Toast Jr
Chourico
   
   
     
  
 
Since: 30.1.03
From: Stafford Springs, CT
Since last post: 23 days
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|  #1 Posted on 12.3.12 0930.50 | Instant Rating: 6.84 | I can't be the only one who saw this, can I? Well, if you are looking for a fun popcorn flick, I recommend it. I've been sick and tired of the recent trend of all action movies being gritty and brooding. Not every action hero need to be Kratos (Clash of the Titans, I'm looking at you). John Carter was fun and bright colored with great monsters and aliens. I saw it in 2D, and didn't see any obvious cheesy sight gags. The CG aliens have a nice depth and weight to them that I find lacking in many films.
The acting and plot are serviceable, but thankfully not terrible. Sometimes, I just want the good guy to be the good guy, the bad guy to be the bad guy, and no surprises or plot twists. John Carter was exactly what I expected, and that is a good thing. It had been so long since I'd seen a regular old adventure flick, that it was a welcome throwback. | Promote this thread! |           | Jericholic53
Boerewors
Since: 18.3.03
From: Honolulu, HI
Since last post: 258 days
Last activity: 2 days
| #2 Posted on 13.3.12 0447.15 | Instant Rating: 10.00 | (Mild spoilers below.)
I saw it this past weekend in a true IMAX theater (the ginormous ones) with 3D. The 3D wasn't ever distracting or cheesy.
I liked it as an action film overall. The alien characters were actually probably the most interesting and developed people in the whole movie/on mars. The action is also straightforward, but exciting. And even though it's made by Disney there was a surprising amount of straight up violence/death. The movie did a good job of building up John Carter as a total badass (on Earth and Mars). I thought Civil War Earth John Carter actually had a "Last Crusade" kind of vibe to it, which was cool.
Where it fell short for me (from very good to just all right), was I never really understood the motivations of the uber bad guys (the ones wielding the blue stuff.) At one point John Carter outright asks "why all this manipulation, why not just do it yourself?" and the answer was so vague/convoluted that I can't even recite it here. Also, there's just no real reason given for why we should care about the humans on Mars since they literally show there's nothing there except for 2 cities, and infinite deserts. You could rule all the remaining humans, but then there's the rest of this huge planet which already looks pretty dead. That being said, John Carter's motivations then boil down to: I guess you're just fighting to help the princess not marry some jerk she hates?
Overall I did like the movie, and it *is* better than all the critics harshing on it say. Like Toast Jr I thought it was fun and had enough action to keep me entertained. The aliens were interesting and had more complex group dynamics than the humans. My girlfriend was actually looking forward to seeing this but left less enthralled than me, mostly because of the aforementioned missing/unclear plot points.
Thumbs in the middle, leaning up. If they made a sequel I'd watch it.
(edited by Jericholic53 on 13.3.12 0252)
It says so right here in the wcw handbook! | Peter The Hegemon
Lap cheong
Since: 11.2.03
From: Hackettstown, NJ
Since last post: 21 hours
Last activity: 21 hours
|  #3 Posted on 16.3.12 2329.24 | Instant Rating: 6.69 | Yeah, I too had it in the middling, not bad range.
One question. I saw the film in Singapore, where it had Chinese subtitles. When the blue aliens were speaking (before they magically made Carter understand them) there were subtitles in Chinese, but not in English. Did those scenes have English titles in the States? | Tenken347
Andouille
Since: 27.2.03
From: Parts Unknown
Since last post: 2 days
Last activity: 10 hours
| #4 Posted on 17.3.12 0803.00 | Instant Rating: 5.13 | Originally posted by Peter The Hegemon
Yeah, I too had it in the middling, not bad range.
One question. I saw the film in Singapore, where it had Chinese subtitles. When the blue aliens were speaking (before they magically made Carter understand them) there were subtitles in Chinese, but not in English. Did those scenes have English titles in the States?
Yeah, everything was translated into English. I don't think you really missed much that you couldn't figure out from body language, though. Actually, I think you maybe had an interesting experience, since you were actually seeing the story from the same perspective as John Carter was. | Peter The Hegemon
Lap cheong
Since: 11.2.03
From: Hackettstown, NJ
Since last post: 21 hours
Last activity: 21 hours
| #5 Posted on 17.3.12 2337.27 | Instant Rating: 6.69 | Originally posted by Tenken347
Originally posted by Peter The Hegemon
Yeah, I too had it in the middling, not bad range.
One question. I saw the film in Singapore, where it had Chinese subtitles. When the blue aliens were speaking (before they magically made Carter understand them) there were subtitles in Chinese, but not in English. Did those scenes have English titles in the States?
Yeah, everything was translated into English. I don't think you really missed much that you couldn't figure out from body language, though. Actually, I think you maybe had an interesting experience, since you were actually seeing the story from the same perspective as John Carter was.
That's what I figured. The Lovely Future Mrs. Hegemon reads Chinese well enough that she was able to whisper the important points to me. Thanks. | The King of Keith
Lap cheong
Since: 4.11.02
From: Winchester, VA
Since last post: 54 days
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| #6 Posted on 19.3.12 0940.19 | Instant Rating: 8.47 | My favorite part of the movies was watching Julius Caesar and Mark Antony fight Jimmy McNulty. WHEN HBO DRAMAS COLLIDE!
Am I in Horseville? Because I'm hearing nothing but naysayers! | Llakor
Landjager
Since: 2.1.02
From: Montreal, Quebec, CANADA
Since last post: 45 days
Last activity: 36 days
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|  #7 Posted on 20.3.12 1735.09 | Instant Rating: 8.00 | I liked it a lot.
http://www.soundonsight.org/john-carter-all-of-its-failures-are-the-ambitious-failures-of-a-great-director-trying-to-make-a-great-film/
"Don't Blame CANADA, Blame Yourselves!" | Kevintripod
Andouille
Since: 11.5.03
From: Mount Pleasant, Pa.
Since last post: 6 hours
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| #8 Posted on 21.3.12 2216.56 | Instant Rating: 6.07 | http://insidemovies.ew.com/2012/03/19/john-carter-disney-flop/
Disney will lose $200 million on 'John Carter'
"You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life." - Winston Churchill | Tenken347
Andouille
Since: 27.2.03
From: Parts Unknown
Since last post: 2 days
Last activity: 10 hours
| #9 Posted on 22.3.12 0636.56 | Instant Rating: 5.13 |
Unfortunate, because it really is a fun movie that more people should have seen. At $250 million, they may have spent a bit too much on it, but the idea that they're going to lose $200 million isn't quite true. After it's done in the foreign markets and home video, it probably just about breaks even, but that's still not great when most films make a substantial profit in those areas. | Tribal Prophet
Bierwurst
Since: 9.1.02
From: Winnipeg, MB, Canada
Since last post: 3 days
Last activity: 10 hours
| #10 Posted on 22.3.12 0716.40 | Instant Rating: 6.85 | Originally posted by Tenken347
Unfortunate, because it really is a fun movie that more people should have seen. At $250 million, they may have spent a bit too much on it, but the idea that they're going to lose $200 million isn't quite true. After it's done in the foreign markets and home video, it probably just about breaks even, but that's still not great when most films make a substantial profit in those areas.
The film's at 181 million now, which according to the article means Disney's made about 90 million back so far. The overseas markets are apparently drying up quickly on this movie too.
I'm not sure what the profit margin is with DVD/Bluray sales, but it certainly looks rough for Disney to have to make back 260 million from what's left of the theater market and then the rest from home media.
It's possible, but the foreign market really has to come through for them on this one. Just checking how other Pixar (and similar movies like the Narnia ones) movies do in domestic/foreign, the foreign market seems to finish 1-3 times stronger than the domestic one. They would need this one to finish about 5 (or more) times stronger overseas. | Reverend J Shaft
Pepperoni
Since: 25.6.03
From: Home of The Big House
Since last post: 10 days
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| #11 Posted on 22.3.12 0723.01 | Instant Rating: 3.52 | Originally posted by Tenken347
At $250 million, they may have spent a bit too much on it, but the idea that they're going to lose $200 million isn't quite true. After it's done in the foreign markets and home video, it probably just about breaks even...
I'd say the $200 million loss sounds pretty accurate, actually.
Originally posted by EW article
John Carter, which reportedly cost $250 million to produce and an additional $100 million to market.
Since studios split box-office grosses with theater owners, John Carter reportedly needs to earn at least $600 million worldwide just to break even.
| Cerebus
Knackwurst
Since: 17.11.02
Since last post: 2 days
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| #12 Posted on 22.3.12 0941.45 | Instant Rating: 0.94 | When Sherlock Holmes 2 came out, everyone was laughing cause it made about half of what the first one did. They said it was the end of the franchise.
It was just announced that Sherlock Holmes 2 has out grossed the first movie.
I think John Carter has a chance. It'll probably end up making between $400 and $450 million world wide and I think it might do surprisingly well on DVD/Bluray. Family friendly films always over perform on the home markets.
I kinda want to see this, but alas, I have another week or so.
Forget it Josh... it's Cerebustown. | Mike Zeidler
Sujuk
Since: 27.6.02
From: Champaign, IL
Since last post: 18 hours
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| #13 Posted on 23.3.12 1529.44 | Instant Rating: 4.41 | Just got back from it. The worst part was realizing how nearly all of my favorite things had stolen things wholesale from this story/series.
At least I enjoyed it, unlike the last time this happened, with the LOTR movies.
"Tattoos are the mullets of the aughts." - Mike Naimark
"Hasa diga eebowai!" - Ugandan saying |
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Thread rated: 6.03