John Carter (of Mars.)
I think this is pretty much spoiler free.
Finally got around to seeing this on DVD last night.
It's a long, long time since I read 'A Princess of Mars' - probably about 40 years - and very little remains in memory, though I wasn't very keen on Burroughs. (Not snobbery. In the same period I read my way through EE Smith, Lovecraft, Hamilton and Howard and have retained fonder memories of all of them.) So I'm not entirely sure about what remains of ERB and what was changed or added.
No doubt if this had been made thirty or so years ago it would have blown everyone away, but then it couldn't have been made then because this is a really CGI heavy movie. A lot of Barsoom is well realised, but the movie can't sell itself as a wonderfully imaginative alien world to people who have seen Avatar
Indeed, it suffers from some of the same faults as Avatar in that that at its heart is an actor who suffers from charisma-vacuum, in this case the inexplicably ubiquitous Taylor Kitsch, particularly when compared to his leading lady (and Lynn Collins is excellent as Dejah Thoris - more of her, please.) Also from the American white man arrives and saves all the natives plot - which, of course, is pretty much the complete ERB schtick. Unfortunately, those societies and the ecology of Barsoom are not half as imaginative or interesting as Avatar and as I consider them the only reason why anyone would bother to watch that film...
Where I'm not sure if the fault lies with ERB or the scriptwriters lies in the characterisation. Motivation is incomprehensible. Carter is at times a Southern gentleman and at others a typical 'barbarian' hero. What he never comes over as is a soldier. Though, as I said, it's a long time since I read the book on which this is based, I seem to recall that being a soldier was important to Carter's success. There are a lot of flashbacks, none of which seem to add any depth, because there's no one on Barsoom for him to take revenge on.
Following what is going on takes effort, but we are not engaged enough with any of the characters except Dejah and a couple of the Tharks to care. What is comprehensible is incredibly old-fashioned. If this is what happens when you make something very close to a book then may I suggest it provides the proof, if any more were needed, that a film is not the same as a book and you need to choose what you retain and what you change with great care to succeed.
Finally, a couple of things. The audience has seen the moon landing footage. If they are educated they know that Barsoom/Mars has heavier gravity than the moon. Armstrong et al were not able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. Therefore Carter should not be able to do so. (Likewise, why is it always assumed that lower gravity will mean less strong muscles on the part of the inhabitants. There is no biochemical restriction on muscle function in lessened gravity, and being able to leap tall buildings in a single bound would be an evolutionary advantage, no?) Then there were the depictions of Phobos and Deimos. I'm pretty sure they aren't going to look round, fellas, because they aren't, you know.
It's not as bad as its reputation may suggest, but it's the wrong film in the wrong time period, with a bad script and wholly miscast. Too much money spent for too little reward, and so badly marketed that, even if it had been terrific, it would not have been a success.
Finally got around to seeing this on DVD last night.
It's a long, long time since I read 'A Princess of Mars' - probably about 40 years - and very little remains in memory, though I wasn't very keen on Burroughs. (Not snobbery. In the same period I read my way through EE Smith, Lovecraft, Hamilton and Howard and have retained fonder memories of all of them.) So I'm not entirely sure about what remains of ERB and what was changed or added.
No doubt if this had been made thirty or so years ago it would have blown everyone away, but then it couldn't have been made then because this is a really CGI heavy movie. A lot of Barsoom is well realised, but the movie can't sell itself as a wonderfully imaginative alien world to people who have seen Avatar
Indeed, it suffers from some of the same faults as Avatar in that that at its heart is an actor who suffers from charisma-vacuum, in this case the inexplicably ubiquitous Taylor Kitsch, particularly when compared to his leading lady (and Lynn Collins is excellent as Dejah Thoris - more of her, please.) Also from the American white man arrives and saves all the natives plot - which, of course, is pretty much the complete ERB schtick. Unfortunately, those societies and the ecology of Barsoom are not half as imaginative or interesting as Avatar and as I consider them the only reason why anyone would bother to watch that film...
Where I'm not sure if the fault lies with ERB or the scriptwriters lies in the characterisation. Motivation is incomprehensible. Carter is at times a Southern gentleman and at others a typical 'barbarian' hero. What he never comes over as is a soldier. Though, as I said, it's a long time since I read the book on which this is based, I seem to recall that being a soldier was important to Carter's success. There are a lot of flashbacks, none of which seem to add any depth, because there's no one on Barsoom for him to take revenge on.
Following what is going on takes effort, but we are not engaged enough with any of the characters except Dejah and a couple of the Tharks to care. What is comprehensible is incredibly old-fashioned. If this is what happens when you make something very close to a book then may I suggest it provides the proof, if any more were needed, that a film is not the same as a book and you need to choose what you retain and what you change with great care to succeed.
Finally, a couple of things. The audience has seen the moon landing footage. If they are educated they know that Barsoom/Mars has heavier gravity than the moon. Armstrong et al were not able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. Therefore Carter should not be able to do so. (Likewise, why is it always assumed that lower gravity will mean less strong muscles on the part of the inhabitants. There is no biochemical restriction on muscle function in lessened gravity, and being able to leap tall buildings in a single bound would be an evolutionary advantage, no?) Then there were the depictions of Phobos and Deimos. I'm pretty sure they aren't going to look round, fellas, because they aren't, you know.
It's not as bad as its reputation may suggest, but it's the wrong film in the wrong time period, with a bad script and wholly miscast. Too much money spent for too little reward, and so badly marketed that, even if it had been terrific, it would not have been a success.