John Carter--Should I Be Worried?

[An Ear In The Fireplace]

Pretty cool, but I note that we feel kind of disconnected by the CGI these days--what I connect with more is John Carter himself, doing all his superhuman feats. That's the real selling point for me--John Carter is one of the greatest super-heroes ever created, before there were super-heroes.

[An Ear In The Fireplace]

I've found lots of different clips, but here are two of my favourites:

WARNING--there might be SPOILERS for some people unfamiliar with the books


This one for Japan (I think it's Japan), gives more of the set-up detail in the movie




And this other one has some nice background interviews paired with scenes in the movie (some of which don't appear in other previews I've found)
http://www.netizle.tv/video/43835/john-carter-legacy


I'm getting cautiously excited about this movie. Even if it doesn't live up to all my dreams, at least my dream of seeing this novel come to the big screen has been realized.

[Simbob4000]

I like the new John Carter tv spot, it's like it's saying: Everyone shut up about this looking like Avatar, or whatever, this is based on something much older and the reason they seem similar is because they've been taking from this. Althought they didn't say it was based on a book (I'm guessing because books are for nerds, and this is an action movie they want kids to see), so I can see the commercial confusing some people.

[MadMikeyD]

TheJohnCarterFiles.com, the people responsible for the fan trailer, have a collection of the reviews released so far. Some are borderline, but most are very, very positive.

[An Ear In The Fireplace]

TheJohnCarterFiles.com, the people responsible for the fan trailer, have a collection of the reviews released so far. Some are borderline, but most are very, very positive.

The trailer they have for the Edgar Rice Burroughs documentary sounds promising. Ideally, this would have come out before JC. Better yet, the life of ERB would make a good bio pic.

Also, watching the Italian fan trailer (linked on that site), when it said "A Marzo," I suddenly realized the genius of releasing the movie in March--feel stupid for not getting it before now. So I'm a lot happier with the early release--even though I think it still doesn't bode well for the movie's performance at the box office. And if Disney made more out of the movie being set on Mars, they could have made more out of the month of its release. In all the interviews I'm seeing now, it's no secret that this is a movie on Mars.

[An Ear In The Fireplace]

All our questions will be answered soon. I just wonder what format to see it in.

[Omega Alpha]

So far, reviews have been mixed at best...

[An Ear In The Fireplace]

I'm going radio silent on more reviews until I see the movie.

[SUPERECWFAN1]

According to IMDB , the midnight showings for John Carter was pretty damn soft. In fact the showings only had a $500,000 estimate. Things don't look good for this $250 million dollar movie. It looks like its gonna be an epic sized bomb ahead for Disney.

[Phil Clark]

Don't count it dead yet. Some movies don't do STELLAR box office, but have such staying power that they make their money over a longer time period. Or they actually draw more the second weekend then they did the first. Still and all, let's not scream bomb until at least after the weekend to see how it does with Todays, Saturdays and Sundays takes.

[David Walton]

I hope to see it this weekend. Looks awesome.

[WyldCard4]

Note, spoilers throughout the review/post.

Never read the books (maybe part of one when I was a lot younger, been a while) but I enjoyed it.

1. Excellent special effects. Truly incredible ones. Some of the best I have seen for a movie like this. It really was hard to tell where CGI ended and real stuff began.

2. I actually liked all the characters. Considering it was a Confederate and a Space Love Interest I was surprised, but John Carter himself was competent, interestingly flawed, and understandable while Mars Princess was actually quite likeable and legitimately a driving factor in the plot. There are far worse movies when it comes to character. She really is a beautiful actress, perfect for her role. She clearly was brave in an honest way without being annoying or cocky. She was sincerely intelligent in both technical ways and on her feet. Badass is also the case, though I would clarify it into the more meaningful term competent.

3. The plot is definitely kids movie level, but within that context it is perfectly passable. The bad guys are threatening, most of it makes sense, and there weren't any holes on the surface of it. I could definitely believe that this movie was happened, and nothing made me stand up and want to leave.

4. Yes, Mars Princess wears clothes, though fewer then I expected. She's honestly very hot. Her eyes are amazing and her tattoos are well done. As I mentioned earlier I liked her. I wouldn't call it quite feminist, but there's nothing objectionable to me about her portrayal. She is a Strong Character (Female) not Strong Female (Character) for those who get the distinction. It could have been better, but I really don't think this is a movie to rally feminists to boycotting it.

5. There really is nothing politically objectionable to it in my opinion. The Apaches are in it. There is an Indian War. The official statements are "people are being killed in their homes" and "we started the war." This all strikes me as a historically accurate conflict, though I do not know if any wars at that exact time were like that it seemed like the kind of thing that happened. John Carter is refusing to fight, but this is not political thing, he is recovering from a personal tragedy. It struck me as tastefully handled for the very minor role it all plays in it.

6. I strongly recommend seeing it if you like this kind of thing, and I was horribly sick and recovering from plane flight while I saw it (don't ask). This was a block buster, but one done exactly as well as such things can be done. This is a movie that understands itself and does what it set out to perfectly. Some scenes honestly struck me as genius, though the movie itself did not.

There was a lack of "Chosen One" too, and that might have been why it felt so fresh. John Carter really was not a dime a dozen "hero's journey" character. The Tharks were not my favorite part of the movie, but they were a harsh and interesting culture.

There's something else I forgot to mention, too. This movie is visually stunning in a meaningful way. A lot is handled subtly or through visuals instead of dialog, and the visuals are good. Spoilers:

One scene I absolutely loved was when John launched into battle with the Thark horde to save his friends. This was a great visual already, but then they cut it in with John burying his wife and son back on Earth in flash back. This was incredibly beautiful and sad, explaining very well why John Carter would want to avoid fighting a new war.

Could this movie have been better? I would say yes. I believe that it would have been interesting to get more of a hint of what Dejah Thoris's life was actually like, giving us a bit of a reason to care about Helium. I also would have liked more high ranking Heliumite females shown. Plenty of female warrior foot soldiers were shown however, which made Dejah Thoris's fighting seem far more realistic. However this movie was already quite long, and I wouldn't have wanted to cut anything out, so I understand why we got what we got. I really do not believe that, with the restrictions that Hollywood and Disney have, this movie could have been better, and these restrictions are not always bad things.

If you enjoy low blood adventure movies you should see it. This kind of movie is highly centered on taste, but I think it does what it is supposed to very well.

[An Ear In The Fireplace]

Saw it. Loved it. It's not the movie of my dreams, but it's way above my expectations. I still worry that it won't get a big enough audience to justify its budget. But on a personal level I'm satisfied.

I wasn't able to see it in 3D, so I saw it in 2D. I may see it in 3D at a later date (if it stays in the theatres). I don't know if it was shot in 3D, but I find 3D distracting when you're trying to follow character interaction and that was important for this movie, so I didn't miss having to wear glasses over my glasses for two hours.

The intercut scene mentioned in the review above was indeed one of the most powerful in the movie.

Actually at the beginning I got a Lord of the Rings kind of vibe. The movie was establishing that big canvas for the story. And it might appeal more to the people who are devoted to the books, for that reason, although there are many liberties taken with the actual novel. The movie creates a slightly more politically correct view of the situation on Earth, explains sort of the mechanics of how Carter gets to Mars, and uses the "Gods of Mars" for its plot machinery (which would set up a sequel quite nicely--if there ever is one).

Some things don't make sense if you really think about them. For instance, Edgar Rice Burroughs would have to be about six years old in the time frame that he appears, whereas he's a full grown man. But nobody but me is probably going to think of that. And anyway I liked the small part that ERB played in the movie. There are definite shout-outs to the fanbase.

I also agree with the review above about the timing of the movie. I personally could have done with another 30 minutes, which would have allowed more space for establishing the characters. But at two hours I can see why they had to push so many action scenes together. And it's a wonderful spectacle to look at.

They even kind of justify why the movie had to be called "John Carter" and not "John Carter of Mars"--although you have to wait for the very end to get the point.

Hopefully more people will come out to see the movie, but I can't predict these things. Frankly I have no understanding what people are looking for in movies these days.

[GRANT!]

So far, reviews have been mixed at best...

Lot of the critics I follow seemed to enjoy it (av club, badass digest, village voice).

[SUPERECWFAN1]

Don't count it dead yet. Some movies don't do STELLAR box office, but have such staying power that they make their money over a longer time period. Or they actually draw more the second weekend then they did the first. Still and all, let's not scream bomb until at least after the weekend to see how it does with Todays, Saturdays and Sundays takes.

Which is true ... it could if positive word of mouth for it helps. Also the overseas box office has grew in more power the last decade and has saved some movies. I think its basically what Disney is banking on here. They want the overseas box office to at least crack $200 million. To help it.

Also release date wise the movie has really no competition in the action vein the next few week.

March 16th - 21 Jump Street (comedy)

But that changes come March 23rd. That will see "The Hunger Games" open. Which will throw down the gauntlet at John Carter big time. Then the 30th it will be "Wraith of the Titans". So the movie better do its best these 1st 2 weeks. Because come the 23rd .... the big battle begins.