Now THIS is a goddamn trailer.
Remember what I said last time about the Conan trailer, that all I wanted was to watch a trailer and think "I know this"? Well, I got it in spades here.
I saw Barsoom. I saw John Carter. I saw Dejah Thoris. I saw the flying ships of Barsoom. I saw red and green Martians. I saw a legion of Barsoomian Thoat cavalry. I think I saw Tars Tarkas.
Yes, I do miss "of Mars." True, I think that weird glowy-bluey-liney-thingy was daft. Indeed, I'm not a fan of the music, or the fact that Dejah Thoris wasn't quite the shade of red I thought she would be. But goddamn, I saw Barsoom. That was Barsoom, up there on the big screen. That was a Green Martian holding up a gun. That was a fleet of Barsoomian airships.
I don't doubt that there will be things I don't like about the film: there are things I don't like about the trailer. But that's to be expected from a big-budget Hollywood blockbuster. So far... this is easily recognizable as John Carter. And more importantly, to me, it's easily recognizable as Edgar Rice Burrough's John Carter.
And that's pretty freaking awesome.
Now cue all the silly people claiming this adaptation of a 99-year-old literary creation is an Avatar/He-Man/Prince of Persia/Star Wars ripoff...
Al, I have to say I didn't see Barsoom in this trailer. Not the Barsoom that fired my imagination thirty years ago.
ReplyDeleteAll I saw was a big Hollywood fantasy film with the requisite CGI and a completely inappropriate Peter Gabriel song. For me the magic was missing.
I know this is only a trailer, and only the first, but honestly I was disappointed. Gravely so. I wish I could have seen what you did, but for me it just isn't there.
We could easily nitpick the hell out of this, but why would we want to? This looks like it will be a ton of fun! If only Conan could have come this close to the source material...
ReplyDeleteAl, I have to say I didn't see Barsoom in this trailer. Not the Barsoom that fired my imagination thirty years ago.
ReplyDeleteAll I saw was a big Hollywood fantasy film with the requisite CGI and a completely inappropriate Peter Gabriel song. For me the magic was missing.
Perhaps I worded it poorly: by Barsoom, I was more referring to the beings, ships, and architecture of the setting, which - while not fitting my personal mind's eye - do appear to me as being compatible with Burroughs' descriptions. The landcape, however, is something of a disappointment. It looks more like Utah than Mars, there isn't really the sense of a truly alien landscape, and there's no red sand.
The red sand in particular provides a perplexing conundrum: if they're trying to provide a more scientifically accurate representation of Mars, then it does look like the pictures from the Mars Rover. BUT, if they're trying to divorce the film from Mars, or at least leave Barsoom's earthly identity ambiguous, then why not just go the whole hog and give it red sand? Confusing.
If only Conan could have come this close to the source material...
That's what I'm saying. John Carter doesn't look like a 1:1 adaptation of Burroughs' novel, but it's close enough to be recognizable. The differences range from the unavoidable (like Dejah Thoris not being naked, though I don't know what the hell they're thinking with those tattoos) to the bizarre (why are the Red Martians more like Tanned White Martians?). But to me, it's still recognizably a John Carter film, and that's what counts to me.
We can and will nitpick the hell out of this, but considering there are some things they got pretty solid, it's at least worth nitpicking over.
I am a great fan of both John Carter and Pixar. This title was one of my great hopes of the next year...
ReplyDeletebut, actually, this trailer dont make me happy. I dont like at all the aesthetics of the movie, the casting or the music chosen.
Presumably there will be a lot of color correction going on with the landscapes since we're still many months away from release.
ReplyDeleteIt's hard to gauge it since this is just a teaser, but I like that the tone is more serious, as opposed to making it seem like just another tossed off blockbuster. Although maybe that isn't working because I've already seen comments online making fun of it for looking like a Prince of Persia/Avatar do-over.
Gee, I haven't actually read the stuff, but I can tell this feels so unlike new Conan.
ReplyDeleteParadox is ultimately trying to appeal to the Conan "brand" more than to any specific version (though REH is better represented through Conan himself). Hence the statement "we facilitate for all fans". But then the Barsoom tales didn't have decades-old film versions to color and shape everybody's perceptions of them.
Also the music, though still modern, is more fitting than what they're using for the Conan trailers, as it compliments the more serious approach. The Conan metal music just hinders or breaks the immersion or spell.
Although maybe that isn't working because I've already seen comments online making fun of it for looking like a Prince of Persia/Avatar do-over.
And if Conan got such a movie with the same apparent level of faithfulness, people would still be making comparisons to Prince of Persia/Clash of the Titans/The Scorpion King, not to mention clamoring for Arnold.
Looks great to me, and I'm a huge John Carter/Mars fan. Granted Thoris could be redder (and other things) and John Carter maybe has a little too much Conan in him with the hair (I always thought of it as being shorter and more civilized - at least in "Princess"), but that jump, and the thoats, and what may or may not have been Tars - maybe this one will actually work.
ReplyDelete- Aaron
Call me a cynic but I'm with MD on this one. I need to see more, but right now—yuck.
ReplyDeleteThey had me when the guy informs "Burroughs' of his uncles death. The 12 year old who still lives in the back of my brain was very pleased. And I too thought that it looked like a John Carter film should look. Let's hope the movie lives up to the trailer.
ReplyDeleteA down on his luck soldier that turned prospector and suddenly finds himself quite fit for the ranks of barbarian tribes, if anything I would have thought Carter to be more ragged and mature. But all in all I like it. What I like most with this trailer is that they dont try to sell it with instant adrenaline, as they do with most adventure movies. The genre needs to be taken more seriously by the movie people; hope this is a step in the right direction.
ReplyDeleteIt's refreshing that, for once, I'm actually positive on an upcoming adaptation while others seem to be anxious or unimpressed. Usually I'm complaining about things (and there are quite a few things I could comment on yet, like the casting of Carter & Deja Thoris), but for some reason, this trailer just hits all the right notes for me.
ReplyDeletebut, actually, this trailer dont make me happy. I dont like at all the aesthetics of the movie, the casting or the music chosen.
That's a shame. However, since JC is public domain, we can always hope the interest drummed up means a smaller company could do more Burroughs. I live in hope that we'll get a better The Land That Time Forgot (I loved the McClure films, but I want my armoured T-rex dammit) or Beyond Thirty. Maybe other Burroughs properties that haven't had the adaptation treatment like the Venus tales.
Presumably there will be a lot of color correction going on with the landscapes since we're still many months away from release.
That's my hope too. I notice there was colour-correction in the Conan trailers: the most recent ones are quite different from earlier ones, especially the shots in Cimmeria. Hopefully Disney will realise this is a fantasy film and give us our red-tinged Mars.
It's hard to gauge it since this is just a teaser, but I like that the tone is more serious, as opposed to making it seem like just another tossed off blockbuster.
Tongue-in-cheek can leap off a cliff: either make your sword-and-sorcery a comedy, or make it serious. Have humour by all means, but make it work in tandem with the drama, not undercutting it at every turn.
Paradox is ultimately trying to appeal to the Conan "brand" more than to any specific version
Looking at the international and domestic trailers, I think they're appealing to different types across the pond. The international trailers have orchestral music and emphasise the whole "age undreamed of" aspect, and the cuts make it look like a mix of Lord of the Rings and Pirates of the Caribbean, which have done gangbusters over here. In contrast, the domestic trailers have mallcore rap-rock and emphasise the violence and sexiness over story, appealing to the 300 crowd.
So it seems to me the international trailers are going for a more general audience, while the domestic trailers are courting the young frat boys who watch UFC and enjoy the ancient art of the beer bong.
And if Conan got such a movie with the same apparent level of faithfulness, people would still be making comparisons to Prince of Persia/Clash of the Titans/The Scorpion King, not to mention clamoring for Arnold.
Sad but true. Depending on the milieu, of course.
Looks great to me, and I'm a huge John Carter/Mars fan.
Yay, I'm not insane!
Call me a cynic but I'm with MD on this one. I need to see more, but right now—yuck.
D'oh. Ah well. I can only hope the proper trailer will be more convincing.
They had me when the guy informs "Burroughs' of his uncles death. The 12 year old who still lives in the back of my brain was very pleased.
8-year-old Ally's coming out of his fort to review Green Lantern, the Transformers film series and the final Harry Potter. Just a heads-up!
A down on his luck soldier that turned prospector and suddenly finds himself quite fit for the ranks of barbarian tribes, if anything I would have thought Carter to be more ragged and mature.
I too think the chap they got for JC isn't quite grizzled & old enough, but if it's a suitably mature performance, I can get over that. Here's hoping!
That reminds me, Al. Have you been over to read Jim Shooter's blog? He recently put up a couple of big posts about the origins of the Transformers at Marvel Comics. Fascinating stuff.
ReplyDeletegotta read john carter. this trailer looks okay to me, better than avatar( to me , not a big fan of avatar mind you). loved burroughs orignal tarzan but for the life of me cannot get through the return of tarzan.....watching this trailer makes me want to see an adaptation of almuric._mario
ReplyDeleteVery Excited about this. I would love to do the Pellucidar series one day. I've also want to do the Caspak trilogy along the lines of the original Kong - shoot it as if the film was made in the 1930s, with stopmotion technology.
ReplyDeleteCaspak was my introduction to Burroughs, and I just happened onto Princess of Mars while I was hunting down the last two books in the Caspak trilogy. They were not in print when I was a kid. I think Caspak and Pellucidar are still my favorite ERB worlds, but I am pretty excited about this. I'm actually reading the last three now. Once you overlook the repetitive plotlines, and just immerse yourself in the process of world creation, these yarns still beat the heck out of most books published today.
- Ben F