John Carter of Rigel

[Sarge]

Anybody else seen John Carter yet? It would make a classic TOS style adventure with lots of arena combat, fight music, and torn shirts. Make Barsoom a moon of Rigel and lock up the slave girls!

The movie isn't going to the Academy Awards, it's just a fun popcorn adventure full of little unexplained references to the books. The plot is not a slave to the books, but the spirit is true to the stories of Barsoom. I'm tempted to go back and see it again.

[Tricky]

Yay, another John Carter lover. That makes, uhm 6 so far. lol

Only know a couple of people that saw it, but we all seem to have loved it; not sure what movie the critics are panning. One critic even complained about the hard names; guess he would rather have SW and it's "give bad guys bad sounding names (Darth Maul, Savage Opress) or Stargate with it's "pick a mythological person's name" approach! But I found it to be a great Sci-Fi film, in the tradition of all the great pulp era stories (yeah, the source material is from that era, but I'm sure Micheal Bay coulda glammed it up, if they had given it to him).

I could see John Carter of Rigel being an ENT era story, maybe even a lil bit earlier, with a human explorer stranded on Rigel, freeing people etc.

[Thakowsaizmu]

I saw it. I... think that Disney skimmed the Wikipedia article and then decided to make a movie.

[Sarge]

I saw it. I... think that Disney skimmed the Wikipedia article and then decided to make a movie.

That's funny, my reaction was just the opposite. I saw lots of little things from the books that the movie just gave us glimpses of. Off the top of my head:

The jeddak of Zodanga laid his sword at Dejah's feet when he met her. ERB went into detail on the significance and possible responses of that gesture.

We caught a quick image of a Thark applying salve to the bullet wound on John Carter's butt. The books tell us that Martian healing salves are far superior to any medicines of Earth.

Bullets exploded near John Carter when the Tharks fired at him. Martian firearms use rounds that detonate when they crack open and the explosive "radium" is exposed to light.

Dejah Thoris described the scientific breakthrough as the 9th ray. ERB said Martian flyers were powered by the 8th ray.

I got the impression that the filmmakers loved the books and included as many of those little details as they could, even though there wasn't time to explain everything to those who haven't read the books.

[Phoenix]

Yay, another John Carter lover. That makes, uhm 6 so far. lol

Ah 7 thank you. Just haven't been able to get to the movies lately.

[The Tatterdemalion King]

I saw it. I... think that Disney skimmed the Wikipedia article and then decided to make a movie.

Then why the hell did they call it John Carter instead The Much Cooler Title That Actually Describes The Main Reasons You Want To Watch This Movie, i.e. the Princess and Mars?

[Thakowsaizmu]

Then why the hell did they call it John Carter instead The Much Cooler Title That Actually Describes The Main Reasons You Want To Watch This Movie, i.e. the Princess and Mars?

Well, it was called John Carter of Mars, until Disney decided that the word Mars in the title would clearly put off the female demographic from wanting to see it, because apparently girls don't like Mars. Weird that me and my Girlfriend went to see it I guess.

[Thakowsaizmu]

That's funny, my reaction was just the opposite. I saw lots of little things from the books that the movie just gave us glimpses of. Off the top of my head:

The jeddak of Zodanga laid his sword at Dejah's feet when he met her. ERB went into detail on the significance and possible responses of that gesture.

We caught a quick image of a Thark applying salve to the bullet wound on John Carter's butt. The books tell us that Martian healing salves are far superior to any medicines of Earth.

Bullets exploded near John Carter when the Tharks fired at him. Martian firearms use rounds that detonate when they crack open and the explosive "radium" is exposed to light.

Dejah Thoris described the scientific breakthrough as the 9th ray. ERB said Martian flyers were powered by the 8th ray.

I got the impression that the filmmakers loved the books and included as many of those little details as they could, even though there wasn't time to explain everything to those who haven't read the books.

Why was Dejah's father so adamant that she marry him, when in the books Helium was willing to go to war should Dejah not wish to marry him? She was willing to do it out of duty, and not because her father forced her to. That makes a much stronger character.

Not once did a Thark laugh. And there were ample opportunities for them to.

There was no need to discover the ninth ray, because the Red Martians were already using it to power the atmosphere factory (which I was really looking forward to seeing).

Not only that, there were many pointless reversals in the movie. Such as Sola knowing her father, and Tars not knowing he was. Where did Carter's wife come from? (I am honestly asking, because I don't remember a single mention that he was married). Almost all of the relationships were contrived, and lacked the real meaning behind any of them. It also bothered me that Dejah was some expert swordswoman. I love a strong warrior woman, but Dejah Thoris is not that.

Given that is was nearly two and a half hours, they could have easily stuck to one book, not attempt to mash several in there, plus their own thing, and make a really good movie. Instead we got an action flick with shallow characters who were made to feel deeper by way of introducing things that never happened.

However, the airship battles were pretty cool. And it was nice to see Sarjoka get what was coming to her.

[Sarge]

I agree with most of your points. I'm just saying that I think they did their research first, then they started making changes to the plot.

[Thakowsaizmu]

I was just kind of disappointed in all the changes made. If a story that is going on 100 years olde is good enough to be made into a movie (which it clearly is), then the story is obviously strong enough to hold interest, and therefore I don't think it really needs to be changed. I mean, there were parts I liked, especially Sarjoka's comeuppance, but for the most part it would have been nice for them to have stuck more closely to the story as written.

[Dan Gurden]

Dude! This is Hollywood we are talking about... They cannot even produce a film based around real historical events without adding history altering flourishes that change much of the story, most of which are done without acknowledgement of the real history.

TBH after the standard script-writing and re-writing, and legal process attached to the pre-production of a film these days you should consider yourself lucky that this retained the John Carter moniker until the end and didn't morph into an animated musical about amorphised household appliances...

[K.G. Carlson]

Ah 7 thank you. Just haven't been able to get to the movies lately.

And then there was EIGHT!

[Tricky]

Agree with the points about Hollywood altering the story/sm for the movie.

Of course Dejah HAS to be a scientist/princess/samurai; Hollywood doesn't know how to do a realistic female character. They are either victims, sluts, or a sexy female hybrid of Chuck Norris and Deadpool.

Also, apparently we are not able to believe a guy can be a good guy without him having a tragic backstory. So goodbye classic Pulp Heroics and hello "lost his family, and he wants to be alone". ( we would have also accepted "uncle killed by guy he didnt stop" or "parents killed in alley")

The other story specific stuff does fit into their version of events. I guess.

But don't get me wrong, I liked this movie. Just wonder how much more i would have if they had gone closer to sm.

[somaticon]

I'm a fan of the novels and the film! just think so many Science fiction movies borrowed themes from them including Star Wars. I really enjoyed the film far better in many ways than Avatar (which I also liked) I want to play Space 1889 now

[somaticon]

In the books john Carter is an immortal who has always been in his thirties. Reminds me of Flynn from TOS