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JOHN CARTER (OF MARS!) |OT| (dir. Andrew Stanton)

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Goreomedy

Console Market Analyst
Saw the latest trailer for this on the biggest Imax screen in the US,
new Warren Imax in Moore, OK!
.

The CG looked like Phantom menace, and the 3D is Clash of the Titans bad.

And it was sandwiched in between spots for MIB 3 and The Hobbit, which both looked stunning in comparison.

Complete turnoff for me.
 

I just started reading the first book today (I'm on chapter 8 or 9) and this is the only piece of marketing that I've seen that even comes close to showing what the story is about. This trailer is so much better than anything America got.

They SHOULD be playing up the "THE SCI-FI ADVENTURE THAT STARTED EVERYTHING BROUGHT TO LIFE FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER" angle, IMO, because sadly there aren't many people who know who John Carter is or what importance it has had over modern sci-fi. I mean, the books are 100 years old? Nobody's read that shit!

What a travesty.
 
He's pretty cool in the book, but described as being much more fierce looking and acting. Probably one of the things they had to neuter the hell out of to make it PG (such as everyone wandering around naked).
 
Can't wait! It's been a long time coming, and I'm excited to see their interpretation of the books that I love.

Hopefully more people will seek out the stories for themselves and discover whats great about them
 

Canuck76

Banned
No lie i thought the trailer where he's telling his little alien pet dog thing to GO IT'S TOO DANGEROUS or whatever was a fake geico commercial or something. This had to be a joke. Nope.

Not saying it looks bad just kind of rubbed me in a weird way.
 

Dead Man

Member
I so hope this is going to be good, but the media released so far all look so bad. I don't really trust most reviewers these days, they get wowed by production and effects too easiliy.
 
anyone familiar with the source material, isnt this guy from like..the mid 30's? Disney is clearly trying to make this accessible to younger audiences, but before the comics code, batman was packin pistols and breakin necks. I hope it isnt neutered for a rating.

The books are from the '20s to '40s or so, but the character's supposed to be from the 1860s. And of course, in the books nobody on that planet wears much of anything as far as clothing goes, but they changed that for the movie obviously. So yes, it has been somewhat neutered for rating. I expect more than that, too. For a different example, how many Tarzan movies mention stuff the first book does, like how Tarzan gets his loincloth early in the book when he sneaks up behind a black guy in the jungle, murders him, and takes his?

The reasons for removing the degree of nudity in the Mars books (they really do only wear harnesses and jewelery pretty much) is different from that, but the reasons are comparable.

As for this film, I'm hoping it'll be entertaining, but we'll see. The trailers look okay though probably not amazing.

He's pretty cool in the book, but described as being much more fierce looking and acting. Probably one of the things they had to neuter the hell out of to make it PG (such as everyone wandering around naked).

Even the covers to older printings of the books seem to usually have added more clothes to the characters than the text makes clear they're wearing, to be fair. I guess it's sort of like Conan in reverse?
 
I wish the trailers had given me more reason to get excited for it, I'll probably see it regardless. The "This is our fight!" line or whatever it was seemed just like the "This is our land!" scene in avatar though. To have been following this film for a decent while the trailers let me down somewhat.
 
I've seen the trailer for this every single time I've been to the cinema for the past few months and it always looks terrible. "WE DID NOT CAUSE THIS, BUT THIS VERY NIGHT...WE WILL END IT" is delivered so poorly for something that I assume to be the climax of the film.

And what the fuck is this...
john-carter-01.jpg
 
I saw the trailer for this on the big screen yesterday. Why does it look so goddamn cheap? Where did they spend all that fucking money? The cg looks like compete ass and all you see in the background of most shots is a blue sky. Terribly cinematography in the trailer. I can't possible imagine being sucked in to this world when watching it.
 
You're telling this to a guy who champions Titanic and Avatar? Popularity of a film has no bearing on my liking it or not. Shitty characterization - which is prevalent in both of Stanton's previous films, does. Thus I'm more excited for John Carter because I know the source material.
I'm sorry, explain to me how Finding Nemo has "shitty characterization", especially compared to Tintin.
 

Recon

Banned
IGN Movie podcast was pretty high on this. I hope it is good, decent science fiction/science fantasy is always welcomed.
 

bengraven

Member
I seriously can't fucking wait for this movie. That last trailer alone was better than the entire SW prequel trilogy that was inspired by Princess of Mars.

Also, let me inject, carnally, some Frank Frazetta John Carter/Mars works:


cc681ef5_Princess-of-Mars-Frank-Frazetta.jpeg

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ew_fBAUpn.../s1600/Princess-of-Mars-by-Frank-Frazetta.jpg
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_41h1KEUny...n-Carter-and-the-Savage-Apes-of-Mars-1970.jpg
http://www.comicartfans.com/gallerypiece.asp?piece=492228&gsub=9607 (NSFW)
http://animeonly.org/albums/nauji/fantasy/Frank_Frazetta_(Swords_of_Mars_HD).jpg
 

bengraven

Member
Um regarding that first image...

It's just very skimpy armor. No nipples, just the same kind of thing Janet Jackson wore at the Super Bowl...only covering even more.

When the old white men in the FCC who are so afraid of nipple pasties at the Super Bowl were little boys, they were able to buy that picture on a book cover over the counter. Their parents had few issues.

I'll censor it so we can keep becoming more and more afraid of women's skin.
 

bengraven

Member
Oh I don't personally have a problem but 'skimpy' is putting it mildly. :p

haha, I know, but that's Frank Frazetta. Most of his art skirts the line. But his covers to adventure novels, like the Barsoom books, never expressly showed nudity. Just a loooot of skin.


So are the books still quality reads? I'm kinda interested in checking them out.

They're fantastic adventure novels and are for the most part the very genesis of the space adventure/opera. Everything from Star Wars and Star Trek to Avatar and BSG owes Edgar Rice Burroughs quite a bit.

And yes, they're still very easy to read.
 

bengraven

Member
I noticed that Walmart carries a JOHN CARTER novelization that's actually half the film adaptation and the last half is A Princess of Mars.

I wish my local Walmart could get a Frazetta cover of just the original.

Censoring what I consider the best John Carter work? FOR SHAME.

I know, I just didn't want to upset anyone.

I seriously wish I could just get posters of every single Burroughs work Frazetta ever did. And Robert E. Howard. And pretty much everything else.
 

ascii42

Member
I've seen the trailer for this every single time I've been to the cinema for the past few months and it always looks terrible. "WE DID NOT CAUSE THIS, BUT THIS VERY NIGHT...WE WILL END IT" is delivered so poorly for something that I assume to be the climax of the film.

And what the fuck is this...
john-carter-01.jpg
013.jpg


First thing I thought of.
 
And show any love, effort, or simple interest in the making of this movie? Preposterous!

Why do you think Stanton didn't do any of those things? He's loved the stories since he was kid, and used his imagination to define the look before, I'm assuming, ever seeing Frazetta's art.

And that Frazetta artwork, looks like Tarsem was inspired by it for The Immortals.
 
Can't summon an iota of interest for this.

And that's why you're a horrible person. Have you read the books at least? I keep swaying back and forth whether I want to see it. Mostly want to see it out of curiosity.

This movie looks terrible. I can't believe how much money they spent on it... and I can't believe the reasoning behind the name change. FOR SHAME, DISNEY.

How much was the budget?
 
Wasn't John Lasseter supposed to direct this originally? I remember he was the one that talked Disney into acquiring the rights.

Edit NM. Stanton always wanted to make it:

Stanton, the current director, grew up a massive fan of the stories, and had always wanted to make the movie himself. Once that was mentioned to Pixar's chief John Lasseter, a quick meeting with then-Disney exec Dick Cook led to the studio scooping up the rights to the seemingly impossible-to-make movie.
 

-Plasma Reus-

Service guarantees member status
Stanton should have hired the set and costume design team of Tarsem Singh. And they should have had a long hard look at Frazetta's work.

That alien dog is absolutely designed terribly.
 
First time seeing the trailer in a theater today, and I thought the CG looked much, much better than on tv. I think the 'grittiness' of film makes it look really good.
 

RatskyWatsky

Hunky Nostradamus
That artwork is incredible. Is there some sort of art book that has them all, or are they the covers of the ERB books, or what?
 
That artwork is incredible. Is there some sort of art book that has them all, or are they the covers of the ERB books, or what?

The books have had many different covers over the years, by a variety of artists. Frazetta's work is just one of them, and no, it's not the original; he wasn't drawing in 1917... (or 1912, when the first book was originally serialized)

As I said though, I don't know of any covers with costumes as near-naked as they are in the text. Frazetta is certainly a good artist though, yeah. Somehow those pictures make me think more of Conan than Mars, though... I mean, that stuff's much more metal underwear than harnesses.

For another artist's book covers, these from Michael Whelan are pretty good: http://www.catspawdynamics.com/john-carter-of-mars-covers-by-michael-whelan/ These pics are a bit smaller than actual size (of the covers), but it shows the art off pretty well. I have The Gods of Mars with that cover, it'd be nice to have more.
 
I've seen the trailer for this every single time I've been to the cinema for the past few months and it always looks terrible. "WE DID NOT CAUSE THIS, BUT THIS VERY NIGHT...WE WILL END IT" is delivered so poorly for something that I assume to be the climax of the film.

And what the fuck is this...
john-carter-01.jpg

That's Woola, John's guard dog. He is WAY cooler looking in the book - he's described as having 10 legs, a long body like a centipede, and three rows of fangs/tusks in his mouth. He moves incredibly fast and is a total badass.

As much as I want to like this movie, Disney's rendition of Woola looks fucking dumb.
 
Is there a reason why a random guy from earth can jump 25 feet into the air, from the ground? And do crazy godlike acrobatics? I've only see the trailers... please tell me even if it's a book spoiler haha.
 

raphier

Banned
Is there a reason why a random guy from earth can jump 25 feet into the air, from the ground? And do crazy godlike acrobatics? I've only see the trailers... please tell me even if it's a book spoiler haha.

lesser gravity in mars than on earth makes John stronger there.
 
That's Woola, John's guard dog. He is WAY cooler looking in the book - he's described as having 10 legs, a long body like a centipede, and three rows of fangs/tusks in his mouth. He moves incredibly fast and is a total badass.

As much as I want to like this movie, Disney's rendition of Woola looks fucking dumb.

Gotta sell them cute Woola plush toys.
 
Is there a reason why a random guy from earth can jump 25 feet into the air, from the ground? And do crazy godlike acrobatics? I've only see the trailers... please tell me even if it's a book spoiler haha.

The gravity on Mars is different (less) than that of Earth, so a moderately strong human's muscles are much more than needed for the Martian planet. John Carter can't even walk properly for the first few days he's on Mars in the books because he's so overpowered. The book also goes into the biology of the Martians (they're mostly thick bone) and how they would be crushed under the weight of their own bodies were they to come to Earth.
 

S1kkZ

Member
The gravity on Mars is different (less) than that of Earth, so a moderately strong human's muscles are much more than needed for the Martian planet. John Carter can't even walk properly for the first few days he's on Mars in the books because he's so overpowered. The book also goes into the biology of the Martians (they're mostly thick bone) and how they would be crushed under the weight of their own bodies were they to come to Earth.

but wouldnt his muscles adept to the mars gravity over time? is this explained in the books?
 

duckroll

Member
Why is the marketing for this film all over the place? I'm pretty interested in the movie as it is an adaptation of A Princess of Mars, but goddamn, it's really hard to defend all the claims of JOHN BOMBA and so on just watching how the show is being marketed. Any normal person with no knowledge of the history of the books would think this is some crappy Disney wannabe Avatar/Phantom Menace ripoff.
 

Dead Man

Member
That's Woola, John's guard dog. He is WAY cooler looking in the book - he's described as having 10 legs, a long body like a centipede, and three rows of fangs/tusks in his mouth. He moves incredibly fast and is a total badass.

As much as I want to like this movie, Disney's rendition of Woola looks fucking dumb.

Looks like an arsehole with eyes :/
 
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