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Post by tdenmark on Jul 13, 2017 1:32:19 GMT -6
JCOM was unfairly excoriated. There was a book that went in depth behind the scenes and it seems Disney wasn't all together supportive of the movie because they had Star Wars in their sights and didn't want to rock that boat. As well as some other unfortunate situations with a change in marketing and what not.
As far as the movie goes it is pretty good. Not great, but certainly not as terrible as the critics said. It didn't change the source material any more than any typical adaptation. Though changing the character of John Carter himself was the worst decision in my opinion. Lynn Collins as Dejah Thoris did a terrific job, I was surprised at how much I liked her character. The side story with the Therns as these sort of manipulators of history was brilliant. In the intro I would have stolen one idea from Michael Moorcock's pastiches, that is it wasn't current Mars but ancient Mars. John Carter travelled space and time. Hinting that the ruins may still lie just under the dust today would have added that suspension of disbelief it so desperately needed.
Artistically it was a bit drab I was expecting something more visually creative like Avatar or something.
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Post by ritt on Jul 15, 2017 0:23:04 GMT -6
The most frustrating thing about the release of JC was hearing so many idiots smugly dismiss it as "A rip-off of Star Wars".
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Post by archersix on Jul 20, 2017 18:50:06 GMT -6
or Avatar
Sheesh!
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Post by Porphyre on Jul 23, 2017 11:13:55 GMT -6
I saw the film before I read the novels, so I had no preconceived ideas about what it should have been. I found it to be a "just-OK" movie overall.
My thoughts (probably not worth a penny):
- I found the main actors unconvincing. Taylor Kitsch had no charisma and was too "baby faced" for my taste: I would have preferred someone older and leaner; and the actress playing the part of Dejah Thoris was eminentely forgettable. On the other hand, all the secondary characters were perfect : as a fan of the Rome series , I was delighted to see Julius Ceasar and Mark Anthony reunited again. Mark Strong is a great villain, and even Tars Tarkas was perfect (od course , being voiced by William Dafoe helps; but it's never a good thing when the CGI characters overshine the main protacgonists).
- They gave John Carter the mandatory "reluctant-hero-with-a-tragic-backstory" background... Again. I know this is supposed to make the character more relatable, but it just doesn't work for me: I find this trite and overdone. Hollywood gave the same treatment to Solomon Kane, and even Aragorn in the LotR movies. Meh.
- The whole plot with the Therns as pansystem chessmasters was a move in the good direction (the book Therns are a little pathetic as main antagonists), but ultimately fell a little flat : I never understood what they were up too, and what they were doing on Earth. I imagine that it was supposed to be adressed in a sequel adapting the "Gods of Mars", but since such a sequel will probably never come, the whole thern plot looks like just another Omniscient Council of Vaguenes.
- Concerning the visuals, even if we all know that E.R. Bourroughs largely predates Avatar, Star Wars, or even Flash Gordon, the truth is that Joh Carter as a movie, comes after those films, and the directors just cannot do like they didn't exist, unless falling into the "Sinfeld is unfunny" trope (for the same reason, I'm convinced that the whole "Warhammer Fantasy Battle aesthetics" in Battle of the Five Armies was a very bad move and made one the seminal work of Fantasy litterature look like a cheap rip-off of World of Warcraft). Personnaly, I would have liked best that they had gone for a totally "retro" feeling, with improbable hairdos for the ladies (think "classic" Star Trek-style), zeerust designs for the vehicles, etc.
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Post by Finarvyn on Aug 12, 2017 6:59:40 GMT -6
Watched the John Carter movie again yesterday. Got me thumbing through Warriors of Mars again and I dropped the book I was reading to jump back into A Princess of Mars, which I've read way too many times but still grabs me as an excellent story.
I wish that the new JC RPG was based on D&D and wish that the minis would come pre-painted. And I wish they would hurry up and get it done.
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Post by foxroe on Aug 12, 2017 23:44:16 GMT -6
Yeah, the movie was OK. I enjoyed it (it could have been a lot worse), but the books, of course, are MUCH better. On that note, I ordered this the other day. I know that the stories are freely available as eBooks, but it's nice having all of them together in one dead-tree volume.
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Post by Finarvyn on Aug 13, 2017 4:04:06 GMT -6
On that note, I ordered this the other day. I was looking at that edition myself for much the same reason, but I already own the series in paperback (Michael Whelan covers) and in SFBC hardback (Frazetta line art inside) and couldn't justify buying myself another one. Decent price and good font size, however, so I keep looking at copies at my local B&N.
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18 Spears
BANNED
Yeah ... Spear This Ya' Freak!
Posts: 251
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Post by 18 Spears on Aug 13, 2017 10:16:59 GMT -6
(it could have been a lot worse) yah --- coudl have had pr0n star princess or somthing
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Post by murquhart72 on Aug 13, 2017 15:14:07 GMT -6
I liked the movie (own it too), but had some small issues with it: including the river and White Martians too soon (they should've been in sequels). But mostly I get the impression the producers didn't understand that Fighting-Man is slang for soldier. It doesn't necessarily mean someone that punches everyone/thing in the face anytime their fists are free to do so. The opening scenes especially made him look more like a sociopath thug than the "peace loving" noble characteristics they tried to force onto him later in the film. Having JC punch people before they finished their sentence was "funny" once or twice, but like, seven times in the first 10 minutes? I didn't like that.
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Post by foxroe on Aug 13, 2017 20:14:03 GMT -6
On that note, I ordered this the other day. I was looking at that edition myself for much the same reason, but I already own the series in paperback (Michael Whelan covers) and in SFBC hardback (Frazetta line art inside) and couldn't justify buying myself another one. Decent price and good font size, however, so I keep looking at copies at my local B&N. Yeah, the hardbacks I inherited from my father are starting to molder away... plus I had a coupon.
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