olegx's review against another edition
informative
slow-paced
4.0
Когда автор рассказывает историю книги и фильма, то написано отлично, подробно и с любовью к творчеству Берроуза.
Но середина книги - анализы реакций Интернета на каждый чертов постер, тв-спот и прочие промо-материалы по очереди (здесь книга оказалась очень неудачной для чтения в больнице).
Еще у автора слово-паразит "thus", он вроде бы вообще не использует аналогов, что придает тексту все растущий градус претенциозности.
Но середина книги - анализы реакций Интернета на каждый чертов постер, тв-спот и прочие промо-материалы по очереди (здесь книга оказалась очень неудачной для чтения в больнице).
Еще у автора слово-паразит "thus", он вроде бы вообще не использует аналогов, что придает тексту все растущий градус претенциозности.
chelsealeeh17's review
5.0
The author provides a fascinating look into why Disney's adaptation of the Edgar Rice Burroughs classic failed the way it did. Though the book is occasionally over-repetitive and makes excessive use of rhetorical or overly leading questions (and the Kindle edition has countless grammar/spelling/etc. issues that may or may not also be present in the paperback edition), I was fully engrossed in the research and am now looking forward to reading A Princess of Mars and subsequently watching the film for the first time.
turbomandoll's review against another edition
2.0
Good when it's talking about the business decisions and inept marketing choices surrounding the film, less so when Sellers is talking about himself, his website and the film's supporters - could there be a sequel as some fan-made Facebook page has 10,000 likes (answer: No).
There's plenty wrong with John Carter as a film, and also Stanton's production (for example; his decision to film using the vastly more expensive film stock rather than digital, largely because it would be "cool") - none of which Sellers wants to really discuss, he's solely concerned with the marketing (or lack thereof).
There's plenty wrong with John Carter as a film, and also Stanton's production (for example; his decision to film using the vastly more expensive film stock rather than digital, largely because it would be "cool") - none of which Sellers wants to really discuss, he's solely concerned with the marketing (or lack thereof).
mike_baker's review
4.0
I thought the film was just so-so, entertaining enough but nothing special, perhaps on a par with something like Cowboys and Aliens or Green Lantern.
To learn Disney didn't really get around to marketing it seems completely bizarre considering its $250 million budget, but so it was, mired as the production was in studio politics and the purchases of Marvel and Star Wars. This book looks under the lid of what went wrong, looks into the actions of the major players and offers a fascinating insight on how to get it wrong in terms of ensuring your movie is a big hit.
My only gripe was the author's apparent belief that the film John Carter is a sort of forgotten classic. It isn't, no matter how affectionately one views the classic Burroughs novel. But this is an absorbing read on a subject you don't normally get to hear about.
To learn Disney didn't really get around to marketing it seems completely bizarre considering its $250 million budget, but so it was, mired as the production was in studio politics and the purchases of Marvel and Star Wars. This book looks under the lid of what went wrong, looks into the actions of the major players and offers a fascinating insight on how to get it wrong in terms of ensuring your movie is a big hit.
My only gripe was the author's apparent belief that the film John Carter is a sort of forgotten classic. It isn't, no matter how affectionately one views the classic Burroughs novel. But this is an absorbing read on a subject you don't normally get to hear about.
chelsea_not_chels's review
This book seems well-researched when talking about production, marketing, etc., but it's not particularly good. The main message I got out of the first half of it (gave up after that) was that Sellers really really loves John Carter, and thinks you should really really love it, too. Additionally, the book is not very well-written. It's fraught with typos, omitted words, quotes that are missing a beginning or an end, and sentence fragments.
lazy0718's review
3.0
I knew almost nothing of the history of John Carter or the entire Barsoom series. I remember being interesting in the movie when the first trailer hit (especially when I found out Andrew Stanton was directing), but when it hit theaters and was hailed as a box office bomb, I skipped it. On impulse I bought the film on Blu-Ray when it was released and found a somewhat enjoyable movie, hampered by some odd pacing decisions and a lead actor who didn't seem to fit with the role. The film isn't terrible, but it isn't destined to be a classic either.
With all that said, I bought this book was very interested in what exactly happened with this film. What led to the disaster that played out? The writer, Michael D. Sellers, argues that it mostly came down to a disastrous marketing campaign that doomed the film before it ever had a chance to truly connect with the audience. Sellers presents his arguments well, identifying several instances where Disney failed to market the film correctly and suggesting a few ways in which the campaign might have been fixed in time to make a difference. I really appreciated the extensive footnotes that Sellers provides throughout the book, which are hyper linked in the Kindle edition, so it is easy to jump from the main book, to the footnotes, and back again.
I had a few problems with this book. One of Sellers main arguments is that Disney decided against giving the film a real marketing budget, spending “only” $100 Million. He doesn't explain what all that money was spent on. Was it mostly on the failed Superbowl spot? His argument could have been made stronger if he broke down where that budget went, especially as he continually refers to the outstanding Hunger Games marketing, which operated on a $50 Million budget. Another issue I had with the book is that I think Sellers vastly overemphasizes the importance of message boards. People posting uneducated and/or unflattering opinions online is common. I think it is too much to expect Disney to respond to negative comments on a trailer posted on YouTube. Sellers thinks this shows the marketing team was asleep at the wheel, but I don’t think it would have served their time well.
I would have liked to read more about the making of the film itself, but this book isn't a “making of” book. It is essentially an opinion piece, written by a fan of the book series and the film, hoping to galvanize fellow fans into taking action to revive the franchise. I respect that. While I didn't agree with all of his arguments or conclusions, I enjoyed reading this book very much. There were several times when I thought I’d read it for a few minutes, but found an hour would go by before I looked at the clock. My biggest praise for it is that it has convinced me to check out the Barsoom series itself, to “see what all the fuss is about.” Who knows? Maybe I’ll become a Barsoom fanatic and join the cause that Sellers is pushing throughout his book.
With all that said, I bought this book was very interested in what exactly happened with this film. What led to the disaster that played out? The writer, Michael D. Sellers, argues that it mostly came down to a disastrous marketing campaign that doomed the film before it ever had a chance to truly connect with the audience. Sellers presents his arguments well, identifying several instances where Disney failed to market the film correctly and suggesting a few ways in which the campaign might have been fixed in time to make a difference. I really appreciated the extensive footnotes that Sellers provides throughout the book, which are hyper linked in the Kindle edition, so it is easy to jump from the main book, to the footnotes, and back again.
I had a few problems with this book. One of Sellers main arguments is that Disney decided against giving the film a real marketing budget, spending “only” $100 Million. He doesn't explain what all that money was spent on. Was it mostly on the failed Superbowl spot? His argument could have been made stronger if he broke down where that budget went, especially as he continually refers to the outstanding Hunger Games marketing, which operated on a $50 Million budget. Another issue I had with the book is that I think Sellers vastly overemphasizes the importance of message boards. People posting uneducated and/or unflattering opinions online is common. I think it is too much to expect Disney to respond to negative comments on a trailer posted on YouTube. Sellers thinks this shows the marketing team was asleep at the wheel, but I don’t think it would have served their time well.
I would have liked to read more about the making of the film itself, but this book isn't a “making of” book. It is essentially an opinion piece, written by a fan of the book series and the film, hoping to galvanize fellow fans into taking action to revive the franchise. I respect that. While I didn't agree with all of his arguments or conclusions, I enjoyed reading this book very much. There were several times when I thought I’d read it for a few minutes, but found an hour would go by before I looked at the clock. My biggest praise for it is that it has convinced me to check out the Barsoom series itself, to “see what all the fuss is about.” Who knows? Maybe I’ll become a Barsoom fanatic and join the cause that Sellers is pushing throughout his book.
bill_gauthier's review
3.0
An interesting book. Some of the writing is a little sloppy in places but I found the book enjoyable. Interesting reading for people who have an interest in how Hollywood can work.
mburnamfink's review
5.0
Michael Sellers has done something impressive with this book. He's made the disastrous marketing campaign and boardroom politics that sabotaged John Carter nearly as thrilling as one of Edgar Rice Burrough's planetary romances.
Sellers has an ax to grind. He's the man responsible for thejohncarterfiles.com, the amazing fan-trailer, and as longtime Barsoom fan, he's using this book to push for sequels. Just because he has an agenda does not necessarily mean that his facts or interpretations are wrong, despite his CIA background*.
Sellers starts by contextualizing the 100 year history of the Barsoom books and attempted film adaptations, and their impacts on modern science fiction. Then the story moves into one about an expensive and complex movie that had its executive support cut out from it when it needed it most. Despite costing $250 million to make, and director Andrew Stanton taking more time than typical for reshoots, the film was completed within its budget and schedule. The Hollywood rumor-mill blew the scale of into an 'out-of-control rookie filmmaker' narrative to feed its unending lust for schadenfreude. Early promotional material was lackluster; dusty desert shots instead of the lush living world of Barsoom. A name change, from 'John Carter of Mars' to 'John Carter', poisoned the opinion of elite early opinion makers and stripped the film of its 100-year pedigree. The marketing team was replaced twice, and never devoted its full attention to the movie, using lackluster trailers and spots. And finally, just 10 days into the theatrical run, Disney killed its own film by labeling it a bomb, writing down losses, and pulling Asian distribution.
All of this is true, you can check the footnotes and the media links (although David Iger would probably tell you a different story). But what sealed the deal for me were the numbers that Sellers pulls. Compared to its Spring 2012 peers, The Hunger Games and The Avengers, John Carter had orders of magnitude lower presence on Facebook, Twitter, and in the industry press. This doesn't even account for the mind-boggling qualitatively superior marketing effort, in terms of engagement and multimodal tie-ins, for the other movies. Sellers describes John Carters marketing effort as "something an intern would do in 5 hours a week at a Burbank Starbucks", and he'd know, having set up a better marketing effort with thejohncarterfiles.com in his spare time using only public resources.
This book won't tell you how to sell a blockbuster. Mostly, it's an amazing picture of a trainwreck. I disagree with Sellers' categorization of John Carter as a misunderstood classic; I think it was a strictly average action-adventure flick that needed more of a heart. But that said, this book is a fascinating look inside Hollywood, and the first and last word on the John Carter story. A movie that had great potential was killed because nobody had the vision or courage to stick their neck out and save it.
*Sellers actually is a retired CIA agent. But that's just a joke, please don't drone me, bro.
Sellers has an ax to grind. He's the man responsible for thejohncarterfiles.com, the amazing fan-trailer, and as longtime Barsoom fan, he's using this book to push for sequels. Just because he has an agenda does not necessarily mean that his facts or interpretations are wrong, despite his CIA background*.
Sellers starts by contextualizing the 100 year history of the Barsoom books and attempted film adaptations, and their impacts on modern science fiction. Then the story moves into one about an expensive and complex movie that had its executive support cut out from it when it needed it most. Despite costing $250 million to make, and director Andrew Stanton taking more time than typical for reshoots, the film was completed within its budget and schedule. The Hollywood rumor-mill blew the scale of into an 'out-of-control rookie filmmaker' narrative to feed its unending lust for schadenfreude. Early promotional material was lackluster; dusty desert shots instead of the lush living world of Barsoom. A name change, from 'John Carter of Mars' to 'John Carter', poisoned the opinion of elite early opinion makers and stripped the film of its 100-year pedigree. The marketing team was replaced twice, and never devoted its full attention to the movie, using lackluster trailers and spots. And finally, just 10 days into the theatrical run, Disney killed its own film by labeling it a bomb, writing down losses, and pulling Asian distribution.
All of this is true, you can check the footnotes and the media links (although David Iger would probably tell you a different story). But what sealed the deal for me were the numbers that Sellers pulls. Compared to its Spring 2012 peers, The Hunger Games and The Avengers, John Carter had orders of magnitude lower presence on Facebook, Twitter, and in the industry press. This doesn't even account for the mind-boggling qualitatively superior marketing effort, in terms of engagement and multimodal tie-ins, for the other movies. Sellers describes John Carters marketing effort as "something an intern would do in 5 hours a week at a Burbank Starbucks", and he'd know, having set up a better marketing effort with thejohncarterfiles.com in his spare time using only public resources.
This book won't tell you how to sell a blockbuster. Mostly, it's an amazing picture of a trainwreck. I disagree with Sellers' categorization of John Carter as a misunderstood classic; I think it was a strictly average action-adventure flick that needed more of a heart. But that said, this book is a fascinating look inside Hollywood, and the first and last word on the John Carter story. A movie that had great potential was killed because nobody had the vision or courage to stick their neck out and save it.
*Sellers actually is a retired CIA agent. But that's just a joke, please don't drone me, bro.
tiedyedude's review against another edition
3.0
Pretty interesting story of the development and marketing of what is considered one of the biggest Hollywood flops. There is a lot of information here; maybe too much. Many of the claims made are supported by several snippets of articles, blogs and/or internet comments inserted into the text, as opposed to footnotes or an appendix. A lot of the data, numbers, and conclusions are repeated constantly throughout the book. While I'm glad he has the data to back up what he's saying, I found myself skipping/skimming large parts of the second half due to repetition/lack of interest in the hard data. Regardless, it is as much a labor of love as the movie itself, and it provides a fascinating, in-depth look at what goes into releasing a Hollywood movie. With so many hands in the pot, it's amazing there aren't many more tales like the one of John Carter. Luckily, there isn't much here that changes my view of the movie, which I found to be very well done.
sarah42783's review against another edition
3.0
Not only does this book offer great insight into the commercial disaster that was John Carter, it also gives the reader a greater understanding of the inner workings of Hollywood and the film industry. Although I have yet to read a book by ERB, I found this to be a very interesting, well-researched and informative read. Now the only thing left for me to do is read A Princess of Mars :)