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John Carter (Barsoom) to a Edgar Rice Burrough's fan a good movie.

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John Carter was a good movie to a Edgar Rice Burroughs fan but the movie was a disaster in the box office. Why? the answer is simple who reads Edgar Rice Burroughs any more. There is also the view of the surface of Mars transmitted to earth by the Mars rovers and there are no Thoats, Calots, Green Barbarians, White Apes, the city of Helium, or the incomparable Dejah Thoris Princess of Helium :(

I am a huge fan of Edgar Rice Burroughs. In Science Fiction the top of heap of authors in this genera are what we call "Planet Builders" these are science fiction authors who don't just write a story but they build an entire universe to place them in. Edgar Rice Burroughs was the first planet builder. In 1912 with the serialized publication of the first of the "Martian series" Princess of Mars he constructed the planet Barsoom, a complete world modeled after Astronomer Percival Lowell's thoughts of a advanced but dying Martian civilization. Burroughs went on the write 10 books in this series. All of Edgar Rice Burroughs books are romance books. The Princess of Mars" is no exception Captain John Carter mysteriously gets transported to planet Mars. Where he meets and falls in love with the Princess of Mars, Burroughs was very good with serialized story telling and it took Carter 3 "books" to finally battle through to win the hand of the Princess. Those of us who have read the books would have liked to have seen his condition on arrival as it was depicted in the book, he was buck naked. in fact most everyone was mostly naked, an "R" rated science fiction adventure for those of us who would like to see things as in the books, har-de-har-har. I have been told by people, long gone now, who remembered these books when they where first published they where sold under the counter they where considered to "forward" for young people, which naturally made them Irresistible.

If you haven't yet watched John Carter, or even if you have, here is my advice. Read the 1st 3 books in the Martian series,
Princess of Mars (published as a novel in 1917)
The Gods of Mars (published as a novel in 1918)
The Warlord of Mars (published as a novel in 1919)

You can get the Kindle editions of the 1st 7 novels for .99 cents.

With these 3 books read then watch "John Carter" you will see they did fairly good job bringing Barsoom to the screen.

Want to get disappeared from Hollywood. Suggest the next big block buster Science Fiction Movie, Edgar Rice Burroughs epic "The Pirates of Venus" Book 1 of the Venus (Amtor) Series". Here we have Carson Napier......

You wake up in Ten Sleep, Wyoming and wonder how you got there. :D
 
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I've read the books many moons ago and I saw the movie just last year and liked it also.
The books are truly magnificent just by themselves. But, it helps to have a Frank Frazetta cover on them:).
You know, I seem to remember a Carter on Venus book too. Is that right?
 
Big fan of Edgar Rice Burroughs growing up. Read all 20 plus books in the Tarzan series and a few John Carter books.

Prepared me, in an odd way, for William S. Burroughs.
 
Read the John Carter series and saw the movie (actually own a copy). Loved Lynn Collins (Dejah Thoris) and Mark Strong's character portrayals in the movie. Good old fashioned turn of the last century scifi.
 
I briefly looked for something regarding "Carter on Venus" - didn't see anything but I still have my books (yes, after all these years)in my book box and I'm going to dig thru them to find it.
The 'Frazetta' cover artwork has the character on a raft at sea with a huge alien looking sea monster rising up from the depths.
I know you guys know which one I'm talking about.
BTW: not to get OT but I've always been a rabid Frazetta fan and have a couple of whole books of his artwork:thumbsup:
 
dosmalo said:
You know, I seem to remember a Carson of Venus book too. Is that right?
Click to expand...

There were 5 books in the series:
Pirates of Venus (1934)
Lost on Venus (1935)
Carson of Venus (1939)
Escape on Venus (1946)
The Wizard of Venus (1964) originally written in 1941 but not published until 1964.

It was thought in the late 19th century well into the 20th century that Venus was an earth like planet with massive oceans, and forests with gigantic trees. Amtor as the natives call Venus was protected from the sun by the dense cloud cover. it was basically the same broad story line of the Martian series Carson crash lands on Amtor, there is the Vepajan Princess (or janjong) Duare who falls in love with Carson, and if you have read any of the Martian series you know where things go from there. :D
 
Frank Frazetta - Icon - 33.jpg This is only are partial of the whole book cover and without the sea monster.
I thought this was on one of the E. R. Burroughs books and I thought it was a Carter book but on Venus instead of Mars.
Will find out though....
 
That is the wonderful cover of 3rd book of the series "Carson of Venus" by Frank Frazetta

Carson_of_Venus_op_399x600.jpg
 
I'm a big Burroughs fan too. I've read pretty much every series that he's written. I think A Princess of Mars was my first Burroughs book. Plus, a huge Frazetta fan as well. Though, that shouldn't be hard for Frazetta fans to figure out. I really wish that I'd visited the Frazetta Museum in Pennsylvania, before Frazetta's passing. But, at least the kids have finally gotten their act together, and have reopened the museum, and are now protecting Frank's remaining artwork.

As to the John Carter movie, YUCK. I truly did not like it. At least I didn't like how John Carter was portrayed. No chivalry, no gallantry, no sense of honor above all. John Carter did not hesitate to protect and defend family and friends. Heck, even strangers, until they were found to be untrustworthy. Taylor Kitsch was a fair John Carter. Lynn Collins was a decent Dejah Thoris. She looked a bit like The Frazetta Woman. But that's a hard standard to live up to.

I did like the production values. The look of Barsoom seemed accurate. The Tharks were well done. And the special effects were nicely executed. I just didn't like the jumbled story line. Too many random changes, and too much thrown in from the other books, with little explanation or reasoning. Considering that Andrew Stanton was directing, and the rumored budget, I expected much, much more! A tent pole movie, which this wasn't for me!
 
Carson on Venus!
lol! No wonder I got them mixed up. Well, it has been about 35 years since I read that one;)
 
The film did lack what the books brought to the imagination but I liked it for what it was but who couldn't like Calot the Woola??
He was adorable!
 
Oh yea. I think many of the books that I bought and read as a kid, were do to the Frazetta covers! I bought every book that I could find, for the covers alone. The stories contained within the pages came later! I have most of the Frazetta art books. I'd like to order one of the reproductions being offered by Frank's son. But even they are pricey.

Burroughs and Frazetta were such an influence to their fans too. We probably wouldn't have Buck Rogers, Flash Gordon, Star Wars, Avatar, and many others, without Burroughs. Even Robert E. Howard was influenced by Burroughs. So, maybe even no Conan without Burroughs. And quite a few modern writers and directors were huge Frazetta fans. I know George Lucas has an original Frazetta, I believe Steven Spielberg does too. Both Burroughs and Frazetta such amazing talents.
 
I thought the movie was definitely better than average. Cowboys and Aliens was the lower-mid average.
 
If I hadn't already been a fan of the books, I would have loved John Carter. It's the type of movie that I like best, being a Science Fiction & Fantasy book/movie fan. But, like most fans, once you've read the book, a movie version rarely lives up to expectations. Which is unfortunate, as I am a voracious reader, and many of the book series that I've read, have been turned into many recent mediocre movies...! At least, IMHO.
 
That is the real problem our imaginations are better then any movie CGI. There is also the resentment of others messing with that imagination.
 
As long as the movie makers honor the personalities of the main characters, I don't mind deviations of plot, as long as it benefits the story. But when they can't get the characters or the plot correct, why even bother? You're just luring in the fans, by title alone, and offering no substance. The Harry Potter films were successful, and for the most part, stayed true to the plot and tone of the books. John Carter didn't do that and flopped. It seems to me that it shouldn't be that hard to figure out, especially when you're basing your movie on source material that's been in print for over 100 years!
 
I've been a big fan of Burroughs since I was a kid. My aunt bought me a huge compilation book that had some Mars, Tarzan and Pelucidar books. It sat on my shelf for a year or so but when I started reading I couldn't stop. I liked the movie ok but it had been so long since I read the book I probably forgot a bunch that might have gotten in the way. If you like the Mars stuff and haven't read the Pelucidar books I highly recommend them.
 
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