned humanoid Martians, and develops a romance with Dejah Thoris, the princess of the city-state Helium. As the inaugural entry in Burroughs's eleven-book Barsoom series, the novel establishes a richly imagined Martian world featuring ancient civilizations, aerial navies, and exotic creatures like the giant white apes of Barsoom.[12]The novel holds significant historical importance in science fiction literature as a pioneering work of pulp fiction, blending adventure, romance, and speculative elements in a way that captivated early 20th-century readers.[12] Serialized during the height of magazine fiction's popularity, it helped define the planetary romance subgenre—also known as sword-and-planet—characterized by Earth protagonists thrust into heroic roles on alien worlds through fantastical means, influencing the structure of countless subsequent stories.[12] Burroughs's vivid depictions of Barsoom's cultures and landscapes drew from contemporary astronomical speculations about Mars, contributing to the genre's emphasis on exotic, habitable extraterrestrial settings.[4]First issued in book form by A. C. McClurg & Co. in October 1917, A Princess of Mars achieved lasting popularity through numerous reprints and editions, cementing Burroughs's reputation alongside his Tarzan series.[13] In the United States, the work entered the public domain on January 1, 2013, owing to the expiration of its 95-year copyright term from the 1917 publication date, which has enabled a wide array of adaptations, including films, comics, and games, at minimal legal cost.[14]The 2009 direct-to-video film Princess of Mars, produced by The Asylum as a mockbuster ahead of Disney's John Carter, loosely adapts the novel but modernizes the protagonist's backstory, portraying John Carver as a contemporary U.S. Army major stationed in Afghanistan rather than a post-Civil War veteran.[15]
Development
Princess of Mars was conceived by The Asylum, a production company renowned for creating low-budget, direct-to-videomockbusters designed to capitalize on the marketing of major studio releases.[16] The film originated as a quick-turnaround project to exploit the hype surrounding James Cameron's Avatar (2009).[17]The screenplay was written by Mark Atkins, who also directed the film, while production was overseen by David Michael Latt as producer, alongside executive producers David Rimawi and Paul Bales—key figures in The Asylum's typical output of inexpensive genre fare.[18] With an estimated budget of $300,000, characteristic of the studio's cost-conscious model, the project leveraged the public domain status of Burroughs' 1912 novel A Princess of Mars to avoid licensing fees and enable a swift adaptation.[15]Development occurred rapidly in 2009, positioning Princess of Mars as the first feature-length film adaptation of Burroughs's A Princess of Mars, announced amid rumors of casting for the Disney project.[15] Creatively, the story updated the protagonistJohn Carter from a Civil War veteran to a contemporary U.S. soldier and sniper wounded in the Middle East, aiming to resonate with post-9/11 audiences through familiar themes of modern warfare and displacement.[19] Marketing emphasized the mockbuster angle with uncredited nods to Burroughs' inspiration, focusing instead on sci-fi action tropes to draw viewers seeking alternatives to bigger releases.[15]
Plot and characters
Plot summary
The film opens with John Carter, a U.S. Army sniper on a reconnaissance mission in Afghanistan, who is betrayed and critically wounded by his informant, Sarka, during a skirmish with opium dealers.[15] As Carter lies dying, the U.S. military employs an experimental digitization procedure to upload his consciousness and relocate his body to Mars 416—a planet in the Alpha Centauri system referred to as Barsoom—initially for reconnaissance purposes.[16] Upon arrival, Carter materializes on a Martian vessel where he encounters Princess Dejah Thoris of Helium and the transformed Sarka, now known as Sab Than; they abandon him in the desert after debating his fate.[15]Stranded on Barsoom, Carter discovers he possesses superhuman strength and leaping abilities due to the planet's lower gravity, allowing him to navigate its harsh terrain and defend himself against local wildlife.[16] He is soon captured by the Tharks, a tribe of green-skinned, two-armed, human-sized reptilian aliens, and taken to their camp, where he earns the respect of their leader, Tars Tarkas, by slaying a Thark in combat and later battling giant spiders.[15] Carter witnesses an airship battle, rescues the injured Heliumite engineer Kantos Kan from a crash, and learns of the vital Atmosphere Plant that sustains Barsoom's air supply.[20] Tracking Dejah Thoris, whom he knocks out and claims as a "prize" to shield her from enslavement, Carter brings her to the Thark stronghold, fostering an alliance amid rising tensions with the rival Thark leader Tal Hajus.[15]In the middle acts, Carter duels rivals in gladiatorial arenas and aids Tars Tarkas in overthrowing Tal Hajus, briefly assuming leadership of the Tharks while protecting Dejah from warring factions, including Sab Than's forces.[16] The plot revolves around Sab Than's scheme to sabotage the Atmosphere Plant—Barsoom's life-sustaining air factories—by seizing control, revealing his Earth origins and vendetta against Carter.[15] Action sequences, including airship chases reminiscent of helicopter pursuits and confrontations with modernized weaponry carried over from Earth, drive the narrative across the 93-minute runtime.[19]The climax unfolds at the Atmosphere Plant, where Sab Than abducts Dejah and threatens to destroy the facility; Carter pursues them, defeats Sab Than in combat with assistance from a local creature, and assists Dejah in restarting the backup generator to avert planetary catastrophe and save Barsoom.[15] In the resolution, with the planet secured, Carter is transported back to Earth via the experimental technology and resumes military duty without reporting his experiences.[15] The film loosely adapts Edgar Rice Burroughs' novel by incorporating contemporary elements like the Afghanistan setting and digital teleportation, while simplifying Thark society into a more tribal structure without the book's nomadic hordes, featuring human-scale two-armed green Martians rather than towering four-armed ones, and omitting the Helium-Zodanga war.[21]
Characters
John Carter serves as the protagonist, a heroic Earthman mysteriously transported to Mars, where the planet's lower gravitygrants him enhanced strength, agility, and jumpingability compared to the natives. In the film adaptation, he is reimagined as a resourceful U.S. sniper from a modern Afghanistan conflict, wounded and teleported via experimental technology rather than the novel's astral projection of a Civil War veteran, emphasizing his casual heroism, strategic thinking, and proficiency with both Earth firearms and Martian swords as he becomes a warrior fighting to save the planet.[15]Dejah Thoris functions as the central love interest and a symbol of Helium's nobility, portrayed as an intelligent red Martian princess and scientist involved in maintaining the Atmosphere Plant. Her traits include courage, resilience, and leadership in defending her city-state against threats, adapting the book's refined, compassionate royal—known for diplomatic advocacy and personal sacrifice—into a more active figure who directly engages in battles and peace efforts while captive among the Tharks.[15]The Tharks represent a race of green-skinned, tusked aliens with tribal warrior physiology, human-sized and possessing two arms, initially antagonistic as captors of both Carter and Dejah but evolving into key allies. Tars Tarkas, their chieftain, embodies honor, loyalty, and strategic wisdom, showing rare compassion and humor in the film—more extroverted than the novel's stoic, custom-bound vice-chieftain—to forge bonds with Carter and facilitate alliances between green and red Martians, ultimately aiding in Thark leadership reforms.[15]Sab Than leads the antagonists as an Earth-originated infiltrator on Barsoom, having arrived earlier via similar technology and scheming to control the Atmosphere Plant out of personal vendetta and ambition, heightening the stakes for Carter. The film merges this character with Sarka, the deceptive Afghaninformant who betrayed Carter, adapting elements of the book's Zodangan threat but omitting the inter-city war and marriagealliance.[15]Supporting characters include Carter's Earth betrayer Sarka (revealed as Sab Than), and Martian allies such as the Heliumite engineer Kantos Kan, who provides expertise on the Atmosphere Plant and combat aid before dying early from wounds. These roles, along with minor Thark figures like Sola, offer limited depth due to the low-budget production, primarily functioning to propel alliances, betrayals, and rescues without exploring backstories or motivations in detail.[15]
Production
Casting
The principal leads in Princess of Mars (2009), produced by The Asylum, were Antonio Sabàto Jr. as John Carter and Traci Lords as Dejah Thoris. Sabàto Jr., known for his modeling career with Calvin Klein and roles in soap operas such as General Hospital (1992–1995), was selected for his action-hero physique, despite limited prior experience in high-profile genre films. Lords, who had built a reputation in B-movies and sci-fi projects like Not of This Earth (1988) and Blade (1998), brought her established cult following to the role, marking a return to low-budget science fiction after mainstream appearances in films such as Cry-Baby (1990).[22]Supporting roles featured Matt Lasky as the Thark leader Tars Tarkas, Chacko Vadaketh in the dual parts of Sarka and Sab Than, and Mitchell Gordon as Tal Hajus. Smaller roles were filled by genre veterans, including Noelle Perris as Vaja and David Michael O'Neill as Kantos Kan, reflecting The Asylum's reliance on affordable, experienced performers from independent cinema.[18][16]The casting occurred rapidly in 2009 amid The Asylum's low-budget mockbuster strategy, with decisions prioritizing cost efficiency and name recognition over A-list talent to complement practical effects-heavy production. DirectorMark Atkins opted for Lords despite preferring a younger actress, valuing her draw for direct-to-video audiences, while the total actor and staff budget was constrained within a $300,000 overall allocation. Sabàto Jr. prepared physically through martial arts training to handle stunts, enduring extreme on-set conditions like temperatures over 100°F (38°C) without complaint, alongside the ensemble's use of prosthetics that limited mobility.[22][16]
Filming
Principal photography for Princess of Mars took place in 2009 in Southern California, primarily at Vasquez Rocks Natural Area Park, which provided the rugged, rocky terrain to represent the Martian landscapes of Barsoom.[15] Additional exterior scenes were shot at Bronson Canyon and Caves to evoke an exotic, otherworldly environment.[15]The production adhered to The Asylum's signature low-budget, rapid-turnaround approach, with principal photography allocated just $70,000 of the film's total $300,000 budget, the remainder dedicated to post-production effects.[23] Filming was completed over a tight schedule of several weeks to meet the direct-to-video release timeline later that year.[19]Technically, the film was captured using digital video cameras, emphasizing practical sets for interior sequences and wire work for the low-gravity stunts simulating John Carter's superhuman leaps on Mars.[23]Visual effects incorporated minimal CGI for alien creatures and atmospheric enhancements, such as subtle sky alterations and recycled elements like giant spiders, while Thark aliens relied on well-crafted practical masks to convey their distinctive, green-skinned appearance.[15]These constraints resulted in noticeable production challenges, including a compressed shooting schedule that limited scene complexity and a restricted effects budget that exposed seams in creature designs and environmental composites, contributing to the film's modest visual scale.[15]
Release
Distribution
Princess of Mars was released direct-to-DVD in the United States on December 29, 2009, by The Asylum, without a theatrical run.[24] An earlier screening occurred on December 18, 2009, hosted by the San Diego Chapter of the Mars Society.[24]The Asylum marketed the film as a science fictionaction adventure leveraging the contemporary hype around James Cameron's Avatar, which premiered just days earlier on December 18, 2009; promotional materials highlighted it with the tagline "From the classic story that inspired James Cameron's Avatar," drawing loose parallels to the Edgar Rice Burroughs source material that influenced both projects.[25] Trailers emphasized themes of Mars exploration, alien conflicts, and heroic battles to appeal to audiences seeking similar interstellar spectacles.[16]In international markets, the film appeared under alternative titles designed to capitalize on competing releases, including John Carter of Mars and The Martian Colony Wars in some regions, as well as Avatar of Mars in parts of Europe and Asia.[26] Distribution was managed through The Asylum's partnerships with various labels, resulting in staggered releases such as March 30, 2010, in Russia and April 1, 2010, in France, primarily via DVD and limited video-on-demand platforms.[24] This approach reflected The Asylum's typical mockbuster strategy of rapid, low-cost global rollout tied to major film trends.[27]
Home media
The film received a direct-to-DVD release on December 29, 2009, in a standard edition distributed by The Asylum, featuring basic extras including a deleted scene, a making-of featurette, and trailers.[19][28] Used copies of this edition remain widely available through online retailers such as Amazon and eBay, often priced between $5 and $10.[29][30]No major Blu-ray upgrade has been produced for the U.S. market, with only limited international editions noted, such as a German release under the title John Carter vom Mars.[31][32]Digital availability expanded in subsequent years, with the film becoming accessible on free ad-supported streaming platforms like Tubi and Pluto TV by the early 2020s, alongside rental options on Prime Video and FlixFling.[33][34][35] Full versions also appeared as free uploads on YouTube starting around 2024, often hosted by channels specializing in public domain and low-budget sci-fi content.[36]The release achieved modest direct-to-video success, aligning with The Asylum's typical output, where individual titles generate profits of $125,000 to $250,000 through home media sales and distribution deals.[37][38]As of 2025, official home media options persist primarily through second-hand physical copies and ongoing streaming on platforms like fuboTV and Plex, maintaining a low-profile presence without significant reissues or upgrades.[33] The source novel's public domain status in the United States since January 1, 2013, has facilitated broader fan interest in Barsoom adaptations, though the 2009 film's official versions have not seen notable preservation efforts or remastered editions.
Reception
Critical response
The film received poor critical reception, with aggregate scores reflecting its low-budget production and execution flaws. On IMDb, it holds a 3.2 out of 10 rating based on approximately 1,900 user votes (as of November 2025), though professional critics echoed similar sentiments in limited reviews.[19] On Rotten Tomatoes, there is no Tomatometer score due to insufficient critic reviews, while the audience score stands at 10% from over 250 ratings.[39]Critics commonly lambasted the film's special effects as uneven and unconvincing, with Thark alien makeup appearing inconsistent and action sequences marred by noticeable editing cuts between wide shots and close-ups.[16] Acting performances were described as wooden and uninspired, particularly Antonio Sabàto Jr.'s portrayal of John Carter, which came across as glib and lacking seriousness amid the fantastical setting, while Traci Lords' Dejah Thoris was criticized for a sour demeanor unfit for a warrior princess.[16] The script faced backlash for its rushed pacing and incoherent elements, including an absurd subplot involving an Afghan drug dealer that felt poorly integrated and unexplained.[16][40] Overall, reviewers branded it a cheap mockbuster from The Asylum, prioritizing low-cost spectacle over substance.[16]Rare positive notes highlighted faint nostalgic echoes of Edgar Rice Burroughs' planetary romance vibes, with some amusement derived from its earnest, if flawed, attempt at the source material.[16] Sabàto's physical charisma provided occasional appeal in action scenes, though it could not salvage the production.[16] One review deemed it "halfway reasonable" for its budget constraints, emerging as better than typical Asylum fare despite shortcomings.[16]Most reviews appeared between late 2009 and 2010, coinciding with the film's direct-to-video release, with few later retrospectives.[16][40] It was often unfavorably compared to James Cameron's Avatar (2009), positioned as a timely but spectacle-deficient mockbuster that paled against the blockbuster's visual grandeur.[16]
Audience response
The 2009 direct-to-video film Princess of Mars received low viewer ratings, averaging 3.2 out of 10 on IMDb based on approximately 1,900 user reviews (as of November 2025), reflecting its status as a low-budget production but also highlighting a niche appeal among B-movie enthusiasts who praised its "so-bad-it's-good" entertainment value and campy charm.[19]Lacking a theatrical release, the film generated no box office revenue, but its direct-to-DVD distribution contributed to The Asylum's overall profitability through mockbuster sales, with the studio reporting success in this model for similar low-cost productions with budgets typically between $100,000 and $1 million.[38] By the 2020s, it achieved steady viewership on free ad-supported streaming platforms like Tubi and Pluto TV, as well as YouTube uploads garnering millions of views collectively.[34][35][36] As of 2025, it continues to stream on these platforms.Fan reception among Edgar Rice Burroughs enthusiasts was mixed, with some appreciating it as the first cinematic adaptation of A Princess of Mars for capturing the story's adventurous spirit and emotional core despite budgetary limitations, while others criticized significant deviations such as the modern setting for John Carter, altered alien designs, and omitted subplots.[15]Online discussions positioned the film as entry-level science fiction suitable for casual viewers, with a minor resurgence in interest following the 2012 Disney release of John Carter, which drew comparisons and renewed curiosity about earlier adaptations.[41]
Legacy
Mockbuster context
A mockbuster is defined as a low-budget film produced as an imitator of a major blockbuster, typically released around the same time to capitalize on the original's marketing and audience interest. Princess of Mars (2009), produced by The Asylum, exemplifies this strategy by targeting James Cameron's Avatar (2009), sharing thematic elements of extraterrestrial worlds, alien civilizations, and human exploration on a distant planet like Mars or Pandora.[42][16]The Asylum, founded in 1997, has specialized in mockbusters since the mid-2000s, releasing over 300 films by the early 2010s as part of its broader output exceeding 500 titles. This production, completed from script to release in just three to four months, highlights the company's efficient, streamlined process tailored to timely blockbuster tie-ins.[43][44]Strategically, The Asylum employs subtle title and artwork similarities to Princess of Mars—evoking Avatar's visual spectacle—aiming to confuse consumers at video rental stores or online searches, though avoiding direct infringement through adaptations of public domain works like Edgar Rice Burroughs' A Princess of Mars. No legal challenges arose from this approach, as the source material entered the public domain in 1973.[38][45]The Asylum's mockbusters, including Princess of Mars, fueled the late 2000s boom in direct-to-video science fiction by providing affordable alternatives that profited from blockbuster hype, with the company reporting strong sales through chains like Blockbuster. However, critics have lambasted this model for diluting the appeal of original films by flooding the market with inferior imitators that mislead audiences and undermine genuine creativity.[38][46]
Relation to other adaptations
Prior to the 2009 release of Princess of Mars, numerous attempts to adapt Edgar Rice Burroughs' A Princess of Mars into a feature film had failed, dating back to the early 20th century. In 1931, animator Bob Clampett collaborated with Burroughs and his son on an ambitious animated feature, producing test footage of a Thark character but ultimately abandoning the project before completion.[15] By the 1980s, Disney developed a live-action proposal that advanced to storyboards, featuring redesigned Tharks as green-skinned humanoids, yet it too was shelved due to creative and budgetary issues.[15] No full-length feature film adaptation of the novel had been realized before Princess of Mars, marking it as the pioneering live-action effort despite its direct-to-video format.[15]The 2009 film stands in stark contrast to the subsequent big-budget adaptation, Disney's John Carter (2012), which drew from the same source material but amplified its scope with a $250 million production cost.[47] While John Carter grossed $284.1 million worldwide, it was deemed a financial disappointment after factoring in marketing expenses, resulting in substantial losses for Disney and highlighting the risks of high-stakes sci-fi epics.[47] In comparison, Princess of Mars' scrappy, low-budget approach—produced for around $300,000—served as a makeshift precursor, underscoring what a Barsoom story might achieve on constrained resources, though its execution was widely critiqued as rudimentary.[48] This juxtaposition positioned the Asylum film as a "what might have been" artifact, demonstrating the challenges of adapting Burroughs' vision without substantial funding.[15]Beyond cinema, A Princess of Mars had seen earlier adaptations in other media, including radio dramas and comics, which laid groundwork for visual interpretations but lacked live-action elements. Comic book versions emerged as early as 1939 in The Funnies magazine, serializing the story with illustrations that captured the novel's adventurous spirit.[49] Later comic iterations, such as Marvel's 2011 John Carter: A Princess of Mars series, further expanded the narrative in graphic form, influencing fan expectations around fidelity to Burroughs' original concepts like the Tharks and Dejah Thoris.[50] As the first live-action adaptation, Princess of Mars shifted these discussions toward screen viability, sparking debates on how closely productions should adhere to the source amid visual effects limitations.[15]As of 2025, no direct remakes of the 2009 Princess of Mars film have materialized, though the novel's entry into the public domain in the United States in 1973—following its 1917 publication—has facilitated new indie and authorized projects. Recent developments include an official audio drama series adapting A Princess of Mars, launched via Kickstarter in 2024, and an animated television series announced for development in 2025 by the Burroughs estate.[51] These efforts underscore the enduring appeal of Barsoom, while the 2009 film's rushed production and technical shortcomings have cemented its legacy as a cautionary example of low-budget sci-fi pitfalls, emphasizing the need for adequate resources in genre filmmaking.[48]