Escape to the Movies: John Carter

[Shjade]

Also, does anyone else find it interesting that this main character gets critizised for being nothing more then a generic "good guy", but Captain America got praised for basically the same thing?

But he's not criticized for being a generic "good guy." He's being criticized (by Bob at least) for being a generic action hero. John Carter is an outright good guy; the movie makes him a guy who has to be convinced to do the right thing. A "good guy" wouldn't need convincing.

 

[JackrabbitSlim]

Sucker Punch is better than

That's at least how interpret it. After all, this is is coming from a critic who hasn't explained exactly how and why The Artist is more gimmicky than Sucker Punch.

"The Artist" is more/worse in terms of gimmickry because it's a gimmick without a point - there's NOTHING going on or being "said" by the gimmick of shooting it as a silent movie other than "Hey look, We made a silent movie ABOUT the end of silent movies! Aren't we clever?"

"Sucker Punch," while it definitely bites off more than it can chew in terms of complexity, aims to use it's various visual/structural gimmicks to MEAN something and to SAY something. In lieu of re-hashing just what those "somethings" seem to be, I'll just link to this: http://www.lunalindsey.com/2011/03/analysis-of-sucker-punch-feminist.html

My empty, pandering genre-worship is superior to your empty, pandering genre-worship! It had, like, a mech, and stuff!

 

[ryo02]

I doubt this film would get done if everyone on Mars was meant to be naked. Then again, I wouldn't be complaining. >.>

wait wait ... does the guy in that book fight a giant alien using a one handed sword wins and takes the giants sword a two handed sword cause its so big? then spares the alien which becomes an ally?.

if so I think Ive read that book although I dont remember the title (a long time ago could be john carter of mars for all I know)

 

[SextusMaximus]

i thought it would be watered down for the mainstream from the trailer, kinda lousey like the POP:SOT movie.

also AC3 is soo unoriginal, how can you be impressed by it? the new engine needs to up the game a lot if its gonna grab me, and give me a chalenge with more stealth and take away all those pointless tack ons like bombs, ect.

Uuuuuuh, what?

Did you just review the game before the ACTUAL trailer (and not the teaser) is out?

Tell me more about how unoriginal it is, and how many other games feature an Assassin in 18th / 19th century America...

 

[pretzil]

Only wearing jewellery would make sense as it would act as a heatsink

 

[octafish]

But Bob what I want to know is: Does Dafoe's Tars Tarka work?

Oh well, maybe one day we will get good films made of Heinlein's Number of the Beast or Glory Road, which borrow heavily from the Barsoom novels.



EDIT: Of course we won't because they are ridiculous stories that are ill suited for filmic adaptation. I just realised people may have taken me seriously. Heaven forfend!

 

[Diane Miller]

I haven't read them in decades, but I loved those books when I was a kid. I was desperately hoping this wouldn't, you know, suck, and it sounds like that wish at least was fulfilled. I'm hoping the back story can be ignored. We'll see.

 

[tobimaro]

I think I'll stick with the books. That just means that I will have to take a trip to my local library soon. (And for the cost of a movie I can get my library card for an entire year.)

 

[Diane Miller]

@octofish - I agree partly - Number of the Beast... would make a terrible movie. Like most of Heinlein's later books, it's WAY too talky. I enjoy that in a book sometimes, but for a movie - no way.

I think Glory Road could be well done, though. Yeah, a lot of talking again, but most of it isn't integral to the plot, and the Quest for the Egg could be a lot of fun. The Igli sequence by itself could be worth the price of admission.

Of course, this leaves me wondering if removing all of the discussion from the books is why none of the movies made from Heinlein's work have been any good - and yes, I'm specifically thinking of Starship Troopers.

 

[Scrustle]

It's kind of rare that Bob actually doesn't like a movie...

Anyway, I kind of guessed the film wouldn't be anything more than a "meh". I don't know why, I think the fact it was a Disney movie had something to do with it.

 

[Aprilgold]

What's that movie(?) that Bob is way more excited than he thought he would be at the end?

Its Assasin's Creed 3. Moviebob has a big love and maybe fetish for America, so this is a special treat to him.

Welp, I guess just buy the books, not the movies.

 

[PunkRex]

Taylor Kitch naked 0_0 OH GAWD, I CAN HEAR THE SQUEEEEEs!!!

Shame about the film not being as good as it should though. From the art ive seen I was expecting something abit more aesthetically appealing, like strange skys and funky set pieces, instead it kind of looks like Prince of Persia... bleh.

 

[ciancon]

Oh look, there's Mark Strong, AGAIN!

 

[Evil Alpaca]

Its funny how John Carter can't fall asleep and wake up on an alien planet because that doesn't make sense but kids can fall through a rabbit hole or a wardrobe to new worlds and the audience doesn't bat an eye. Maybe the series should have changed its label to fantasy.

Part of the problem with the source material like John Carter is that it was the foundation for a lot of hero epics afterwards. Consequently, the plot and characters are going to seem very cliche. If subsequent generations of literature have refined the picture of a hero, then a modern reinterpretation is going to have to be made up to appeal to what the studio thinks the audience wants. Hence, a cliche hero because there is not a lot to work with in the source material.

 

[rddj623]

I agree with you Bob, it could have been better. However it could have been worse. I liked it because though it shirked greatness for good enough, it achieved good enough instead of mediocre or crappy. My 2 cents. And Collins was the best part of this movie just like she (not the character mind you) was the best part of Wolverine.

 

[MB202]

Just came back from seeing John Carter with my dad. He said it wasn't particularly "deep", but it was a good action movie with good effects and such. I guess that's what I thought, too. It may seem cliche at the time, but then again, people seem to eat up all kinds of movies that are just "okay", so I highly recommend it to people who'd like a good 3D experience... Just be prepared to take down a lot of science fiction mumbo jumbo and alien names.

 

[frostay]

Shucks, I too was hoping for "one for the ages".

Bob, you had me hoping there at the beginning, but dashed my hopes with the epic happy face transition to sad face.

 

[w00tage]

Huh. I would have thought that the "Virginia gentleman" aspect of the character would carry all the generic good-guy stuff, making it possible to show what a nineteenth-century person would think about what was happening. Sort of like Dr. Aronnax in 20,000 leagues under the sea. From that perspective, the audience wouldn't need to identify with the character so much as be interested in how the character viewed their situation.
In fact, a lot of John Carter's motivations in the book were driven by his cultural standards - in fact, he decked (and accidentally killed) one of the Tharks because of the Thark's rudeness wasn't something that would be tolerated by any "red-blooded male member of the human race" I think it was phrased. So I think there's a lot there to work with in terms of character study.

But maybe that's the problem - a movie with a lot of special effects maybe doesn't have the ability to focus on characters. Blade Runner and Aliens pulled it off, but I am having trouble thinking of any other high-effects-budget movies made since that has succeeded in making a good "people" story. Aside from Pixar's work, of course

 

[F4LL3N]

I can't wait to watch this movie. It looks great. I'm not expecting anything new or revolutionary. But the fantasy aspect of it looks amazing. Kind of a Star Wars/Final Fantasy mix up; two of my favorite fictional universes.