John Carter of Mars

[mikey2much]

I just watched the movie. I think I would be safe to say that it bombed at the box office. but it was well made with excellent special effects. I think the reason it bombed is because we all now know that mars is a barren rock.

When Burroughs wrote the books, mars was a mystery planet with canals on it. Now when we think of mars we are wondering how long the batteries are going to last on our little rovers?

Did anyone else here enjoy the movie? I thought it was pretty good.

 

[sr71plt]

I just watched the movie. I think I would be safe to say that it bombed at the box office. but it was well made with excellent special effects. I think the reason it bombed is because we all now know that mars is a barren rock.

When Burroughs wrote the books, mars was a mystery planet with canals on it. Now when we think of mars we are wondering how long the batteries are going to last on our little rovers?

Did anyone else here enjoy the movie? I thought it was pretty good.

I think it may have bombed because millions, like me, didn't go see it.

 

[mikey2much]

Yeah, me too

I think it may have bombed because millions, like me, didn't go see it.

I didn't go see it either, or rent the movie. I waited for it to come to starz on dish.
I was surprised at how well they tried to bring Victorian steam-punk to life. It seemed to me to be cutting edge for computer generated movies.

I think the reason it bombed is because 'real life' has passed the point where people can take this story serious.

 

[PennLady]

You may be right about our knowledge outstripping the original fiction. I haven't seen the movie, but I read/was told (I thought) that the Mars -- Barsoom -- in the movie was not our Mars, that it was a different planet altogether. I can see them making that choice, but is that true? Or is it "our" Mars?

 

[3113]

Did anyone else here enjoy the movie? I thought it was pretty good.

I think it was pretty awful actually, though it's crash at the box office likely had more to do with (1) the unfamiliarity of the material (not enough readers of the book to be excited about it, unlike, say, some of the recent comic book character movies), (2) the lack of any star appeal, (3) the huge cost of the movie which meant it had to be a huge hit or be a failure--if it had been a small, inexpensive movie or television show how it did might have been considered okay, and (4) the fact that it's been mined to death of all its good stuff by other movies long before now, and so it's pretty much a "been-there-seen-that" to most viewers (man from our world becomes great hero in another world with super fighting skills; wins over barbarian aliens, wins heart of the princess--who he saves from marrying bad guy, yadda, yadda, yadda).

And it was probably a mistake to make it faithful to the book. Sometimes that's the way to go, but think how much more interest it would have garnered if Carter hadn't been a confederate soldier but rather someone who'd been fighting in Afghanistan. Able to make jokes and references the audience would be in on, etc. And yes, on some world other than Mars. Just sayin', you have to be careful if you use dated material. Sometimes it doesn't work if you remain too faithful to it.

For myself, however, I found the main character lack-luster, no personality or depth (lost wife and kids? YAWN!), the female protagonist ditto, the world dull and uninteresting, and that included the aliens. And Mars was really uninspired. Andrew Stanton wrote and directed it as a might a cartoon and it might have worked as a cartoon (plucky heroine with self-esteem issues, comic-relief dog, grand Martian vistas.), but with real actors this sort of writing and directing became problematic. It wasn't a cartoon, but it was, but it wasn't....I don't know that it knew who its audience was--or if it did, it didn't go far enough to attract them. In the end, it came off as cliché in a dull way rather than fun way--and really, really boring.

And that was my biggest complaint of all. I found it really boring.

 

[mikey2much]

No Penn Lady, it was Mars

They even put a map of the solar system and counted out the planets as they named them in both languages.

Instead of people on another planet, the movie becomes a wagging finger of n jest pointed at us for ever believing this kind of stuff.

But now we look at this as being a quaint look at our past beliefs. Like at one time it was thought that our blood would boil at the speed of sixty miles an hour.

 

[mikey2much]

Well 3113, tell me what you really think.

I thought the way they presented Mars fit what the people knew back when the books were written. The cities were tucked into deep canals and canyons, or were moving all the time.

I do agree that the story is an old standard that can be played as many ways as you have the costumes for. But they spared no expense on the effects and it is a Disney movie so they still seem to have their own stable of stars, and they use who seems to fit. But I didn't find it boring anymore than I did the batman movies.

 

[PennLady]

They even put a map of the solar system and counted out the planets as they named them in both languages.

Instead of people on another planet, the movie becomes a wagging finger of n jest pointed at us for ever believing this kind of stuff.

But now we look at this as being a quaint look at our past beliefs. Like at one time it was thought that our blood would boil at the speed of sixty miles an hour.

Thanks. Now I know. I got all (I think) of the John Carter books on my Kindle but haven't had a chance to read them yet. Michael Moorcock also had a series of pulpy fiction set on Mars, although the hero's name escapes me at the moment.

A-ha. It was Michael Kane. Don't think it would have fared any better at the box office, though.

 

[Harry Leg]

I liked the movie. But I'm also a fan of the Edgar Rice Burroughs novels.
It wasnt received very well domestically although it was very successful in Russia, setting box office records.

In 1931, there were plans to make a feature length animated movie based on the novel. The studio decided not to go ahead with the project although if they had, it could have preceded Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and become the first American feature-length animated film.

The character of John Carter has appeared in various media since his 1912 debut in a magazine serial. The 2012 Disney-made feature film John Carter marks the centenary of the character's first appearance which I think is kinda cool.

 

[TxRad]

If I'm not mistaken, at the first of the movie it is explained that the mars in the the movie is in another solar system or it may have even been another universe.

It was better than I expected it to be but I saw it on Direct TV when they aired it and not the movie theater.

 

[lovecraft68]

For what it was it was a good movie. I caught it at one of the bargain theaters for $2.99 I thought it was fun.

The ending kind of sucked though.

To me it viewed more along the lines of the 1970's Marvel Comics series than the books.