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I don't see any way to begin a review of "John Carter" without referring to "Through Time and Space With Ferdinand Feghoot." That was a series of little stories that appeared in the magazine Fantasy and Science Fiction from 1956 to 1973 and had a great influence on my development as a critic. In one of the Feghoot adventures, the hero finds himself on Mars and engaged in bloody swordplay. He is sliced in the leg. Then in the other leg. Then an arm is hacked off. "To hell with this," Feghoot exclaims, unholstering his ray gun and vaporizing his enemies.

I may have one or two details wrong, but you understand the point: When superior technology is at hand, it seems absurd for heroes to limit themselves to swords. When airships the size of a city block can float above a battle, why handicap yourself with cavalry charges involving lumbering alien rhinos? When it is possible to teleport yourself from Earth to Mars, why are you considered extraordinary because you can jump really high? http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120307/REV
IEWS/120309985

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Originally posted by ecgordon:
Burrough's Carter simply wished himself to Mars,

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Originally posted by chrisisall:

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Originally posted by ecgordon:
Burrough's Carter simply wished himself to Mars,

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Ummm, WHAT? Where was THAT?



The Mal-like Chrisisall

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Originally posted by chrisisall:

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Originally posted by ecgordon:
Burrough's Carter simply wished himself to Mars,

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Ummm, WHAT? Where was THAT?



The Mal-like Chrisisall

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Originally posted by chrisisall:

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Originally posted by ecgordon:
Burrough's Carter simply wished himself to Mars,

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Ummm, WHAT? Where was THAT?

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Few western wonders are more inspiring than the beauties of an Arizona moonlit landscape; the silvered mountains in the distance, the strange lights and shadows upon hog back and arroyo, and the grotesque details of the stiff, yet beautiful cacti form a picture at once enchanting and inspiring; as though one were catching for the first time a glimpse of some dead and forgotten world, so different is it from the aspect of any other spot upon our earth.

As I stood thus meditating, I turned my gaze from the landscape to the heavens where the myriad stars formed a gorgeous and fitting canopy for the wonders of the earthly scene. My attention was quickly riveted by a large red star close to the distant horizon. As I gazed upon it I felt a spell of overpowering fascination—it was Mars, the god of war, and for me, the fighting man, it had always held the power of irresistible enchantment. As I gazed at it on that far-gone night it seemed to call across the unthinkable void, to lure me to it, to draw me as the lodestone attracts a particle of iron.

My longing was beyond the power of opposition; I closed my eyes, stretched out my arms toward the god of my vocation and felt myself drawn with the suddenness of thought through the trackless immensity of space. There was an instant of extreme cold and utter darkness.

MY ADVENT ON MARS

I opened my eyes upon a strange and weird landscape. I knew that I was on Mars; not once did I question either my sanity or my wakefulness. I was not asleep, no need for pinching here; my inner consciousness told me as plainly that I was upon Mars as your conscious mind tells you that you are upon Earth. You do not question the fact; neither did I.

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Originally posted by ecgordon:
For the average movie-goer not familiar with the book, the trailers will be almost indistinguishable from Wrath of the Titans.

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Originally posted by chrisisall:
Wow, I guess the love just isn't there for this movie...

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Originally posted by ecgordon:
I just don't make the mistake of saying they are great movies just because I enjoy watching them.

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Originally posted by RionaEire:
I thought it was funny Chris.

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Originally posted by RionaEire:
Maybe I should read the book, I did like the movie enough to make the book seem like a cool idea, even if his ascent to Mars was totally weak as shown above. I like it way better if they go to sleep, or get electricuted, or fall off of something in order to get somewhere, some of my favorite girlhood movies are like that, Split Infinity, Young Connecticut Yankee etc.

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It was a long time before I found the moral courage and the physical strength to draw myself up upon one elbow that I might view the havoc that had been done me.

One look was enough. I sank back in an agony of mental and physical anguish—my legs had been blown away from midway between the hips and knees. For some reason I was not bleeding excessively, yet I know that I had lost a great deal of blood and that I was gradually losing enough to put me out of my misery in a short time if I were not soon found; and as I lay there on my back, tortured with pain, I prayed that they would not come in time, for I shrank more from the thought of going maimed through life than I shrank from the thought of death.

Then my eyes suddenly focused upon the bright red eye of Mars and there surged through me a sudden wave of hope. I stretched out my arms towards Mars, I did not seem to question or to doubt for an instant as I prayed to the god of my vocation to reach forth and succor me. I knew that he would do it, my faith was complete, and yet so great was the mental effort that I made to throw off the hideous bonds of my mutilated flesh that I felt a momentary qualm of nausea and then a sharp click as of the snapping of a steel wire, and suddenly I stood naked upon two good legs looking down upon the bloody, distorted thing that had been I. Just for an instant did I stand thus before I turned my eyes aloft again to my star of destiny and with outstretched arms stand there in the cold of that French night—waiting.

Suddenly I felt myself drawn with the speed of thought through the trackless wastes of interplanetary space. There was an instant of extreme cold and utter darkness, then—But the rest is in the manuscript that, with the aid of one greater than either of us, I have found the means to transmit to you with this letter. You and a few others of the chosen will believe in it—for the rest it matters not as yet.

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Originally posted by ecgordon:
http://templetongate.net/johncarter.htm

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Originally posted by ecgordon:
I still don't think it will have much longevity, but it would be nice if it does well enough overseas and on video to justify a sequel.

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Originally posted by chrisisall:
Hmmmmm.. who benefits from the movie's failure...?

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Originally posted by HKCavalier:
See, Pizmo, that's the thing I don't get at all. The movie is good, full of fine actors, classically constructed, all manner of charming characters. Ishtar (which I actually did see in theatres) was terrible in all manner of ways (my quip review: an unintentional Jim Jarmusch movie). JC, here in Seattle, is getting all kinds of good word of mouth. Seems entirely possible that the audience for this movie could grow.

Yes, the internet is the Land of Snark and a Negativity Sink for the Masses, but that's no reason for Disney to get onboard. "Our movie is getting mugged in print--let's join in!" Jeez marie, they could start a viral FB campaign or something. Think out of the gorram box, Disney!

And I'm sorry, they sank some 350 million into this movie, they don't--by any measure of reason--have the luxury not to like it. Because, obviously, they, the suits at Disney, didn't like it. Had absolutely no clue how to market the thing--which boggles the mind! The movie sells itself. (Now, I know, there's a lot of critics who said it was "too complex" and the actor playing JC was "too stoic/wooden," and then, of course, the richly ironic accusation of the piece being "deriviative," but a lot of these perceptions, unfathomably, were actually seeded by the marketing itself!) This has the aroma of Fox/Firefly all over it.

Anyway. Yeah. I will own this movie when it becomes available, no question.

HKCavalier

Hey, hey, hey, don't be mean. We don't have to be mean, because, remember, no matter where you go, there you are.

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The movie had the WORST ad campaign I can remember (hey, at least people got as far as "Buffy in space" with Firefly), where most people I talk to about it say, "I had no idea what that movie was about!" And now, because they did such a shitty job of preselling it they're throwing in the towel? Cut a new trailer! Do something! Anyone know what the they are thinking here???

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Originally posted by HKCavalier:
Okay, this is completely nuts. Just 10 freakin' days into the movie's run, the production company responsible for it, is telling the world: you aren't going to see this movie???

What now, are they gonna pull it? This is unbelievable. The movie had the WORST ad campaign I can remember (hey, at least people got as far as "Buffy in space" with Firefly), where most people I talk to about it say, "I had no idea what that movie was about!" And now, because they did such a shitty job of preselling it they're throwing in the towel? Cut a new trailer! Do something! Anyone know what the they are thinking here???

HKCavalier

Hey, hey, hey, don't be mean. We don't have to be mean, because, remember, no matter where you go, there you are.

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Originally posted by Geezer:

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The movie had the WORST ad campaign I can remember (hey, at least people got as far as "Buffy in space" with Firefly), where most people I talk to about it say, "I had no idea what that movie was about!" And now, because they did such a shitty job of preselling it they're throwing in the towel? Cut a new trailer! Do something! Anyone know what the they are thinking here???

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I know!!

I saw reports that Disney spent $100 million on the promotion for John Carter, but I'm finding that hard to believe. I saw about two commercials on TV, and they were both the "whacking the white apes with a chunk of rock" scene. Looks like the publicity folks just didn't 'get it'.

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Originally posted by ecgordon:
I suppose I missed the memo, but when did Disney acquire the Marvel contract? It used to be with Paramount, right? At least it was for the Iron Man movies, Thor and Captain America.

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Originally posted by HKCavalier:
Here's a fan-made trailer that could still sell the movie.

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Originally posted by HKCavalier:
Here's a fan-made trailer that could still sell the movie.

HKCavalier

Hey, hey, hey, don't be mean. We don't have to be mean, because, remember, no matter where you go, there you are.

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Originally posted by Geezer:
Damn.

When's that movie coming out?

I'd go see that.

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Originally posted by Shinygoodguy:
...it was based upon a set of ERB books from the 30s, so no bias.

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Which brings me to who said this movie was bad?

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Originally posted by ecgordon:
I think the major consensus is that the movie was a victim of a change in management at Disney. The new guy could not let the old guy's project succeed.

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Originally posted by ecgordon:
I have no doubt John Carter will recoup its production budget but it will still be considered a flop.

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