Pachterballs
Banned
Great film. I pirated a bluray version about a month ago. I can't seem to erase it from my hard drive until Tuesday when I can purchase it.Good stuff, can't wait.
goodbye
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JOHN CARTER (OF MARS!) |OT| (dir. Andrew Stanton)
- Thread starter SCULLIBUNDO
- Start date
- Status
goodbye
As someone who has not read the book series, I tried to respond to some of your criticisms in bold since I have no idea how to quote multiple quotes in the same post.
Lawrence of Arabia? Those are some lofty expectations for a serialized science fiction adventure story. There are a lot of similarities to Avatar but I guess that is thanks to the subject matter. In some ways I prefer this to Avatar. I like the characters more, and I like the Tharks culture more than the Navi. Tars Tarkas is cooler than any of the Navi elders/leaders etc.
Anticitizen One
Banned
Just saw this movie was almost as disappointing as green lantern. Why couldn't they have made it more faithful to the novel? Way too much extra stuff that convoluted the story and added goofy scenes were unnecessary and not funny at all. The movie also made tars tarkad look like a total pussy and deajah thoris was turned into some science geek who's also a skilled warrior princess a whaat. Andrew Stanton shouldn't be let near a movie ever again.
It's embarassing that this film has both Walt Disney and Steve jobs names attached to it.
It's embarassing that this film has both Walt Disney and Steve jobs names attached to it.
bengraven
Member
Neither of them will ever live with themselves after this.
Synless
Member
Your post got a smile outta me.
Christopher
Member
I think the problem with this movie is it just isn't...fun...? It's quite a bore to watch. I finally convinced my wife to watch it since I got a good deal and purchased it.
Recent bombs from Disney like The Prince of Persia and The Sorcerers Apprentice were overall fun movies.
Recent bombs from Disney like The Prince of Persia and The Sorcerers Apprentice were overall fun movies.
BattleMonkey
Member
Eh, I had lot of fun with it, and enjoyed it far more than either of those movies
Anticitizen One
Banned
Should have been more faithful to the novel rather than trying to modernize it with weird scientific explanations for things and getting Earth involved in the story. Also since when does Woola run like the Flash?
SCULLIBUNDO
Banned
So you didn't actually read the novels, huh?
SCULLIBUNDO
Banned
Enjoy!
elrechazado
Banned
This was sooo much more terrible than I thought it would be, and I had zero expectations
Discotheque
Banned
So wrong ! The movie is good!
I try to tell my real life friends to watch the movie and they all refuse
Good Job Bob
Member
Prepare yourself for dat Woola.
TheChewyWaffles
Member
sucker. Jesus even Prometheus was better than this. I am a huge fan of the books and I've read them all at least a half dozen times (mostly when I was young). Tars Tarkas did not start as a goddamn Jeddak in the books only to get his fucking ass whipped by a pussy usurper. Such bullshit.
If any of you hated Prometheus and thought the franchise was mishandled by someone who should have known better, you should be doubly incensed at this dreck. It could have been a masterpiece.
SCULLIBUNDO
Banned
bengraven
Member
SCULLIBUNDO
Banned
I thought you already started watching it, graven.
Vulcano's assistant
Banned
I watched this movie yesterday, the Tharks were my favorite thing about it, and now they are my favorite aliens in film.
bengraven
Member
I was going to, but I had rented both JC and HP8. Forgive me, it's been literally over half a year since I've rented anything and I needed to catch up. I decided that I needed something I knew I'd like, so I watched HP8 instead.
JC will be tomorrow.
bengraven
Member
Okay, the first 15-20 minutes is really unnecessarily long.
Everything gets much better once they get their asses to Mars.
I'm at the scene right after they kill the weak baby Tharks and Deijah is doing her speech practice. I'll update when I finally finish the movie and give my review.
Edit: oh shit, Julius Caesar just walked in the door followed by Marc Antony.
Everything gets much better once they get their asses to Mars.
I'm at the scene right after they kill the weak baby Tharks and Deijah is doing her speech practice. I'll update when I finally finish the movie and give my review.
Edit: oh shit, Julius Caesar just walked in the door followed by Marc Antony.
bengraven
Member
I have not read the books, though I love old pulp novels and Burroughs is on my shortlist after I've finished Howard and Lovecraft.
Let me begin by saying this film has pacing issues. While the beginning with Burroughs was made a bit less painful after you've seen the film and was a necessary setup for the ending, but could have been cut shorter and more to the point. The cavalry segments were saved by Cranston and I did laugh at the escalating situation his aggression was causing, but it needed cutting as well. And throughout the film there were some scenes that maybe went on for a few minutes too long or not long enough. It felt uneven and I wonder if that's the cause of many people's annoyance with it.
Barsoom felt like a living, breathing world but almost too much so - too realistic. Most of the time it simply looked like Earth - you could have seen Lawrence on camelback in those deserts or some tourists taking pictures on the tops of the canyons. I would have liked a bit more of an alien landscape like in the Frazetta paintings. The fauna of the world was incredible and diverse and entertaining, I wish the flora and landscapes were given that same love. Edit: I understand now that the world is supposed to be dying, devoid of it's great waters and being stripped of it's minerals - but there are several TYPES of deserts in the world they could have used.
But now that we have that out of the way...
This film was beautifully shot. You can tell a Pixar alum was on hand because it actually felt like a slightly poorer edited Pixar film: I mean this as a compliment. The Barsoom segments were nearly all filled with necessary shots and each one was gorgeous, screenshot worthy. The tale was not over-told, the characters got their heroic arcs. It had its dramatic beats. I said the world looked too similar to our own, but I will say I also loved the environments at times - the old ruins, the new cities, the Thurn island.
The acting was full of scene-chewing, but there was heart there - more than I expected. One minute Lynn Collins might be giving a generic charge to battle in the Queen's English, the next she's sharing a conversation in silence, with only eye and body language portraying her side. Tyler Kitsch might play the typical modern action star in the vein of Sam Worthington one minute, but then show an emotion and humor the next that almost felt out of a place were this a lesser action film. Willam Dafoe was pure awesome, he never missed a beat or gave a less than stellar performance - this was my favorite Dafoe in over a decade. I had no idea who played Sola until just now, but if it was a less familiar actor I may have said she was the breakout star of this, but it was Samantha Morton, one of my favorite actresses. Thomas Haden Church though kind of disappeared into his role - whether that's good or not I don't know, but it wasn't until literally the moment before he died that I realized it was Lowell from Wings. Mark Strong was basically playing a Mark Strong character, but he was bringing an A-game Mark Strong so I can't complain - he was suitably menacing. I'll get to others in the comments.
The music is one of my favorite scores of the last decade. Had there been more recognizable beats and leitmotifs I might have put it as one of my favorite for the decade. I'll be relistening to it tomorrow and after, so maybe it will grow on me.
The CGI made me realize where those hundreds of millions went. I think had they used a bit more practical effects in certain shots they could have brought the price down - or maybe took more notes from Lucas. Scenes with the Tharks were almost pure CGI, but when we see just Carter's head and a couple lanky CGI arms blurry in the background I wanted to go "Jesus Disney, learn to take shortcuts to save on the budget - love the consistancy, but it's overused". The CGI of the ships and Tharks looked incredibly nice, though, real at times, making me almost forget I'm watching a CGi actor. The rest not nearly so much, especially the creatures, especially the little Pixar baby Tharks, but I never saw a single bad CGI shot.
And putting the true title at the very end gave me a huge smile.
Put me on the list. Put me at the top with a sword in one hand and a half naked red woman in the other and let them know I fight for JOHN CARTER ofEarthMARS. I'll be there to defend it when people call it out as one of the worst of the year.
PROS (before hoes):
+ Great story, fun and heroic
+ Cinematography (almost want to see this in 3D)
+ hits the right emotional beats, the right action beats, the right beats at the right times
+ Michael Giacchino and the fantastic sound editing
+ The Tharks are awesome; they are ugly, but they're beautiful, too.
+ Rome reunion! Great to see Julius Caesar and Marc Antony side by side again.
+ I take back my worries about Lynn Collins - she was beautiful, sexy, I loved her Deijah and her and Taylor had great chemistry
+ The moment he chooses to fight and goes back to battle the Tharks cut to scenes of him burying his family was incredibly well done and emotional - probably my favorite scene. He's burying his family, he's burying himself under the Tharks, he's throwing the gold-monger out the window and deciding to be reborn as a better person.
CONS:
- occasional edit issue/intro way too long
- locations look way too similar, cuts down on the adventure
- Kantos Kan - why couldn't we have more scenes with him? that scene when he came to be "taken hostage" was fantastic - we should have seen more of him in the film. Saved for the sequel I suppose...
- speaking of Rome vets, Polly Walker was criminally under-used for just a few menacing one lines.
---- fuck MT Carney, Rich Ross; fuck ridiculous studio surveys about the word "Mars"; fuck the terrible Photoshop newbies who made the posters; fuck Disney marketing and fuck everyone at Disney who suffers from anxiety - take five Xanax and the night off and allow Stanton to do JCM2 with none of your bullshit hand-wringing suggestions.
Let me begin by saying this film has pacing issues. While the beginning with Burroughs was made a bit less painful after you've seen the film and was a necessary setup for the ending, but could have been cut shorter and more to the point. The cavalry segments were saved by Cranston and I did laugh at the escalating situation his aggression was causing, but it needed cutting as well. And throughout the film there were some scenes that maybe went on for a few minutes too long or not long enough. It felt uneven and I wonder if that's the cause of many people's annoyance with it.
Barsoom felt like a living, breathing world but almost too much so - too realistic. Most of the time it simply looked like Earth - you could have seen Lawrence on camelback in those deserts or some tourists taking pictures on the tops of the canyons. I would have liked a bit more of an alien landscape like in the Frazetta paintings. The fauna of the world was incredible and diverse and entertaining, I wish the flora and landscapes were given that same love. Edit: I understand now that the world is supposed to be dying, devoid of it's great waters and being stripped of it's minerals - but there are several TYPES of deserts in the world they could have used.
But now that we have that out of the way...
This film was beautifully shot. You can tell a Pixar alum was on hand because it actually felt like a slightly poorer edited Pixar film: I mean this as a compliment. The Barsoom segments were nearly all filled with necessary shots and each one was gorgeous, screenshot worthy. The tale was not over-told, the characters got their heroic arcs. It had its dramatic beats. I said the world looked too similar to our own, but I will say I also loved the environments at times - the old ruins, the new cities, the Thurn island.
The acting was full of scene-chewing, but there was heart there - more than I expected. One minute Lynn Collins might be giving a generic charge to battle in the Queen's English, the next she's sharing a conversation in silence, with only eye and body language portraying her side. Tyler Kitsch might play the typical modern action star in the vein of Sam Worthington one minute, but then show an emotion and humor the next that almost felt out of a place were this a lesser action film. Willam Dafoe was pure awesome, he never missed a beat or gave a less than stellar performance - this was my favorite Dafoe in over a decade. I had no idea who played Sola until just now, but if it was a less familiar actor I may have said she was the breakout star of this, but it was Samantha Morton, one of my favorite actresses. Thomas Haden Church though kind of disappeared into his role - whether that's good or not I don't know, but it wasn't until literally the moment before he died that I realized it was Lowell from Wings. Mark Strong was basically playing a Mark Strong character, but he was bringing an A-game Mark Strong so I can't complain - he was suitably menacing. I'll get to others in the comments.
The music is one of my favorite scores of the last decade. Had there been more recognizable beats and leitmotifs I might have put it as one of my favorite for the decade. I'll be relistening to it tomorrow and after, so maybe it will grow on me.
The CGI made me realize where those hundreds of millions went. I think had they used a bit more practical effects in certain shots they could have brought the price down - or maybe took more notes from Lucas. Scenes with the Tharks were almost pure CGI, but when we see just Carter's head and a couple lanky CGI arms blurry in the background I wanted to go "Jesus Disney, learn to take shortcuts to save on the budget - love the consistancy, but it's overused". The CGI of the ships and Tharks looked incredibly nice, though, real at times, making me almost forget I'm watching a CGi actor. The rest not nearly so much, especially the creatures, especially the little Pixar baby Tharks, but I never saw a single bad CGI shot.
And putting the true title at the very end gave me a huge smile.
Put me on the list. Put me at the top with a sword in one hand and a half naked red woman in the other and let them know I fight for JOHN CARTER of
PROS (before hoes):
+ Great story, fun and heroic
+ Cinematography (almost want to see this in 3D)
+ hits the right emotional beats, the right action beats, the right beats at the right times
+ Michael Giacchino and the fantastic sound editing
+ The Tharks are awesome; they are ugly, but they're beautiful, too.
+ Rome reunion! Great to see Julius Caesar and Marc Antony side by side again.
+ I take back my worries about Lynn Collins - she was beautiful, sexy, I loved her Deijah and her and Taylor had great chemistry
+ The moment he chooses to fight and goes back to battle the Tharks cut to scenes of him burying his family was incredibly well done and emotional - probably my favorite scene. He's burying his family, he's burying himself under the Tharks, he's throwing the gold-monger out the window and deciding to be reborn as a better person.
CONS:
- occasional edit issue/intro way too long
- locations look way too similar, cuts down on the adventure
- Kantos Kan - why couldn't we have more scenes with him? that scene when he came to be "taken hostage" was fantastic - we should have seen more of him in the film. Saved for the sequel I suppose...
- speaking of Rome vets, Polly Walker was criminally under-used for just a few menacing one lines.
---- fuck MT Carney, Rich Ross; fuck ridiculous studio surveys about the word "Mars"; fuck the terrible Photoshop newbies who made the posters; fuck Disney marketing and fuck everyone at Disney who suffers from anxiety - take five Xanax and the night off and allow Stanton to do JCM2 with none of your bullshit hand-wringing suggestions.
SCULLIBUNDO
Banned
I'm glad you enjoyed it, but can't take your review seriously now because you stopped halfway through to post on GAF.
Can't comment on pacing issues when you're stopping the flow of the film yourself.
But again, I'm glad you liked it.
Can't comment on pacing issues when you're stopping the flow of the film yourself.
But again, I'm glad you liked it.
bengraven
Member
I'm glad you enjoyed it, but can't take your review seriously now because you stopped halfway through to post on GAF.
Can't comment on pacing issues when you're stopping the flow of the film yourself.
But again, I'm glad you liked it.
I only stopped 20 minutes in and right as I was actually GETTING INTO it, because my wife came home from work and I had some things to do. Blame me for not having edited my day well, but I still think in my future viewings I'm going to find less issues with the editing regardless.
bengraven
Member
Just posted my review on my Facebook and I'm shocked that my largely diverse group of friends and family also enjoyed it. Everything from film snobs, elitist assholes, people in the film industry, and many many average Americans (bbqs, sports, beer, farmers, that kind of thing) and they all really liked it.
Again, fuck you Disney.
Also, I want to start reading the books but despite what that critic above said, the summaries I've read make Dejah out to be a damsel in distress, and her daughter and granddaughter don't fall far from the family tree. Goddamn thank God that family is rich, because the number of ransoms they would have to deal with...
Again, fuck you Disney.
Also, I want to start reading the books but despite what that critic above said, the summaries I've read make Dejah out to be a damsel in distress, and her daughter and granddaughter don't fall far from the family tree. Goddamn thank God that family is rich, because the number of ransoms they would have to deal with...
SCULLIBUNDO
Banned
If you do read the books, only read the first one. The Gods of Mars and Warlord of Mars follow the same frustrating storyline which boils down to two books of 'I'm sorry, your princess is in another castle!'
Now I'm all sad again. I wish I had kids to share this movie with. Maybe I'll go get some.
bengraven
Member
That's the gist I'm getting. I read the summary of the next book just to see what happens when John got back to Mars, but it's basically like a Sword of Truth book: your true love is 500 miles away, go find her! Ulp, she's another 500 miles away now! Keep going! Oh, you have a kid, btw, go rescue them as well! OH you found your wife...but she's behind a door that can't be opened for another year".
Now I'm all sad again. I wish I had kids to share this movie with. Maybe I'll go get some.
Yeah, as my kid gets older I can't wait to show him more movies like this. He'll be watching this around the same time I introduce him to Episode 4 and Lost Ark, true talk.
Right now he's still too young to get it, BUT I did get him addicted to Nightmare Before Christmas.
Stallion Free
Cock Encumbered
This movie actually does fit quite well with those. Pure pulpy goodness.
Oh yeah, The barsoom books are VERY repetitive in plot structure. But each book typically adds a bit about the world (mainly different colored people) and explores a bit more about religion, technology, or philosophy.
I liked the movie, but think the JC character was too emo for the first half, in the books he is the most alpha male ever! If only a young Bruce Campbell was available.....
While I am sorta glad they moved past the "save the air generator" storyline adding in the river an the therns was a bit too much, I think. Alas, the simple "gotta save the girl" plot line is probably too jaded and simplistic today, hence the "he is really saving the earth" additions.
I liked the movie, but think the JC character was too emo for the first half, in the books he is the most alpha male ever! If only a young Bruce Campbell was available.....
While I am sorta glad they moved past the "save the air generator" storyline adding in the river an the therns was a bit too much, I think. Alas, the simple "gotta save the girl" plot line is probably too jaded and simplistic today, hence the "he is really saving the earth" additions.
bengraven
Member
Yeah, it's a nice trilogy. I'm hoping time tells for this movie.
I'm actually glad they gave him a bit more emotional range, though. I've read a ton of literature from the time period and honestly I'm getting sick of the typical white Christian male who never falters. Yeah, the whole "out for himself" thing has played itself out in modern film and literature, but I think the film did a nice combination of both.
Anticitizen One
Banned
Great film. I pirated a bluray version about a month ago. I can't seem to erase it from my hard drive until Tuesday when I can purchase it.
I thought this was a bannable offense?
The therns and the river are great. In a way it was like discovering a template for an often used plot device of many jrpgs at an archaeological site.
I read the second book before I read the first, and felt that events in the first book were much more epic when described as flashbacks and overall preferred the 2nd book over the first because JC was much more a man on a mission.
I didn't hate the movie but I wish it had gotten more of a Peter Jackson LoTR treatment than it did. I think the original story would have made a great movie and leave room for multiple sequels. I understand the nudity had to go but I don't understand why they felt the other changes were needed.
bengraven
Member
Worst part of this movie failing: I would love to buy a 12 inch Dejah from that company that makes those incredibly detailed movie figures like Dark Knight and Inception. I can't promise I wouldn't be a perv, but it would only be once I swear.
Or a Thark. Can't promise I wouldn't be a perv with him either.
It is, but I think he may have survived these last couple weeks because no one was paying attention.
I guess the mods have given up on John Carter as well.
Speaking of which, I like how she's wearing that Emma Frost like wedding outfit that covered more of her than a typical New Jersey bridezilla and yet she's like "this is a bit too revealing isn't it?"
I could have done without the scientist angle. Not only was the scene she had with the machine that the Thern sabotaged completely unecessary for her character, but also had nothing to do with the plot - I get that it was setting up something for a later movie, but cut it out.
She's already intelligent and a great fighter, throwing in the scientist angle is just trying TOO hard to please a female audience.
Or a Thark. Can't promise I wouldn't be a perv with him either.
It is, but I think he may have survived these last couple weeks because no one was paying attention.
I guess the mods have given up on John Carter as well.
Speaking of which, I like how she's wearing that Emma Frost like wedding outfit that covered more of her than a typical New Jersey bridezilla and yet she's like "this is a bit too revealing isn't it?"
I could have done without the scientist angle. Not only was the scene she had with the machine that the Thern sabotaged completely unecessary for her character, but also had nothing to do with the plot - I get that it was setting up something for a later movie, but cut it out.
She's already intelligent and a great fighter, throwing in the scientist angle is just trying TOO hard to please a female audience.
IIRC, she is a researcher of some sort in the books, but she was performing a geological survey when she was captured and had nothing to do with engineering.
bengraven
Member
Oh okay. Like I said, I only read the wiki summaries and they're quite sparse.
I really need to read these books - I have them on my Kindle but my wife has been bringing my Kindle to work. I knew I should have bought that omnibus of the first three books that has been all over Amazon and even Walmart's shelves.
Expendable.
Member
We failed to go see a mediocre movie? There's much worse box-office-related sins than a tentpole grossing nearly $300 million for a studio that will never be in fear of dying.
SCULLIBUNDO
Banned
yes
no
yeah, that's true.
As far as it being mediocre the majority would have to disagree with you. B+ cinemascore which is basically an exit poll after watching the movie. and an audience rating of 75 means that 3 out of every 4 people either liked it or thought it was great. but yeah you're probably right it's not our failure, more likely it's Dinsey's dismal marketing that was a failure. whether you thought it was mediocre or not and if i thought it was great doesn't make a difference. Audience testing showed that most people enjoyed it, therefore Disney had a great opportunity here to build a franchise and they blew it leaving lots of people hungry for a sequel pissed off.
I finally got around to Netflixing this. I really liked it! 9/10. To keep it short, I thought it was a solid and really appealing sci-fi tent-pole film. I have some specific complaints but I thought it was certainly better than the Star Wars prequels and probably the best sci-fi adventure of this sort in the last 15 years (immeasurably better than Avatar).
I really would have loved if this had become a franchise. I would love to see what else could come out of these characters and this world.
Btw, best production design ever. I am saddened to see that there are no Hot Toys or Sideshow collectibles products based on this.
I will look forward to reading through this thread now to see what everyone else thought.
I really would have loved if this had become a franchise. I would love to see what else could come out of these characters and this world.
Btw, best production design ever. I am saddened to see that there are no Hot Toys or Sideshow collectibles products based on this.
I will look forward to reading through this thread now to see what everyone else thought.
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