Finally Saw "John Carter"
Jun. 11th, 2012 04:03 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bedlamhouseDid Not Like.
I try very hard to understand that the requirements of a visual medium force a certain amount of mucking about with the story. I also try very hard to understand that the characterizations that are so clear to an audience reading from a 1910's perspective are considered to be inaccessible to a modern audience.
In this case, too much of the story was mucked about with (I mean, really, exactly what purpose did going to the Valley Dor and then back to the plotline of John Carter vs. Tal Hajus serve? What was more compelling about this plotline than the original plotline where Tal Hajus starts as an oppressive Jeddak of Thark and is supplanted by Tars Tarkas with help from John Carter?)
But what really got under my skin was how they messed with the characters. John Carter isn't a great swordsman who happens to be able to jump great distances in the movie - he isn't even as good with a sword as Dejah Thoris (who is not a warrior, she is head of the science academy). He isn't the archetypal noble gentleman who loves an idealization but can't take the step of expressing his feelings - he's a widower pining for his family until Dejah Thoris pretty much throws herself at him. Ultimately, what difference is he really making to the world of Barsoom, particularly given the complete loss of the atmosphere plant plotline in favor of powerful and evil Matai Shang (and don't get me started about the whole "Therns as the Barsoomian Illuminati" stuff) exiling him to earth.
I don't think I'll be watching this one again.
I try very hard to understand that the requirements of a visual medium force a certain amount of mucking about with the story. I also try very hard to understand that the characterizations that are so clear to an audience reading from a 1910's perspective are considered to be inaccessible to a modern audience.
In this case, too much of the story was mucked about with (I mean, really, exactly what purpose did going to the Valley Dor and then back to the plotline of John Carter vs. Tal Hajus serve? What was more compelling about this plotline than the original plotline where Tal Hajus starts as an oppressive Jeddak of Thark and is supplanted by Tars Tarkas with help from John Carter?)
But what really got under my skin was how they messed with the characters. John Carter isn't a great swordsman who happens to be able to jump great distances in the movie - he isn't even as good with a sword as Dejah Thoris (who is not a warrior, she is head of the science academy). He isn't the archetypal noble gentleman who loves an idealization but can't take the step of expressing his feelings - he's a widower pining for his family until Dejah Thoris pretty much throws herself at him. Ultimately, what difference is he really making to the world of Barsoom, particularly given the complete loss of the atmosphere plant plotline in favor of powerful and evil Matai Shang (and don't get me started about the whole "Therns as the Barsoomian Illuminati" stuff) exiling him to earth.
I don't think I'll be watching this one again.
