For a budding sci-fi franchise flick, “John Carter” is sort of spacey. In fact, the first thirty minutes of the movie is spent telling the main character’s bulky back-story. Disney certainly took a risk when giving the $250 million flick the green light, but will it pay off? Probably not.

“John Carter” centers around a former Confederate soldier who lands on the planet Mars after encountering a magical (or scientific?) medallion.

On the red planet, Carter discovers that due to lesser gravitational pull, he is gifted with almost super-human powers. Carter uses his powers to aid in the 1000-year war that is happening on Mars. Initially Carter is captured by enormous green creatures that are treated as refugees on the planet. Upon escape, Carter falls in love with Dejah, the gorgeous princess of Helium. Dejah is played Lynn Collins. Collins’ rendition of the princess is too heavy and almost laughably stoic.

The remainder of “John Carter” takes its audience deep into Mars as Dejah and John try to uncover the secret known as the “Ninth ray.” Perhaps “Carter’s” biggest problem comes with the bulk of information the audience must learn about the movie’s characters. It’s almost as if Disney should have supplied encyclopedias for the audience beforehand.

Playing the title character is Taylor Kitsch. Kitsch, a regular on the small screen, makes a fine transition in his first lead movie role. With enough grit and grime to pull of the sometimes-unlikeable Carter, Kitsch shows that even 30 year olds can tackle the most physically demanding roles.

“John Carter’s” biggest flaw comes within the simple realm of storytelling. The movie’s writer/director, Andrew Stanton (the Pixar genius behind “Finding Nemo” and “WALL-E”) underestimates his audiences’ IQ as he spends far too much time explaining each character’s back-story.

While Edgar Rice Burroughs’s “John Carter” series may have been the inspiration for such famous films like “Star Wars” and “Avatar,” the big-budget movie adaption is certainly in need of a muse.