John Carter

[Jerry Wright 307]

Mazra wrote:

If they had kept to a budget around $150,000,000, no one would be using the FLOP word. For me this may be the best FLOP of a movie ever made.

If they had advertised the movie, no one would be using the FLOP word. Disney dropped the ball because one of the higher-ups decided the movie sucked, and wouldn't approve a proper campaign for it.

The number of ads when the movie came out on DVD was about triple what it was leading up to the theatrical release.

If they do make the sequel, it will do much better, if only because audiences will have some idea of what the movie will be like.

The first movie will be the advertising for the second.

[Mazra]

Jal Dorak wrote:

Watched it again on DVD. The final utterance of "Barsoom" still sent shivers down my spine. I wanted to go back.

Me too! The closing segment was very well done.

Later,

Mazra

[Doodlebug Anklebiter]

I watched this yesterday.

I was expecting absolute crap, and was pleasantly surprised.

I also thought the Tharks were a little too Jar-Jar. I also thought Carter's superpowers were a little bit overdone, which meant that Woola also had to be overdone.

Jamming in plot elements from other books wasn't a terrible idea, but what I didn't like was it how it made some of the fight scenes ridiculously short.

Also, it seems that Barsoom is where ex-HBO series actors go to die. McNulty?!? What are you doing here?

[Spanky the Leprechaun]

Yeah; there was nothing wrong with this movie. WTF?

[Doodlebug Anklebiter]

I don't know if I'd go so far as all that. But it was better than your average sci-fi/fantasy/geekfilm.

[Kajehase]

Doodlebug Anklebiter wrote:

Also, it seems that Barsoom is where ex-HBO series actors go to die. McNulty?!? What are you doing here?

Waiting for the next season of The Hour to start shooting/recuperating from playing a real-life serial killer.

[Kajehase]

And I'm still not watching anything Barsoom related until they do the costuming according to what it was described like in the books! ;)

[Spanky the Leprechaun]

Kajehase wrote:

And I'm still not watching anything Barsoom related until they do the costuming according to what it was described like in the books! ;)

I got the internet for that. Google Dejah Thoris with protection off.

[Jal Dorak]

Kajehase wrote:

And I'm still not watching anything Barsoom related until they do the costuming according to what it was described like in the books! ;)

So, no costumes?

[Laurefindel]

Jal Dorak wrote:

Kajehase wrote:

And I'm still not watching anything Barsoom related until they do the costuming according to what it was described like in the books! ;)

So, no costumes?

Now you're exaggerating! She's a princess, so you'd expect her to have a crown, a diadem or a circlet of some sort...

[wicked cool]

Decent movie. I have not read the books so one question is how faithful is the movie to the books (especillay the last scene) and should i start at book 3 to find out what happened.

I do have some questions

1) Is the drink a "Universal translator" and is the dog that powerul in the books?
2) How much time takes place on Earth (while Carter is in Cave)and did the army officer live?
3) How does the villian keep shapechaning once device is broken? Doesnt everyone see him.
4) I'm still not clear on why the marriage needed to take place and why they (grey guys) destroy planets?

[Matthew Morris]

wicked cool wrote:

Decent movie. I have not read the books so one question is how faithful is the movie to the books (especillay the last scene) and should i start at book 3 to find out what happened.

I do have some questions

1) Is the drink a "Universal translator" and is the dog that powerul in the books?
2) How much time takes place on Earth (while Carter is in Cave)and did the army officer live?
3) How does the villian keep shapechaning once device is broken? Doesnt everyone see him.
4) I'm still not clear on why the marriage needed to take place and why they (grey guys) destroy planets?

1) In the books the Martian's speak and use telepathy. John Carter learns telepathy (so he can communicate) and his mind can't be read. (this is a plot item in the books). The drink's 'translator microbes' were just a way around explaining all that.

2) Quite a bit, the guy's dessicated corpse is there when he 'gets back' (Again, in the books, it's some form of astral projection/creation. Not sufficiently advanced technology.)
3) He has a back up plot device?
4) I wasn't clear on the Therns motives either. However, the marriage is to stop the war between Helium and Zodanga.

[Doodlebug Anklebiter]

Also:

wicked cool wrote:

Decent movie. I have not read the books so one question is how faithful is the movie to the books (especillay the last scene) and should i start at book 3 to find out what happened.

Not really. It's pretty faithful to the series as a whole, but there are elements of the first three books crammed into one movie in ways that don't jive with Barsoomian continuity.

In addition, there are big secrets that are revealed in earlier books that are kept secrets in the movie, presumably, in case there are sequels.

The books are pretty short and easy, though. Like 150 pages each.

[pres man]

I think the motivation of the aliens was that if a culture started to master the energy source of super powerness, then they tried to get the culture to self-destruct. They didn't want anyone else competing with them with the power of ultimate greatness. Sort of like how the US (and other first world nations) tries to undermine, usually secretively, other countries trying to develop nuclear energy.

[Doodlebug Anklebiter]

Oh yeah, I thought of something I didn't like about the movie--the whole reluctant warrior, oh, wanh wanh wanh,

Spoiler:

I rode away to war and my family died, so I don't want to get involved in your Martian shenanigans, hawt (though admittedly overdressed) Dejah Thoris.

That kind of irked me. Overall, JC was way more moody Byronic/Brando/Luke Perry from 90210 (Luke Perry? what are you talking about, old man?) outlaw than I cared for.

But whatever, it was cool.

[Mazra]

Doodlebug Anklebiter wrote:

That kind of irked me. Overall, JC was way more moody Byronic/Brando/Luke Perry from 90210 (Luke Perry? what are you talking about, old man?) outlaw than I cared for.

Personally, I thought that was one of the more compelling aspects of the John Carter movie. The moment John Carter makes the decision to fight for Dejah Thoris was a very powerful part of the movie. IMHO It made John Carter a step above the typical action yarn. He truly became heroic at a level you don't often see. But to each their own!

Later,

Mazra

[thejeff]

I agree with the Anklebiter. That was the part I didn't like.

It's not a bad character arc in theory, but it's such an overused cliche these days. Reluctant hero accepts his destiny. Yay. Again.

It annoys me most in adaptions of older works where it wasn't so much the given. In Princess of Mars John Carter was the true blue hero from the start. I can see how they thought giving him this kind of character growth made the story better, but it just made it different. Changed from one cliche to another.
It's not a coming of age story. It doesn't need that arc.

Bothered me more in the Lord of the Rings movies when they put Aragorn through it. No. He's not a reluctant king. That's not the kind of story this is. He's 80 years old and he's been working towards this most of his life. He's past that.

[Saint Bernard]

I finally saw the John Carter on DVD last night and you can put me in the camp of wanting a sequel. Great ending with a lot of potential for followup movies.