Expendable.
Member
It's a shame that scene was ruined by the needless flashback cuts. Also, he can kill a million guys yet has trouble when a few aliens come to capture him?
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JOHN CARTER (OF MARS!) |OT| (dir. Andrew Stanton)
- Thread starter SCULLIBUNDO
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SCULLIBUNDO
Banned
What? Surely you don't mean the beginning when
he had barely learnt to walk properly and didn't know what he was dealing with?
SpeedingUptoStop
will totally Facebook friend you! *giggle* *LOL*
Flashbacks were kind of crucial, otherwise it woulda just seemed like a mindless massacre. It was a little on the nose, but totally worthwhile mixed with the music.
adamsappel
Member
The flashbacks made that scene. Why do you think them needless? He was giving up everything to fight those Tharks, and those scenes underscored all that he had lost.
I've been reading the past few responses, and I still have no idea what you're talking about.
SpeedingUptoStop
will totally Facebook friend you! *giggle* *LOL*
PTSD = post traumatic stress disorder. When he kind of went suicidal because he didn't want to lose his "wife" again and straight up murdered like 60 Tharks?
Yeah. I figured that's what PTSD stood for. It's crazy though because I STILL have no idea what you're talking about. What's wrong with me?
SpeedingUptoStop
will totally Facebook friend you! *giggle* *LOL*
The hellllll?
Mark Strong sends the distinctly more brutish Tharks after him while they're escaping the River Isis, he tells the Princess to go on, he fights them all by himself, lots of flashbacks cutting to his family,
The Outsider
Member
It's only the best scene in the movie!
SpeedingUptoStop
will totally Facebook friend you! *giggle* *LOL*
Definitely did not expect that shit from the director of friggin' Wall-E & Finding Nemo
It's probably because it wasn't
murder but battle. They had just been shooting at them and he had no idea they were just testing him
It was brutal but he did what he had to imo.
The flashbacks were important but the music conveyed the tragedy way more than Carter did.
Expendable.
Member
They could have done that differently, certainly other ways in film to juxtapose those two conflicts. It didn't have to do it Munich-style. All the flashbacks did was detract from what could have been a memorable action scene. Then again, it seemed like Stanton didn't have all the pieces to make it a strong, continuous sequence.
Nope, later on when he gets captured again.
Nope, later on when he gets captured again.
SCULLIBUNDO
Banned
Didn't they have guns trained on him?
Oh and Munich-style? LOL! I'm imagining John Carter plowing Dejah whilst whipping his hair back and forth over dead Tharks.
I don't think Munich would be the best comparison. I thought the scene was good, anyway. What would have made it stronger is if
the flashbacks came BEFORE the battle. And if he put Dejah on the horse/camel/whatever thing and sent it on its' way without explaining that he had been late once before. The flashbacks explain enough.
The Outsider
Member
I think I mentioned in my initial thoughts of the movie that the scene would have had more impact if we had more background on the flashbacks. I do wonder if that's on the cutting room floor. I could definitely see a lot of Earth stuff being left out of the final cut.
The scene would have been better if they had referenced the tragedy early on and then allowed the flashback. Unless I missed it, they made it a mystery for some reason even though it was assumed something bad happened on Earth to make him not fight for anyone.
EDIT: Beaten
It also would have helped if more anguish/fear/emotional concern for Dejah was shown. If not more the music setting the tone and the actual action, I would have felt nothing
EDIT: Beaten
The Outsider
Member
The 3D isn't offensive or anything. There's nothing really wrong with it, actually, but it just doesn't really add anything to the experience.
Paying the upcharge kind of sucks though. Seeing the movie in 3D is still worth it if you're willing to pay a little extra.
petethepanda
Member
After seeing it in 3D and then seeing ads/trailers again, I really think it will be a better experience in 2D.
The whole world is dead in Wall-E & Finding Nemo's first scene is a mother and a million babies dying.
The guy is a sicko.
SCULLIBUNDO
Banned
There was only one glaring plot hole that I couldn't forgive.
JOHN SHOULD HAVE PLUGGED HIS QUEUE INTO WOOLA AND RIDDEN HIM TO THE RIVER ISS.
I'm guessing I'm the only one that had an issue with Woola. He wasn't that bad through most of the film. But during the scene everyone's talking about
Almost took me out of the scene when that happened, which is a shame.
with Carter slaughtering Tharks left and right and the scenes with him losing his family, there was a strong emotional connection. And then comes the most ridiculous scene in the movie with fucking Woola running around like Speedy fucking Gonzales and tackles a bunch of Tharks on his own
SCULLIBUNDO
Banned
I like you JdFox187, but don't you ever talk shit about Woola again. That Barsoomian mongrel would make literally every movie better with his inclusion. Imagine how much better Million Dollar Baby could have been.
:lol I'm trying to picture that now. It wasn't that Woola was bad. But that one inclusion in that one scene just had me facepalming. It almost seemed as if it was added in to lighten the mood a bit from the obvious death that was happening on-screen.
The Outsider
Member
You just reminded me of this thread for some reason:
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=458606
So much Woola hate. For shame.
SCULLIBUNDO
Banned
SpeedingUptoStop
will totally Facebook friend you! *giggle* *LOL*
My only glaring plot hole is
why the fuck didn't McNulty disintegrated his ass and everybody else when the fight happened at the end? Just pure selfish rage? Why use the sword when he coulda made anything with that hand?
The Outsider
Member
I do have to admit that the thread resulted in some good things, such as the above.
Neuromancer
Member
Haha
I think it was pretty damned obvious long before that scene that
his family was dead. We saw glimpses of them, and they were nowhere to be seen nor ever on his mind when we start with Carter on Earth. And then there's the longing looks at his wedding ring.
PhoncipleBone
Banned
Two movies that surprise people, and both are the first live action forays for Pixar directors. Only difference is that MI4 made lots of money.
Dutch Mafia
Neo Member
petethepanda
Member
Giacchino is awesome
A Thern For The Worse
Get Carter
Gravity Of The Situation
Thark Side Of Barsoom
Carter They Come, Carter They Fall
A Thern Warning
The Second Biggest Apes I've Seen This Month
Thernabout
A Thern For The Worse
Get Carter
Gravity Of The Situation
Thark Side Of Barsoom
Carter They Come, Carter They Fall
A Thern Warning
The Second Biggest Apes I've Seen This Month
Thernabout
It was obvious which is why it didn't need to be hidden until the fight. Cranston's character could have made a side mention of it
("I'm sorry about your family but that's why we need you help with the Apaches...") which would have made the "I won't be late again" line more poignant.
I liked the scene but it was it's own lump and lacked emotional connection to the beginning for me.
The bright side to this imo is that Stanton as a director shouldn't be faulted as much as Stanton the marketer. Keep him out of that dept and it will be nice to see him do both types of features.PhoncipleBone said:
I think PIXAR is going to mss his involvement unless he does go back there (Same with Bird)
Speaking of which, the Brave trailer makes this a must-see for me.
PhoncipleBone
Banned
One bright spot is that the film made $70 Million overseas this weekend. So at least it will recoup something through foreign grosses.
Expendable.
Member
Great article on the many, many problems with John Carter:
Anatomy Of A Flop: 10 Things That Went Wrong With Disney & Andrew Stanton's 'John Carter'
List at the link.
Anatomy Of A Flop: 10 Things That Went Wrong With Disney & Andrew Stanton's 'John Carter'
The first mega-tentpole of the year arrived on Friday, with the release of Disney's "John Carter," the adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs' classic sci-fi pulp hero. The film was the live-action debut of the Oscar-winning director Andrew Stanton, the Pixar veteran who brought the world "Finding Nemo" and "Wall-E," which are among the top rank of Pixar's accomplishments both creatively and financially. But in the weeks and months leading up to release, the talks wasn't of a sure-fire hit, it was of a hugely expensive film that wasn't connecting with prospective audiences. The vultures circled, and as expected, "John Carter" opened to hugely disappointing numbers at the North American box office this weekend -- $30 million in three days, less than the $1 million budgeted "The Devil Inside" managed back in January. Overseas, the numbers were a bit sunnier with $70 million coming in, but all told, the studio is far cry from the $600 million they need to for this to start making a profit.
But numbers aside, for us, this is a story of creative disappointment. Stanton is an enormously talented filmmaker, and he had a top-notch creative team, including Pulitzer Prize-winning literary darling Michael Chabon as screenwriter, and, according to most sources, total creative freedom. And the film isn't a disaster -- it's rather likeable, has some neat moments, and unlike the majority of blockbusters, feels like a true work of passion. But it's also a mess. Which is curious, as Stanton comes from Pixar, a studio which has gained fame, and billions of dollars, by placing story first. Indeed, Stanton gave a TED talk on the importance of storytelling, waxing lyrical on how the form should lead towards a singular goal, a truth, with the ultimate aim of making an audience member care. However, none of that is easily evident in the final product of "John Carter." It's as though when he went into the live-action world, Stanton forgot most of what he'd learned about telling a story on screen.
Perhaps it was closeness to the material -- according to some, Stanton had dreamed of making the film for thirty years, and had a skewed perspective of the character's value, convinced that kids would come flocking at the mere mention of a "Princess of Mars" movie. Or perhaps it's simply that making a good movie is really, really fucking hard. But if you think this piece is bad, damn, you need to read this Brooke Barnes post-mortem/anatomy of a failure on “John Carter” that ran this Sunday in the New York Times when the corpse was barely cold (called tellingly “Ishtar Lands On Mars”. It’s a pretty brutal and damning article that spends a good deal of time throwing Stanton under the bus for being recalcitrant, not listening to Disney execs and generally dismissing any creative feedback/constructive criticism from anyone other than Pixar folks. It’s a fascinating read.
The exact details of what exactly went down between Stanton and Disney we may not ever completely know, but here’s 10 things we felt went completely wrong with “John Carter.” SPOILERS AHEAD.
List at the link.
Anticitizen One
Banned
I guess this proves that giving a director and his team total freedom doesn't mean the movie is going to be great. Sometimes "studio interference" helps create a tighter film.
Exactly
I thought the same thing, and
they suddenly want to be his own personal army after surviving the arena.
They were a different group altogether and there is no love lost between Tharks even within their own tribes.
The book is a bit better explaining their culture but the movie had to make them a bit smarter.
It depends on the director, obviously. WB giving Nolan free reign works well for everyone.
Anticitizen One
Banned
Nolan is a rarity in that he tends not to overindulge and relies more on real world practical effects rather than CGI hooey.
You give a director total creative freedom and you wind up with movies like "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" and "Peter Jackson's King Kong" *shudders*
Stallion Free
Cock Encumbered
Just got back from seeing it with my brother and I must say that I am rather pleased I listened to the generally positivity in this thread rather than the reviews. The source material lays out a really satisfying tale and while there are certainly some negatives (the two main actors, poor green screening), the positives easily outweighed them.
The fight sequence with the flashbacks was incredible. The editing and music really made that scene.
The fight sequence with the flashbacks was incredible. The editing and music really made that scene.
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