Might As Well Be On Mars

I've always been fascinated by Mars and astronomy in general. I particularly enjoy reading stories about outer space, particularly those that were written around the turn of the twentieth century. Edgar Allen Poe had written a short story about taking a hot air balloon to the moon. A favorite author of mine E. E. "Doc" Smith wrote a space opera back in the 30's and 40's collected currently as Chronicles of the Lensmen, which last I heard they may be making into a film. Yesterday I went to see John Carter with my daughter and brother. I find it fascinating that these stories by Edgar Rice Burroughs were written so long ago when we new absolutely nothing about Mars. I have yet to read them meself, but now after seeing the movie, it may inspire me to sit down and enjoy them. Being a novice writer myself I have my own Mars story plotted out but have yet to take the time to finish writing it. I like other movies based on Mars as well. My first memory is of the movie Total Recall. There have been a few others since, but none really captured the same feeling of Mars like that one. Until John Carter came out. It takes a different approach to the story. Instead of colonizing Mars like in Total Recall or in space trips to Mars like in the other few that come to mind. John Carter goes with the theme that a civilization is already on Mars, having evolved similar to our own. Their are humans on Mars but also four-armed green men. You could generalize the genre as almost a western on Mars, but their are flying ships in it as well. What I found truly fascinating about the movie was the fact that John Carter has almost super-human powers, because of the difference in gravity between Earth and Mars John Carter is stronger and more agile and able to leap for almost a quarter mile or so. It was entertaining seeing  the character adjust to this new-found gravity as every step he took made him fly dozens of yards through the air. I see a franchise coming from this John Carter movie and expect another movie to hit theaters in a few years as Edgar Rice Burroughs wrote several stories featuring the characters.

I'll leave you with a favorite song by Alice Cooper "Might as well be on Mars http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCmBb1JSr4c