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[Angry Fork]

I think people say the western parts look amateurish because there is no lead like a Harrison Ford or Clint Eastwood or something to give persona and bravado to the scenes. There's also no John Williams music and the 80s feel of a edge of your seat adventure. Westerns (or something similar) are always compared to either Spielbergian Indy Jones or Sergio Leone smooth stoic atmospheric ones. If it doesn't match either or it'll be seen as amateurish. At least that's what it seems like.

Oh my. :lol

I was aware that the film would have massive troubles financially but didn't know this...

I heard somewhere that generally movies have to make double the budget in order to be considered a success. This isn't the case for all movies and obviously DVD/Blu Ray etc. come into play later on but I've read that somewhere before. Maybe expendable can enlighten us on what's constituted a success/failure in hollywood?

 

[Jackpot]

Everything I see reminds me of Battlefield Earth.

 

[TheKaeptain]

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/john_carter/

65% with 23 reviews. 6.7 avg...

 

[SRG01]

A talk by Andrew Stanton, for those interested: http://www.ted.com/talks/andrew_stanton_the_clues_to_a_great_story.html

 

[overcast]

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/john_carter/

65% with 23 reviews. 6.7 avg...

Very bad sign.

This movie definitely has more hype about it being a bomb than for the actual movie.

 

[TheKaeptain]

Some of the better reviews aren't talking about anything like acting or story...

 

[orion434]

Are those moons supposed to be Deimos & Phobos?

 

[Escape Goat]

I hope John Carter fights QUEEN DOPPLEPOPALIS.

 

[TheKaeptain]

http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117947193?refcatid=31

Holy shit at this review.

Burroughs provided scant backstory for Carter, a perfectly fine strategy for a character who will ultimately be defined by his actions (see Sergio Leone's "The Man With No Name" trilogy). But the filmmakers seem to think Carter should be haunted by a dark personal tragedy he will later need to overcome on Mars, supplying flashbacks nearly identical to scenes from last summer's "Cowboys and Aliens."

Of course, working from such widely influential source material poses an impossible challenge: How to make elements that have since inspired some of the greatest science-fiction storytellers seem fresh? In places, the film seems to be borrowing directly from George Lucas and Steven Spielberg, when the truth is, neither "Star Wars" nor Indiana Jones would exist had Burroughs not come before.

Still, where those filmmakers understood how to make their movies iconic, Stanton is at a loss. He's been given the resources to create an expansive, expensive world, but not the training to direct live-action performances. Bare of chest and fair of feature, Kitsch doesn't have the charisma to carry a project of this scale.

Read the rest.

 

[Solo]

Looks like Stanton and Bird BOTH need to go back to animation.

 

[WillyFive]

Looks like Stanton and Bird BOTH need to go back to animation.

Didn't Bird do great with Mission Impossible?

 

[Blader]

Looks like Stanton and Bird BOTH need to go back to animation.

Ghost Protocol was pretty damn fun, and it's shortcomings certainly weren't from Bird's direction.

 

[Angry Fork]

This sucks for any future sci-fi films that need big budgets =( Unless you're already acclaimed like Cameron, Ridley Scott etc.

My dream of a 150 mil R rated Bioshock written/directed by someone great who respects the source material will never come to pass.

 

[Solo]

Didn't Bird do great with Mission Impossible?

Movie did well financially. I wasn't impressed with his direction though.

 

[Count Dookkake]

This sucks for any future sci-fi films that need big budgets =( Unless you're already acclaimed like Cameron, Ridley Scott etc.

My dream of a 150 mil R rated Bioshock written/directed by someone great who respects the source material will never come to pass.

Every fan of R-rated summer fare has to turn out for Riddick 3 on opening day.

 

[sparky2112]

So I watched the first 10 minutes, and I'm thinking to myself: Stanton AND Chabon and THIS is all they can come up with? The fact that even one person thought that the first 10 minutes could get butts in seats is just beyond delusional.

And, hey, I'm a guy that liked Sucker Punch, so it's not like I make a habit of bagging on movies...

 

[TheKaeptain]

Looks like Stanton and Bird BOTH need to go back to animation.

At least Bird showed the ability to director actual people. GP's short comings were hardly his fault. From the sounds of it Wall-E guy can't director live-action for shit.

 

[overcast]

This sucks for any future sci-fi films that need big budgets =( Unless you're already acclaimed like Cameron, Ridley Scott etc.

My dream of a 150 mil R rated Bioshock written/directed by someone great who respects the source material will never come to pass.

Yeah, it's pretty depressing. This movie just looks bad, completely unappealing in every way.

 

[bud]

oops.

 

[JdFoX187]

This sucks for any future sci-fi films that need big budgets =( Unless you're already acclaimed like Cameron, Ridley Scott etc.

My dream of a 150 mil R rated Bioshock written/directed by someone great who respects the source material will never come to pass.

I think Prince of Persia dented the prospects of a Bioshock film more than John Carter ever could. Also from Disney. Though, I really doubt we're ever going to see a studio invest $150 million into an R rated film anytime soon.

As much as I want John Carter to do well, it looks like everything is going against it. Not to mention the movie itself looks more and more uninspired. I was really hoping they would do something unique with the setting and really make it alien and interesting. The producers could have really done some really interesting set work to make the film look like it doesn't take place in the American southwest. Though, I also think adapting John Carter of Mars was just a bad idea all the way around. Its concepts are a little too outdated and anyone that knows little or nothing about the source material is going to say it's a ripoff of Avatar or something like that. It's a shame, but it's true. This was just a bad idea by Disney. I'd love to be proven wrong though.

 

[JGS]

Looks like Stanton and Bird BOTH need to go back to animation.

GHOST PROTOCOBOMBA ?

 

[FortunateSon]

Aren't people simply bagging on this movie just for the sake of it? The "in" thing to do now with John Carter.

I understand people that have legitimate reasons to dislike the movie; now, it feels like people are just going with the flow of the dislike of said movie. The general public haven't even seen the trailer and they are just shitting on the movie going by the reactions of others in this thread or what the general census is of the movie at the moment. So if in some miracle, the movie doesn't bomb and is actually good, the very same citizens that disliked this movie based off other peoples opinions / reactions will suddenly like it too.

And this happens way too often to a lot of movies.

I'm not the person to talk as I have a very small interest in seeing this movie.

 

[Expendable.]

Looks like Stanton and Bird BOTH need to go back to animation.

GHOTOCOL was a massive success and so well directed. I welcome him to more live-action!

 

[RobotMafia]

Some of the better reviews aren't talking about anything like acting or story...

Having a shit story with shit acting didnt hurt Avatar!

 

[jett]

So this movie has constants flashbacks to Earth scenes after Carter arrives to Mars?


...why

 

[Blader]

So this movie has constants flashbacks to Earth scenes after Carter arrives to Mars?


...why

So audiences don't get alienated by having too much of the movie happen on Mars

Or probably some stupid bullshit like that.

 

[ZackieChan]

I heard somewhere that generally movies have to make double the budget in order to be considered a success. This isn't the case for all movies and obviously DVD/Blu Ray etc. come into play later on but I've read that somewhere before. Maybe expendable can enlighten us on what's constituted a success/failure in hollywood?

From what I know of film financing from Entertainment Law class, the studio gets about 50% of box office revenue, plus 80% or so of home video (depending on royalty rate, but I think this is a standard amount), and a percentage of television sales (I think it's around 30%). This is why so many movies only make their money back in home video. The number you hear about Box Office receipts is cut in half off the top.

 

[SCULLIBUNDO]

Seeing this later this afternoon.

 

[Expendable.]

Seeing this later this afternoon.

Me too! (make that 1.5 hours)

 

[Dan]

I don't like the sound of flashbacks. It should just be on Mars after the opening.

I'll be seeing it no matter what on Saturday.

 

[SCULLIBUNDO]

Me too! (make that 1.5 hours)

You'll be seeing it before me. 8.5 hours till I see it.

 

[SUPREME1]

One of only a few movies I'll actually go watch in theaters this year.

 

[Snaku]

So this movie has constants flashbacks to Earth scenes after Carter arrives to Mars?


...why

Because Disney didn't learn a fucking thing from Avatar.

 

[bengraven]

Harry was doing a screening here in Austin and I missed the post apparently. I imagine it'll be pretty great since he is so obsessed with the source material and tried to make the movie before with Rodriguez.

I remember reading his autobiography and there's a section where he talks about his top 10 dream movies. This was number 1 or 2 (the "dark Tarzan" being the other one).

It was the first time I really had heard of the series and I was so excited just reading it to see what the movie is about.

Hell, half the reason I feel any hype about this at all is thanks to that little blurb in Harry's book.

The other half is because I feel bad for the crew involved that this is being sent to die.

 

[TheKaeptain]

If I didn't have a final this week I would be going to see this tonight.

 

[bengraven]

I thought maybe BSG and Avatar and the hype for Prometheus (which seems to be just from online movie fans who understand that it's an Alien prequel) would help the space opera genre return, but I have a feeling this is going to help kill it.

What the fuck are all these fancy special effects innovations for, if not for huge space battles and etc.

 

[TheKaeptain]

For CG buildings in David Fincher movies.

 

[Expendable.]

I'm very conflicted on this one. There are big ideas at play but executed with such mediocrity. The magic and directorial eye Brad Bird carried over to live-action with Ghotocol is mostly non-existent for his Pixar brethren with John Carter. I was with it for about the first hour and the first big action scene was fun but the rest had me scratching me head, wondering how the hell this was made. There are a few moments where I mean that in the best way possible, but it is sadly mostly the worst. The story isn't so much confusing as it feels like they are saying a million things with only a few actual things sticking. There is a solid hour where there is no action, which wouldn't be a bad thing, but I couldn't care less for any character. Taylor Kitsch is so bad you'll be wishing for Sam Worthington. I admire some of the sheer spectacle, but only in certain shots since there is rarely a sequence that feels strung together with any thought behind it. I'd highly advise skipping this one, even though there are a few moments of magic.

C-

 

[ZackieChan]

Going to the Ain't It Cool News screening in LA tomorrow night. I'm excited, no matter what I hear. I dug the book, and the cast is great.

 

[Discotheque]

So basically both these clowns should go back to making cartoons. Because MI4 was pretty silly overall too imo.

 

[VeryGooster]

Taylor Kitsch is so bad you'll be wishing for Sam Worthington.

The funny thing is I kind of want to see this but I think most of it is coming off watching the amazing Friday Night Lights but if I step back I'd have probably confused this with Wrath of the Titans or something. I DLed the book from Amazon so I'll at least give that a read.

I got an email from Disney about buying an eligible movie and get a free admission or something. I still need TRON on Blu-ray...

 

[Dead Man]

Having a shit story with shit acting didnt hurt Avatar!

Hurt my interest in watching it, which is I all I really care about, funnily enough.

 

[Discotheque]

Hurt my interest in watching it, which is I all I really care about, funnily enough.

You haven't seen it yet? It's very by the numbers and dry story and character-wise but it's a spectacle.

 

[SCULLIBUNDO]

So basically both these clowns should go back to making cartoons. Because MI4 was pretty silly overall too imo.

The difference is that MI4's silliness came from the script which Bird had no hand in. Stanton was all over John Carter.

 

[Discotheque]

True, also I think Giachinno thought he was composing for Incredibles 2 when he did MI4. It didn't feel right for the film.

Too bad for Stanton, unlike you I really liked his Pixar efforts. Oh well, no love lost. As long as these dudes go back to cartoons at some point I'm fine.

 

[Dead Man]

You haven't seen it yet? It's very by the numbers and dry story and character-wise but it's a spectacle.

It's on the list, but never seem to get near the top

 

[JdFoX187]

I'm very conflicted on this one. There are big ideas at play but executed with such mediocrity. The magic and directorial eye Brad Bird carried over to live-action with Ghotocol is mostly non-existent for his Pixar brethren with John Carter. I was with it for about the first hour and the first big action scene was fun but the rest had me scratching me head, wondering how the hell this was made. There are a few moments where I mean that in the best way possible, but it is sadly mostly the worst. The story isn't so much confusing as it feels like they are saying a million things with only a few actual things sticking. There is a solid hour where there is no action, which wouldn't be a bad thing, but I couldn't care less for any character. Taylor Kitsch is so bad you'll be wishing for Sam Worthington. I admire some of the sheer spectacle, but only in certain shots since there is rarely a sequence that feels strung together with any thought behind it. I'd highly advise skipping this one, even though there are a few moments of magic.

C-

I'm curious, have you read A Princess of Mars, which this is based on? A lot of the lore of John Carter comes from the later books that expands upon the universe and why things are happening. Plus the ending isn't very suitable for a blockbuster like this. So I'm curious if they stuck more toward the book, or if they just used it as an overall basis. Because a lot of stuff happening in the trailers I don't recognize. It seems, from what I've seen thus far, they really went with a half-assed approach of trying to remain faithful to the book, but adapting it to a modern audience and falling somewhere in between.

Though part of me still hopes that this will be a similar situation to TRON Legacy where a lot of people hated it, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

 

[Dead]

Kitsch looks and sounds absolutely dreadful in every released second of the film. Expendables comment isn't surprising in the least.

Between this and Battleship...lol

Worthington may be shit in stuff like Clash or whatever, but he was more than serviceable in Avatar, it never felt like he couldn't keep up, and had bouts of actual good acting (and a few great moments too, but they were cut from the film). Kitsch actively looks unconvincing in this movie.

 

[SCULLIBUNDO]

Leaving in an hour to see this.

 

[Expendable.]

The difference is that MI4's silliness came from the script which Bird had no hand in. Stanton was all over John Carter.

One gets the strong feeling that Stanton needs to go back to animation after this one, with not having complete control over the story he's telling in live-action. I'd gladly see Brad Bird handle another live-action film.

I'm curious, have you read A Princess of Mars, which this is based on? A lot of the lore of John Carter comes from the later books that expands upon the universe and why things are happening. Plus the ending isn't very suitable for a blockbuster like this. So I'm curious if they stuck more toward the book, or if they just used it as an overall basis. Because a lot of stuff happening in the trailers I don't recognize. It seems, from what I've seen thus far, they really went with a half-assed approach of trying to remain faithful to the book, but adapting it to a modern audience and falling somewhere in between.

Though part of me still hopes that this will be a similar situation to TRON Legacy where a lot of people hated it, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Nope, haven't read any of the books. If they tried adapting it to a modern audience, I think they'll failed. I'd be shocked if this one gets positive word-of-mouth. And I really disliked Tron: Legacy, so you may dig it.