 January 5, 2012 - 4:43pm | I'm thinking that someone from Disney must have visited my SF site recently; specifically the artwork of Barsoomian aliens! "John Carter" coming to a theatre near you soon! :) My SF website izz: http://ragnarr.webs.com |
 January 5, 2012 - 6:29pm | Saw the preview while taking the kids to the theater the day after Christmas. Looks awesome. Can't wait to see it. As a young teen I read the Mars series and really enjoyed it, what 13 year old wouldn't enjoy action packed adventure with beautiful naked women? Sadly the series is not rich in characterization and most characters are fairly flat. You eventually tire of it. I dont expect that John Carter will get nominations for acting but I'm sure the spectacle and action will be or should be very cool. BTW I just reread the Princess of Mars on my smart phone when I got it in 2011, you can get a free electronic at the Gutenberg project: http://www.gutenberg.org/ I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
 January 5, 2012 - 8:27pm | Have to agree with you Jed. I read about six of the books earlier this year. The background and scenery is really good but the characters and plots are not what you might call stunning or gripping. Still one movie should be good to kill an afternoon with. Crossposting again. How did John Carter get to Mars? And you thought my acidic fuel was a bad mode of transport. Sounds like a great job but where did you say we had to go? |
January 5, 2012 - 8:44pm | How did John Carter get to Mars? And you thought my acidic fuel was a bad mode of transport. The crazy Apache shaman woman was operating an interplanetary Bap Bin in the cave above the village, thats how he got to Mars the first time. Second time at the end of a Princess of Mars he was intured in a Mausoleum built to his specifications, so even though he doesn't state it in the book its obvious that he had learn about interplanetary bap bins while on Mars and had the mausoleum set up to teleport him back after faking his death.  I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
January 6, 2012 - 4:38am | Yes I did read the books. Just goes to show that there are sometimes the most unreasonable explanations for why things happen but are forgiven or overlooked if the rest of the story is good. Going back a bit the most unreasonable explanation for something I remember is in the TV series War of the Worlds (2 seasons back in the 80s). The aliens had invaded in 1954 just like in the movie BUT after the world had rebuilt itself everyone just forgot they had ever done so. Some kind of mass delusion. The virus had not killed them they were just comatose for 30 years and the government didn't burn them just locked them in steel drums which looked alot like the steel drums brain eating zombies were locked in. Maybe there was a sale. Sounds like a great job but where did you say we had to go? |
 January 6, 2012 - 11:55am | That wasn't "War of the Worlds". That was "Tripods". They didn't make any attempt to represent the story. All the same, I loved it. View my profile for a list of articles I have written, am writing, will write. "It's yo' mama!" —Wicket W. Warrick, Star Wars Ep. VI: Return of the Jedi "That guy's wise." —Logray, Star Wars Ep.VI: Return of the Jedi Do You Wanna Date My Avatar? - Felicia Day (The Guild) |
March 17, 2012 - 10:15pm | OK time to resurrect this thread: I saw the movie. Having just reread the book last year I thought the movie was a pretty good adaption. I was expecting it to be different but overall it did follow the original quite well and yet many of the changes were good and created greater threat and scope for the adventure. Plus the CGI was good stuff for the various creatures- and they introduce great fun with a joke base on how John Carter introduced himself to Tar Tarkus. I could pick it apart but overall I rather liked it. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
 March 18, 2012 - 1:20am | I saw John Carter about a week ago and I thought it was quite good. Now I did like Avatar better not because the story was better just because it was very colorful and I humbly thought the CGI was better. Now the problem with John Carter is the problem with Water World. A singular color palette for the background makes the imagery difficult not grow tired of. What I am so amazed at is the reports of the turn out being so utterly dismal at the box office. I know numbers dont lie but here is another truth, I went to a night time showing at the premium 11.00 prime time rate and the theare was practically standing room only. So easily over 350 people. I think I would have liked a different actor for John Carter, though the one they picked wasn't that bad. A lot of people who are outside of the Sci-Fi community also did not get the whole retro-Sci fi feel. For me it was like watching a classic episode of old time flash gordon only in crystal clear full color HD. It was intended to be a little over-the-top and mello-dramatic. Now if the critics want dismal they should really check out the earlier attempts to bring the story to the small screen with the Princess of Mars and John Carter. They were absolutely awful. I watched them on streaming and had to turn it off after only twenty minutes when I found myself growing dumber by the moment being exposed to the alien brain drain. My review: See It! May not be worth crowds and $12.00 admission but it certainly is worth a matinee show or something before the prime time movie mayhem slot. I enjoyed this movie and recommend it. |
 March 18, 2012 - 3:04am | I plan on seeing this tomorrow. Err today. Man these maintenance run long. So tired. |
March 18, 2012 - 4:43am | What the movie has that the book does not is deeper and more complex character motivations which was refreshing. In some ways this makes this a different story but they still preserved the essential plot of the book with these deeper and more complex motivations ringing true and make sense in how they drove the story. I also liked the fact that none of the gushing about Dejah being the most beautiful woman alive and "incomparable" was present in the movie. Instead they suggested he incomparableness by covering the faces of 95% of the women throughout the movie, so that you effectively had no other female face for comparison- slick move on the directors part. I vote see of. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
 March 20, 2012 - 11:36am | John Carter rocks! Easily the best movie I've seen so far this year. The acting isn't Oscar-worthy, the story basic and the characters are flat, but it was awesome. Almost ike seeing Star Wars for the first time. It's the spectacle. Very fun movie; I wish the numbers were better so we could see more. Long live the Frontier! |
March 20, 2012 - 12:18pm | Sorry to say this gang but if you want to see John Carter see it soon it won't be around long. http://movies.yahoo.com/news/john-carter-loss-expected-200m-205152656.html Yes a $200,000,000 loss. What is really bad is that Disney knew the movie was bad and still released it. Think I will catch The Hunger Games next week and get John Carter on DVD. The DVD usually has the extras to make up for what the movie lacked. Sounds like a great job but where did you say we had to go? |
March 20, 2012 - 4:23pm | Sorry to say this gang but if you want to see John Carter see it soon it won't be around long.
http://movies.yahoo.com/news/john-carter-loss-expected-200m-205152656.html Yes a $200,000,000 loss. What is really bad is that Disney knew the movie was bad and still released it. Think I will catch The Hunger Games next week and get John Carter on DVD. The DVD usually has the extras to make up for what the movie lacked. It may not have been your cup of tea, but you have to admit for a "Disney" retro sci-fantasy adventure this wasn't that horrible. I would have liked to have seen a better known actor, Ed Norton or Christian Bale come to mind. However, Bale would have been busy with his Batman commitments when JC came out. It certainly could have been imporved but over all it was good. |
March 21, 2012 - 5:45am | Oh no, I did not say I disliked the movie. It looks wonderful and I am waiting for the DVD release since I seldom go to the theaters. It just seems that between the expected losses and the fact it did not win its box office and with the release of the Hunger Games this weekend it is not looking good for our hero. And looking worse for a sequel. Sounds like a great job but where did you say we had to go? |
