Could John Carter be the first sleeper hit of the 2012?

[MIB41]

Not too long ago I wouldn't have given this film a remote chance of succeeding. It seemed very much like a generic, color-by-the-numbers, sci-fi flick. But the buzz has really become interesting, especially with critics! This film is rating fairly high thus far. Something I did not anticipate, especially in this genre'. Read some of these reviews below. Is any of this buzz getting you interested in giving this film a chance? I'm giving it some thought, because I'm curious what everyone is finding so interesting.

John Carter - Rotten Tomatoes

[madmarva]

The movie looks fun to me. I'm all in. The lead actor was really good in Friday Night Lights TV show and the princess is hot as all get out.

[wolfie]

Not a chance, this film has flop written all over it.

Remember when it becomes a big hit i said it would be.

[ctc]

Hmmmm....

It's one of them films that exists in an unfortunate area, marketing-wise. The John Carter stories were primarchs of a whole wing of sci-fi that has been well tread over the years. Problem is, I can see a lot of folks thinking this film is a ripoff of OTHER stuff, even though the character did them first so many decades ago. Adding to that is the way it's filmed.... a lot of the scenes they've shown thus far look similar to other films. I saw an ad for Immortals before the first time I saw an ad for John Carter and they both used the same running jump shots, similarly structured mass combat scenes, similar abs.... (As an aside: it bothers me that EVERY movie HAS to have a Kurosawa-esque mass combat scene, 'specially since they all take place in open fields, deserts, flatlands.... if someone ever thought to bring some artillery to these matches they'd clean up.)

Don C.

[Figuremod73]

It looks like a fun film to me. Im giving it a chance. The scenes do look familiar but the action looks good. Hopeing its better than the Conan remake.

[spacecaps]

Not a chance, this film has flop written all over it.

Totally agree. I'm not even sure I'd get this one on video (and I see almost everything.) It looks like a mess of nerd porn where Star Wars meets Harry Potter mets LOTR with just about every other cliched Sci-Fi and Fantasy scenario you can think of.

What really gets me is this one scene in the trailer where this big giant monster comes out and should really be scaring the crap out of everything in its presence but John Carters got this smug "Ho hum, now I've got to take care of this thing" look about him. Thats kind of played out hero trait and the whole "you are the only person in the universe (who happens to be from Earth) that can save our planet" is kind of a tired plot too.

This looks like another generic adventure film in the style Golden Compass, Spiderwick Chronicles, Percy Jackson, The Sorcerous Apprentice, Prince of Persia, Lemony Snicket, Narnia, Conan, I Am Number 4 (did I miss any?) where the book is always sure to be better than the film. God I hope The Hunger Games is good......

[clemso]

I have a problem with the Gambit guy in the lead role, he just looks too much like a push over.

[kennermike]

yeah I think its gonna be the first major bomb of the year the trailer looks horrible

[palitoy]

I'm excited to see it but the marketing by Disney has been really weak.

Unless you've read sci fi or comic books, you have no concept of this character and after months of trailers, I'm not sure that's changed at all.

[samurainoir]

I've been saying from the earliest teaser posters how weak the marketing has been.

Here is the fan trailer that everyone is buzzing about. It just really gets into the basic humanity of the character and his heroes journey... so you have a contrast and hook amidst all the FX and creatures. A Stranger in a Strange Land is pretty timeless as storytelling goes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...v=-BxeHQY1NuM#!

and I know I sound like the grumpy old man that I am, but I would have sprayed the hose at the marketing wonks walking all over my lawn with this poster...


and then gone out and hired Drew Struzan to deliver something appropriately epic.

[torgospizza]

Thats kind of played out hero trait and the whole "you are the only person in the universe (who happens to be from Earth) that can save our planet" is kind of a tired plot too.

Yeah, but this story did it almost a century before it became tired. It did it before Flash Gordon became the paradigm for planetary romance or space opera or whatever we should call the genre.

I was determined to see it as soon as it was announced. I'm sure it won't be perfect and things will be changed--Hollywood always knows better than the fans that made it popular to begin with--but at least we're finally getting a big-budget version after being largely ignored for so long.

[MegoMark71]

I have no desire to see this movie at all. From what i have seen from all the commercials they are trying to slam down our throats it just looks dumb to me.

[torgospizza]

Here is a ten minute promo scene posted by Disney. Looks pretty good to me, so far.

[Brazoo]

The guy playing the bartender in that clip was driving me nuts because he looked familiar - then I realized he's the neighbor from That 70s Show.

[4NDR01D]

I will gladly be throwing my money at Disney to watch some of this glorious eye candy. I'm regretting that I won't get the chance to see this at an IMax theater though.