John Carter's Mars Isn't As Red As You'd Expect

[Phoenix14]

Oh yeah I read this book a while ago....Wasn't it called the "Princess of Mars" though??

 

[YodaUnleashed]

I'm very interested to see how Andrew Stanton (director of Finding Nemo and WALL-E) has handled a live-action film and whether it will be up to his previous excellent standards. He's certainly experienced in science-fiction worlds so I'm sure visually the film will be a tour de force and he knows how to create interesting and likable characters at least with Pixar's world-best animators, here's hoping he has another success.

 

[Gerhardt]

I first thought it read "John Carpenter's Mars" and thought ALREADY a remake?!

Never read the books, and looks pretty generic from the trailer. But hey, it can't be worse than Tron Legacy, right?

That's what I saw first too... and saw Disney in there too. I was more than a little confused at first.

 

[William Fleming]

Some parts of the trailer seemed to remind me of Disney's Atlantis for some reason especially 0:41. Hopefully it will be good though considering the potential.

 

[Bacaruda]

That trailer made it look really, really, really mediocre. It will most likely be a forgettable film at best.

But I hate trailer in general so I may be wrong(not that I have been so far).

 

[crotchdot]

One of the things that has me nervous is that IMDB lists Sarkoja and Matai Shang, who didn't turn up until the third book

Wikipedia has lead you astray, I just finished the first book and Sarkoja played a small but important and recurring role.

 

[duchaked]

the trailer was pretty beast

tho I couldn't help but keep thinking it was the Prince of Persia
with sci-fi elements attached

 

[samsonguy920]

One of the things that has me nervous is that IMDB lists Sarkoja and Matai Shang, who didn't turn up until the third book (according to Wiki, yes, I had to look it up) which suggests that they're planning on cramming in more than just the first book - which is an awful lot of ground to cover for one movie. Meanwhile, there's no mention at all of Mors Kajack, and the Thark looks like a cross between a Salarian and Jar-Jark Binks.

I am concerned.

Shocks the hell out of me that they are keeping Carter as a 19th century cowboy. That alone gives me a bit of hope. Otherwise I'm willing to give a bit of leeway.
That being said, Dejah Thoris is wearing too much.

One thing to keep in mind, is that not all post-production work is done on a movie come trailer time. We may yet get our red Mars. Those scenes were also whipping by fast enough as if in an effort to cause us to miss those details.

 

[Sodoff]

Psh It wont be no Total Recall. I doubt anyone are as profficient at getting "Deir Ass Tu Marz!" than Arnold himself.

 

[drakythe]

So this got me to start re-reading the books. The first book describes the surface of mars as being covered in a yellow moss-like substance. This probably accounts for why its not so red. And for anyone complaining about the nudity or lack thereof. Really? In our modern cultural climate I don't think the movie could have done that and been taken seriously. So a minor adjustment for the sake of the audience is not only understandable but preferable. The books never focused on the nudity, they only described it as a state of being. It adds no value other than 'cultural' which can be explained in other ways.

I'll reserve judgment for the final movie. The trailer is non-traditional, but I'm looking forward to it.

 

[Sandernista]

I loved the books, can't wait.

 

[mattaui]

The preview looks better than I expected, but of course it's a bit too Disneyfied for the subject matter. Would have been nice to see it get the weird and wonderful treatment it really deserves. I suppose if it gets people to pick up the books and give them a read, it will serve its purpose.

 

[Sviests]

After hearing that Peter Gabriel was in this trailer, it instantly got +5 awesomeness.

 

[Deacon Cole]

I don't like the trailer. The way it's made, it looks more like a boring melodrama about a guy dealing with his wife's drinking problem while the Mars stuff is just a fantasy sequence he uses to escape, which means that all the Mars scenes are already in the trailer, if such were the case.

The source of my above impressions is the Peter Gabriel song. Is Gabriel jealous that Disney got the other lead singer from Genesis an Oscar and now he wants one? Good luck, chubby.

 

[Deacon Cole]

I'm happy with earthy-toned mars, it looks a lot better.

Indeed. Having other planets look as dull and boring as our own justifies all the NASA budget cuts.

 

[Woodsey]

"Lynn Collins"

Seeing it.

Let's hope its rated EB, for exposed boobies.

 

[Xaryn Mar]

I do take issue with your remark about the source material, however. The fact that it's "comically cliched" isn't relevant, or shouldn't be. If you're going to make a John Carter movie, make a John Carter movie. Make it true to the story, a swashbuckling tale of manly men and damsels in distress. Don't fuck around with it. I can put up with a lot, but my real fear is of a strong, empowered, sharp-tongued Dejah Thoris, fighting side-by-side with her man John Carter, proving that even on Mars, sisters are doing it for themselves!

I will weep. Seriously.

I agree. Make the action like the old Robin Hood, pirate and musketeer movies, you know true swashbuckling movies and I would be very happy.

 

[Andy Chalk]

When it comes to fucking around with the source material I think some leeway should be granted to make sure it's a good film that people "get".

Some leeway is fine. I think the LOTR series did a fantastic job and I'm not ashamed to say that the changes made to the Watchmen made it far better, not just as a movie but as a story. It's a fine line and it's hugely subjective, but that doesn't prevent me having certain expectations from this movie, and concerns that it's not going to meet them. My remark about a modern-woman Dejah Thoris probably sums it up best, not because I hold sexist views toward women but because 19th attitudes toward women feature fairly prominently in the book, and I want that in my movie experience.

On a side note - I always interpeted "red" Martians as being "red" from the point of view of a 19th century southern gentleman, i e native Americans. Are you guys telling me I was supposed to think they were actually red?

I always envisioned them the same way, sort of a planet-wide "noble savage" thing. So the non-redness doesn't really bother me - but I do wonder how they're going to handle the First Born.

Wikipedia has lead you astray, I just finished the first book and Sarkoja played a small but important and recurring role.

You are quite correct, sir. I mixed up Sarkoja with Phaidor, Matai Shang's daughter.

 

[gostlyfantom]

"Lynn Collins"

Seeing it.

Let's hope its rated EB, for exposed boobies.

Its disney.... dont hold your breath.

OT: it looks like an alright movie, nothing special.

 

[Johnnyallstar]

Hmmm, As someone said above the red matians are not red in the movie and I must say that they wear way too much clothes (They had no more than a loincloth and jewelry in the books).

Dude, its Disney, whaddaya expect. I read the books a million years ago when I was a wee lad and I loved them. I hope they dont fuggit up too badly.

All my worries in a nutshell.