John Carter of Mars

Nigel_Strange · Post by **Nigel_Strange** » Mon Mar 19, 2012 6:32 am

Today I saw the Disney version of E.R. Burroughs's classic book about a man who travels to Mars.

Overall, I enjoyed it.

However, I did read the books some time ago, and they took...considerable license with the story (by that I mean they pretty much made up their own story).

However, the visuals, characters, landscapes, fauna, technology, are all so close to what I envisioned during reading the book that I must give them credit for presenting on the big screen things that had only been imaginary before. They did an excellent job with that.

I guess you don't go see a sci-fi movie based on a book that you have read in order to see the story, anyway: you want to see how they visualized the world that the book was set in, and so in that it did not disappoint.

It made me feel like a kid again, watching those old Flash Gordon serials (except that I was not old enough to have seen those when they were out)...I guess I have fauxstalgia.

So, I would give it 4/5.

Flash · Post by **Flash** » Mon Mar 19, 2012 1:29 pm

I also read the books when I was young and also about 1 year ago. Ditto on all your comments.

P.S. Librivox.org and gutenberg.org have many Edgar Rice Burroughs audio tapes. since they are in the public domain they are free. A good listen on the way to work and back. Lotsa Tarzan too.

49rTbird · Post by **49rTbird** » Mon Mar 19, 2012 3:59 pm

I am on book 4 of 4 and am looking forward to the movie. I hope the animation is good.

Raynor · Post by **Raynor** » Mon Mar 19, 2012 9:08 pm

From post: 133545, Topic: tid=9108, author=Nigel_Strange wrote:
However, I did read the books some time ago, and they took...considerable license with the story (by that I mean they pretty much made up their own story)..

Kinda like H.G Wells' The Time Machine vs that one with Guy Pearce?

Nigel_Strange · Post by **Nigel_Strange** » Tue Mar 20, 2012 3:19 pm

Oh, ug. Yes.

I think movie witers have a tough time trying to make a story from a book come alive in the screen, but I think they get carried away and either through laziness (they can't make the story work) or through hubris (my story is better than the original) they just make something else.

It would be interesting if they actually did the Time Machine (or War of the Worlds) set in the time and place that the original books were written. I think they would be amazing. The existing movies have been disappointing largely because the original settings were discarded, but those original settings were, and must be, part of the story. If you're going to do the story at all, you must keep the historical context.

Munshine · Post by **Munshine** » Tue Mar 20, 2012 9:30 pm

I saw the trailer and it wasn't very appealing. It's looked like I had already seen this kind of movies. I do understand that the plot comes from Princess of Mars that I never read. But some creatures in Mars ? It doesn't make sense to me now. I'm more in modern realistic Sci Fi and very excited by Ridley Scott's next movie Prometheus.

Anyway John Carter is doing well in France box office and my 70 years-old dad told me that he enjoyed it.

Busch · Post by **Busch** » Wed Mar 21, 2012 2:48 am

Just saw the flik. Yeah. It's a keeper! That is, when it hits DVD or BluRay. Have all the ERB Carter of Mars series in library, as well as Carson of Venus, and the others. Ya know, he actually wrote a western ?

[Edited on 3-21-2012 by Busch]

bjacks · Post by **bjacks** » Wed Apr 04, 2012 8:09 pm

I read the book before I saw the movie and when i saw how the movie went i wasn't very happy about it because a lot of the scenes were not really in the book and they didn't maintain the original story although i do appreciate the workmanship in the visuals and graphics.

49rTbird · Post by **49rTbird** » Wed Apr 04, 2012 8:27 pm

It's kind of like the James Bond books and Movies, the stories never match!:(