# John Carter again **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 21, 2012, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-carter-again/613507 "2012-02-21T06:50:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2012, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-carter-again/613507/1 "2012-02-21T06:50:17Z")
In the tv previews, Dejah Thoris (I presume) says something about how John Carter has to save Mars, and that Earth could be next. What is the threat she’s going on about? There was nothing in the books that affected Earth. Sound like they’re taking this far from ERB’s story line. Oh, and I don’t much care for the fliers. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2012, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-carter-again/613507/2 "2012-02-21T11:54:53Z")
Maybe they feel that the audience of 2012 will not really sympathyze with Carter fighting in Mars just to get at some Red Martian booty unless he has a loftier cause of preventing a threat to Earth; the zeitgeist of our time is “why fight in some alien place unless there’s a threat to us at home”. Oh, and: _“Mandatory whinge by fanboys about lack of full Dejah nudity”_ 😛 There, you all may move on 😃 ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2012, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-carter-again/613507/3 "2012-02-21T13:01:48Z")
In my experience, adaptations of John Carter DO tend to take things away from ERB. The circa 1970 comic book versions certain vamped excessively from the books. The current comic book incarnations stray very far from Burroughs. I was hoping this movie would be a bit more faithful. For myself, I like the flyers, and the White Apes. Looks like it could be pretty good. Certainly better than the low-budget _Princesws of Mars_ that came out a couple of years ago. ---
**Author:** ![shiftless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9c0ed/32.png) [@shiftless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shiftless)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2012, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-carter-again/613507/4 "2012-02-21T14:39:43Z")
Haven’t seen it but I am going to guess right now that the theme is John Carter is fighting for liberty and democracy for all or some such. Every action movie has to refight the American revolution. It seems to be the one and only concept that Hollywood can understand. Someone please tell me I’m wrong. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2012, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-carter-again/613507/5 "2012-02-21T14:49:47Z")
“You are John Carter from Earth.” “Yes, Ma’am.” I am so going to see this! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2012, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-carter-again/613507/6 "2012-02-21T14:52:39Z")
Me too. I am going to be horribly disappointed, of course. But that won’t stop me from seeing it. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2012, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-carter-again/613507/7 "2012-02-21T14:53:27Z")
I read the books when I was a kid and I thought I remember that Deja Thoris had red skin. Did I remember incorrectly? ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2012, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-carter-again/613507/8 "2012-02-21T14:55:51Z")
Nope. As a princess of Helium, she is a red martian. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2012, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-carter-again/613507/9 "2012-02-21T15:30:29Z")
> [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](#): > > In the tv previews, Dejah Thoris (I presume) says something about how John Carter has to save Mars, and that Earth could be next. What is the threat she’s going on about? There was nothing in the books that affected Earth. Sound like they’re taking this far from ERB’s story line. Oh, and I don’t much care for the fliers. To be fair, this is Edgar Rice Burroughs. We’re not talking about great literature here. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2012, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-carter-again/613507/10 "2012-02-21T17:01:31Z")
From the trailers, it looks like they got many of the details right. The green martians, white apes, and Woola seem pretty good. Of course, that’s the easy part. The hard part is making the high adventure work. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2012, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-carter-again/613507/11 "2012-02-21T20:59:21Z")
I sort of get the impression from the trailer that the Martians deliberately summoned Carter, rather than him arriving mysteriously of his own will. Personally, I fanwank that Carter _is_ literally Mars, as in the Greco-Roman deity of War. But the Martians using some indistinguishable-from-magic Macguffin technology to summon him probably works better for a movie. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2012, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-carter-again/613507/12 "2012-02-21T21:57:01Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Personally, I fanwank that Carter _is_ literally Mars, as in the Greco-Roman deity of War. That’s not bad… ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2012, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-carter-again/613507/13 "2012-02-21T22:27:22Z")
If they actually find a way to explain why Carter is on Mars, it’ll be an improvement over the book. I always thought the “No shit, there I was” setup was just lazy writing. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2012, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-carter-again/613507/14 "2012-02-21T22:36:40Z")
I personally like the “Hey, I wished I was on Mars, and there I was” to be kind of refreshing. Seriously, the point is that you go to Mars and have adventures and rescue the princess. Exactly how or why you get your ass to Mars is totally irrelevant. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2012, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-carter-again/613507/15 "2012-02-21T23:11:52Z")
Maybe his parents were shipwrecked on an island, and giant apes…Nah. How did what’s his name get to Venus? ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2012, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-carter-again/613507/16 "2012-02-21T23:35:39Z")
Carson? He built a rocket ship to visit John Carter on Mars. But he forgot to include the Moon in his navigational plans, did a gravity whip around the Moon and hit Venus. I kid you not. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2012, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-carter-again/613507/17 "2012-02-21T23:44:35Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > If they actually find a way to explain why Carter is on Mars, it’ll be an improvement over the book. I always thought the “No shit, there I was” setup was just lazy writing. I always assumed he was brought there by the Priest-Kings. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2012, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-carter-again/613507/18 "2012-02-22T00:07:11Z")
> [@Lemur866](#): > > I personally like the “Hey, I wished I was on Mars, and there I was” to be kind of refreshing. Seriously, the point is that you go to Mars and have adventures and rescue the princess. Exactly how or why you get your ass to Mars is totally irrelevant. Exactly. It really doesn’t matter how. Though, for the time, the idea of astral projection was as good as any. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2012, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-carter-again/613507/19 "2012-02-22T00:09:40Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I sort of get the impression from the trailer that the Martians deliberately summoned Carter, rather than him arriving mysteriously of his own will. That was the premise of the 1970s comic serialization of Edwin Lester Arnold’s \*“Lt. Gulliver Jones” in Marvel’s “Creatures on the Loose” title, although in the novel was just an accidental crash landing of a Martian on his flying carpet. > [@](#): > > Personally, I fanwank that Carter _is_ literally Mars, as in the Greco-Roman deity of War. Actually, Carter was possibly based on the title character from a book several years earlier entitled \*\*“Phra the Phoenician.” \*Published several years before “Princess of Mars” and possibly inspired ERB to write the Barsoom series. \*\*Also written by. . . Edwin Lester Arnold! ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2012, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-carter-again/613507/20 "2012-02-22T00:22:53Z")
I first read the books in the late seventies. I bought all the Ballantine paperbacks with the Gino D’Achille covers. Kind of Frazetta-esque art work. That’s the look that got burned into my brain and the trailers I’ve seen don’t much resemble it. I’m sure I’ll see it, I may like it but those old paperback covers will always be the real Barsoom for me. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-carter-again/613507.md?page=2)