I'm Back.....Anyway John Carter - for or against?

[whitefire]

Hi all - I've been away for a while...

John Carter - where do you stand? It is all over the radio and papers that it is a flop and thats likely to be the end of the series.

Myself - I think it is a shame - the movie was pretty good, with the screenplay not totally butchering one of my personal favourite series of SF. I thought they did lose some of the opportunities with the trip down the river to introduce some more complexity and a richer tapestry of life on Mars more ancient than the Tharks and Red Martians. Great effects, an interesting set up for follow on movies (if they ever get made now)....

If you've not seen it yet, don't let the bad publicity put you off. It is unashamedly a pulp story, in the best traditions. Think Tarzan on Mars and you won't go far wrong.

I think the biggest issue seems to be that they spent so much money on effects that they have made the film uneconomic. If it really did cost $300m+ then someone somewhere was a nutter. It was always a good bet that you would have got box office receipts of nearly the same $180m+, even if they had spent significantly less cash. Also the marketing of the film was really unclear - was it a romance, was it SF, was it a period drama set on Mars???

[Snakes in the Tiki Lounge]

I've heard that the marketing thing boils down to one issue, at least stateside - The Director was completely convinced that the name John Carter was like Star-Wars, Tarzan, or similar. That it was a big brand with instant and widespread recognition.

Basically, he was convinced that everyone knew all about John Carter of Mars, and so the american adverts simply failed entirely to sell or explain the film in any way.

I've avoided it personally. I will probably watch it on DVD, eventually, but it just looked far too much like a generic summer action blockbuster for me to get exited about it. Essentially, visually at least, it didn't look like it was nearly pulp enough.

[EvilGinger]

The books are worth a read even so but remember its written in a very similar style & at roughly the same time period as Conan.


 ginger

[whitefire]

It is quite good Pulp - and being written in the same vein as Conan is (to me at least) a good thing...

It would be good if someone went and did a radio dramatisation of the books (anyone fancy taking on a project?)

[EvilGinger]

I dident say that was a good or a bad thing but twenties pulp style is not to every ones taste & I agree on the radio serialization as my favorite LOTOR was the 24 part BBC one form the late eighties.

It also makes a truly cracking setting for a RPG & there is a savage worlds supliment which would do that with almost no tweaking called Mars




 Ginger