I just watched John Carter on Netfix. The film didn't make any money when it was released. Somehow it confused audiences, mostly because the film never mentioned Mars, but the name of the planet was hidden in the film.
I have recently read
A Princess of Mars: John Carter of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs. It was an exciting story, but not great literature. The plot of book was different to the film. The book was mostly about fighting, if I remember. There wasn't a subplot about some mysterious race who controlled Mars in the book.