The much hyped Disney flick, John Carter has arrived in theaters!
Transplanted to Mars, a Civil War vet discovers a lush planet inhabited by 12-foot tall barbarians. Finding himself a prisoner of these creatures, he escapes, only to encounter a princess who is in desperate need of a savior.
We want to know what you thought of the movie. Did John Carter do the source material justice, or did your childhood get run through the wringer? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.
17 Comments
I went to the midnight showing and I really enjoyed it — I felt that they did a good job of distilling the source material into a screenplay that can work in Hollywood. There were a few elements I didn’t care for (not enough Tars Tarkas being a true warrior), but overall I enjoyed the movie.
It started out slow with the framing story, but once things got moving on Barsoom I was engrossed.
I thought it was good. A bit rushed at the end, and I was a bit dissapointed with the non ending. I hadn’t read the original books so I didn’t have any preconceptions except what I’ve heard about it recently. I’ll probably see the next one to see how it goes. That is, if there is another one.
the “non ending” is very true to the books — there were like a thousand books.
The bits at the beginning and end of the flick are a bit lame, similar to the Kansas scenes in Wizard Of Oz. Dull looking, compared to the vibrant colors on Barsoom. And in trying to set up a sequels they kinda forgot to end this movie properly.
Except for the fact that they ended the movie exactly like the book, and did set up the sequel. Of course considering they already incorporated the second AND third books in the series into this movie, yeah, they might have some problems figuring out how to get the sequel to work correctly…
Simply put, John Carter Of Mars is good fun. And it looks awesome.
Avatar, through a Star Wars prequels prism. I would recommend it, but don’t expect a modern classic.
For more in depth thoughts…check out my FaceBook… https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cat-Halo-Movies/252936541426409?sk=wall
My 6 year old nephew went to see it (to my surprise since it’s M, although i was asked if it was suitable). I’ll ask him what he thought when he gets home.
I thought he’d like it but he says he found it boring.
There are some serious lulls in action. Similar to the expositional scenes in Episodes 1 and 2. A 6yr old might be a little young to fully enjoy it.
That was my conclusion. He’s just too young to tolerate a proper length live action film that isn’t Scooby Doo.
Had a blast! Took my 25 yr old son, laughed and was thrilled in all the right places. So glad to see ERB finally get some recognition for creating something other than Tarzan. Anybody who cut their teeth reading sci-fi knows the history and the contrbutions ERB brought to the genre. Lord knows writers have been inspired and ripping off from masters like ERB for years and making names for themselves (not that they didn’t deserve their fame). Had a great time! Woola stay! Virginiiiiaaa!
I really liked it. It was fun and very well put together, good actions scenes, very cool visuals and just the right amount of comic relief.
The hero was pretty bland, but Dejah Thoris and Tars Tarkas stole the show, with good character moments and nice acting.
I’d put it on a level with the first Pirates of the Caribbean : very solid, very enjoyable entertainment.
Plus it made me want to read the books, so that’s a plus.
I went to see it on friday and really enjoyed it.
I had never read the books as a kid, so I went with an open mind. Only thing I knew that shouldnt think too much about the trailers… and seemed about right. They dont exactly tell much about the movie.
The movie in my opinion was a fun sci-fi fantasy adventure epic. Apart from the cgi jumps when John Carter first gets to Barsoom, the effects and everything was decent enough.
To be honest, I enjoyed this as a movie much more than Avatar, or the prequel trilogy..
It left me wanting more!
I had a blast. I thought it was a pretty good adaptation. The original books were written as monthly serials with a cliffhanger at every chapter. That needed to be changed to make the movie work. I thought the changes worked. I really liked the portrayal of Dejah Thoris. As my wife pointed out she actually looked old enough to have earned a doctorate. Which of course got me going on how long Barsoomians live, but hey, she knew I was comic/sf bore when she married me. :D.
In a few places the pacing was a bit rough and some plot points just kind of popped up out of nowhere. But they didn’t detract much.
I really liked the portrayal of Sola. I think she was well fleshed out. Tars Tarkus was good, but could have gotten some more time.
I especially liked the scene of the Tharks distributing the babies in the city. I think that really got across the main problem in their culture.
Anyway. I liked it a whole bunch and want to see it again.
I do want to see a sequel. I hope it happens.
The wife and I loved it.
I came out of the cinema buzzing. Really enjoyed it! Hoping against hope that there will be sequels…
I found it slightly boring and I shouldn’t have read Princess of Mars before seeing the movie. Having just read it a week ago it really made all the changes and converging plots of the other books and things stand out negatively. Plus, why change the beginning so much? Why couldn’t it have been his mining partner who was attacked and that’s what caused him to charge into a Sioux encampment and then run up into the cave. The Union soldiers added nothing to the story, except that his captor might have had a meth lab somewhere in the fort.
It was also my first 3D movie since Nightmare on Elm Street 6: Freddy’s Dead, and it sucked. It didn’t add anything, muddied up the screen and it took me half the movie for my eyes to adjust. Maybe my astigmatism prevents me from seeing 3D all that well, I don’t know.
I did like the ending, the original ending is way more vague than the movie version. But was ERB in the movie the kid from the Spy Kids movies? He kinda looks like it. I also have to cut them some slack for some of my issues because some things were just not how I visualized them and that distracted me. I guess I expected the Tharks to look a little less willowy and more like Goro from Mortal Kombat.
The first aerial battle was made up for the movie, the Thark hatchlings should have been closer to 3 feet tall after hatching although much like the green catapiller dog from Evolution and the green dog thing from House II, they were cute.
The Thurns or whatever they were (Sinestro being their leader) weren’t in the first book at all and seemed here mostly as a quick device to propel the story forward faster and faster. Also in the book Dejah’s father refused to consent to his daughter marrying the Jeddak of Zodanga and his people loved him more for it, he seemed cowardly where the book showed him in a different light, keep in mind I understand the greater good and all that.
Damn my reading the book first, it really hindered my enjoyment of this movie. I probably would have enjoyed it way more if I hadn’t read the book. The book is great though.