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John Carter of Mars
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Faneditor Name:
Original Movie Title:
Fanedit Type:
Original Release Date:
2012
Original Running Time:
132
Fanedit Release Date:
Fanedit Running Time:
111
Time Cut:
20-21
Time Added:
2-3
Additional Links:
Brief Synopsis:
Captain John Carter of Virginia finds himself mysteriously projected to the world of Barsoom and made capitive of the savage green men of Thark. With him is Dejah Thoris, the beautiful and brilliant Princess of Helium. Together, they must learn the secret of the evil Matai Shang and The Holy Therns in order to save both of their worlds!
Intention:
John Carter, created by master storyteller Edgar Rice Burroughs in 1912, is one of my all-time favorite adventure characters. While the theatrical release directed by Andrew Stanton is not the version or story I would have told, I actually deeply love the movie and thus this edit is not a very aggressive cut.
I have removed the ERB bookends to get to the main story faster. Also, I have "Wizard of Ozzed" the Earth sequences into a dull washed out black-and-white, while increasing the bright colour saturation of Mars to give it more of a fantastical look. Along with some small trims, and cuts, I hope to have created a fun alternate viewing experience.
I have removed the ERB bookends to get to the main story faster. Also, I have "Wizard of Ozzed" the Earth sequences into a dull washed out black-and-white, while increasing the bright colour saturation of Mars to give it more of a fantastical look. Along with some small trims, and cuts, I hope to have created a fun alternate viewing experience.
Other Sources:
Incorporated images/book covers/art work of John Carter/Barsoom from the last 100 years.
Special Thanks:
Thanks to everyone who expressed interest and support for this project.
In particular, big THANK YOUs to Rogue-theX, TM2YC, Vultural, Dwight Fry, MusicEd921, and hbenthow.
In particular, big THANK YOUs to Rogue-theX, TM2YC, Vultural, Dwight Fry, MusicEd921, and hbenthow.
Release Information:
DVD
Cuts and Additions:
--Cut ERB prologue
--Opening in a faded, washed out Black and White
--Replaced modern Disney logo with Beuna Vista title card
--New John Carter of Mars Title Card with zoom in of Mars in B&W
--Added Arizona title card to Fort Grant, with new intro music cue and rain sound effects
--dream of wife is kept in colour
--Created a "sin city" blue light effect for Amulet teleportation to Mars
--Mars events are all in colour, increased saturation, slight red hue and blue balance--emphasizing this a fantastical world more
--broke Carter's arrival on Mars into two parts, moving the intro of Sab Than and Matai Shang in between, new music cues.
--added some of Dejah's dialogue from deleted scenes, explaining the history of Barsoom, repurposed footage for this scene.
--dreams of wife are original colour scheme
--cut Helium warriors surrendering when attacked by Sab Than
--cut Carter exclaiming "She's Human!" -- now more of man of instinctive action, added new music
--cut bum slap, imperial command to jump by Dejah and Carter saying he is not for hire
--cut "Zondanga happened" -- Barsoom is supposed to be world littered with ancient lost city ruins
--cut Sab Than and Matia Shang scene of Shang explaining how to demoralize a nation, as Sab looks like an idiot, new scene transition cues
--cut Carter telling Dejah no good would come from him fighting in her war
--added a Zondanga establishing shot to Matai Shang and Sab Than scene, cut Sab saying "now I sound like you"
--cut the other pilgrims on the River Iss, as they are never seen again and yet going to the same place? And what happens to those who reach the gates? It is never addressed in the story, so no need for it.
--cut Carter and Kantos falling, he now makes the jump in a single bound! \S/
--cut Carter saying he has changed his heart -- don't like the line or delivery, sounds like he has changed his mind about his love for his dead wife and child
--movie now ends on wedding with epic music cue and shot of Mars with title cards
--new end credits with images of John Carter through the ages with new music
--post-credits credits scene
--cut 7 minutes of end titles credits
--Opening in a faded, washed out Black and White
--Replaced modern Disney logo with Beuna Vista title card
--New John Carter of Mars Title Card with zoom in of Mars in B&W
--Added Arizona title card to Fort Grant, with new intro music cue and rain sound effects
--dream of wife is kept in colour
--Created a "sin city" blue light effect for Amulet teleportation to Mars
--Mars events are all in colour, increased saturation, slight red hue and blue balance--emphasizing this a fantastical world more
--broke Carter's arrival on Mars into two parts, moving the intro of Sab Than and Matai Shang in between, new music cues.
--added some of Dejah's dialogue from deleted scenes, explaining the history of Barsoom, repurposed footage for this scene.
--dreams of wife are original colour scheme
--cut Helium warriors surrendering when attacked by Sab Than
--cut Carter exclaiming "She's Human!" -- now more of man of instinctive action, added new music
--cut bum slap, imperial command to jump by Dejah and Carter saying he is not for hire
--cut "Zondanga happened" -- Barsoom is supposed to be world littered with ancient lost city ruins
--cut Sab Than and Matia Shang scene of Shang explaining how to demoralize a nation, as Sab looks like an idiot, new scene transition cues
--cut Carter telling Dejah no good would come from him fighting in her war
--added a Zondanga establishing shot to Matai Shang and Sab Than scene, cut Sab saying "now I sound like you"
--cut the other pilgrims on the River Iss, as they are never seen again and yet going to the same place? And what happens to those who reach the gates? It is never addressed in the story, so no need for it.
--cut Carter and Kantos falling, he now makes the jump in a single bound! \S/
--cut Carter saying he has changed his heart -- don't like the line or delivery, sounds like he has changed his mind about his love for his dead wife and child
--movie now ends on wedding with epic music cue and shot of Mars with title cards
--new end credits with images of John Carter through the ages with new music
--post-credits credits scene
--cut 7 minutes of end titles credits
Teaser
User reviews
19 reviews
Overall rating
9.1
Audio/Video Quality
8.9(19)
Audio Editing
9.4(19)
Visual Editing
9.4(19)
Narrative
9.0(19)
Enjoyment
8.8(19)
Overall rating
8.8
Audio/Video Quality
9.0
Audio Editing
9.0
Visual Editing
9.0
Narrative
8.0
Enjoyment
9.0
This was an interesting watch and edit. I enjoyed the original release of the film and didn’t find much fault with it, other than screenplay wasn’t as close to the novel as I would like. Bionic’s edit doesn’t change those facts in meaningful way but the changes to the chronology do help make it a little more faithful to the Novel and there are some new stylised parts of the film, which I found very interesting. Notably the start if the film in now in B&W and the end credits have been changed. Both are nice touches. I feel the edit was technically competent and it feels like a lot of love and thought went into the edit. I enjoyed the changes to the chronology, especially the end of the film. The one thing that didn’t work for me was a cut to when John starts to explore Barsoom, to the princess demonstrating her new invention. I was enjoying watching John Carter explore Barsoom and that was interrupted by the cut. I did notice was abrupt change in music tempo at around 51 minutes into the film, I'm not sure if this is in the original or its due to changes in the edit.
I would recommend this edit and thank you to Bionic for sharing his work with me.
I would recommend this edit and thank you to Bionic for sharing his work with me.
User Review
Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched?
Digital
F
(Updated: February 22, 2023)
Overall rating
8.2
Audio/Video Quality
7.0
Audio Editing
8.0
Visual Editing
9.0
Narrative
9.0
Enjoyment
8.0
John Carter is one of my favorite movies, so I went into this edit with a lot of excitement. I was rewarded with a somehow even better, leaner version of a movie I already loved. Starting the movie off in black and white, with only a few splashes of color reserved for *important details* was such an inspired touch! It definitely enhances the contrast between Earth and Barsoom once John gets there, which is helped by the higher saturation those scenes are given. The addition of Dejah's narration also helps explain the world with the new focus on Carter in the first act, and virtually nothing important feels missing. Putting the scene where John gets sent back as the post credits scene certainly feels like an appropriate cliffhanger to end things on, perfectly setting up the sequel. While I miss the prologue and epilogue scenes with Edgar, I can't deny that this experience is in many ways tighter than the original. The comics ending credits is so very welcome.
However, I feel some of the additions were a touch clunky. Interrupting John's first leaps across Barsoom with Shang handing over the weapon to Sab was pace breaker, and seems unnecessary. It undermines Sab early on, and reveals the Therns' hand far too quickly. The music cues in that scene and the epic soaring score added to the wedding ending could have been integrated better. As this is an older edit, the visual quality isn't quite on the definition as, say, BionicBob's Justice League Unity edit, but I don't hold that against it. It is quite a great effort.
However, I feel some of the additions were a touch clunky. Interrupting John's first leaps across Barsoom with Shang handing over the weapon to Sab was pace breaker, and seems unnecessary. It undermines Sab early on, and reveals the Therns' hand far too quickly. The music cues in that scene and the epic soaring score added to the wedding ending could have been integrated better. As this is an older edit, the visual quality isn't quite on the definition as, say, BionicBob's Justice League Unity edit, but I don't hold that against it. It is quite a great effort.
User Review
Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched?
Digital
N
(Updated: January 29, 2023)
Overall rating
9.2
Audio/Video Quality
10.0
Audio Editing
10.0
Visual Editing
9.0
Narrative
8.0
Enjoyment
9.0
A great edit of a fun but flawed movie that trims the bloat of the theatrical and doesn't waste much time getting to Mars, which was something the theatrical didn't do with all of its stop-start beginnings. The exposition is presented naturally and flows very well. The editing was seamless, and the choice to present 1800s Earth in b&w and Mars in color was an inspired one. I love that it ended on John's & Deja Thoris's wedding, and the after-credit scene was a perfect set-up for the sequel we'll sadly never get to see.
A solid edit and an enjoyable ride. A well-earned 9 out of 10 stars.
A solid edit and an enjoyable ride. A well-earned 9 out of 10 stars.
User Review
Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched?
Digital
B
Overall rating
9.4
Audio/Video Quality
7.0
Audio Editing
10.0
Visual Editing
10.0
Narrative
10.0
Enjoyment
10.0
A more closer to the book adaptation than the original edit. Wish i could saw this one on cinema!
User Review
Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched?
Digital
D
(Updated: June 09, 2021)
Overall rating
8.8
Audio/Video Quality
10.0
Audio Editing
10.0
Visual Editing
10.0
Narrative
7.0
Enjoyment
7.0
Fun edit of a bad film. The fan-edit is -- as always with BionicBob -- smart and smooth. So, in technical terms, a superb job, and in terms of the story, a big improvement.
I can't give it a higher rating for narrative and enjoyment, though, for the simple reason that -- in my humble opinion -- the film is really bad.
There are breath-taking scenes, incredible FX, not least the Tharks and Woola, and some good bits, not least the Thark scenes,
But it just mangles and rewrites the source material for no good reason -- the usual Hollywood assumption that a random scriptwriter and some suits know better than a global bestselling author -- and far too much for my tastes as a ERB and John Carter fan, John Carter as anti-war, Dejah Thoris as super-scientist, the Therns as weird interstellar planet wreckers, Sab Then with a super-weapon, problems in Barsoom as due to war (and a Thern conspiracy), Red Martians not being, you know, red ...
This is too much, and way beyond what even the most brilliant fan-editor can fix.
I can't give it a higher rating for narrative and enjoyment, though, for the simple reason that -- in my humble opinion -- the film is really bad.
There are breath-taking scenes, incredible FX, not least the Tharks and Woola, and some good bits, not least the Thark scenes,
But it just mangles and rewrites the source material for no good reason -- the usual Hollywood assumption that a random scriptwriter and some suits know better than a global bestselling author -- and far too much for my tastes as a ERB and John Carter fan, John Carter as anti-war, Dejah Thoris as super-scientist, the Therns as weird interstellar planet wreckers, Sab Then with a super-weapon, problems in Barsoom as due to war (and a Thern conspiracy), Red Martians not being, you know, red ...
This is too much, and way beyond what even the most brilliant fan-editor can fix.
User Review
Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched?
Digital
D