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[Conchaga]

So, from the recently-viewed movie thread it's getting mixed reviews. People who like it, love it; and people who don't like it are indifferent.

Here's what I know. It's a revamp of Dances With Wolves, Last Samurai, etc. It's a classic story of a man from an "advanced civilization" who is inserted into the culture of noble savages. He eventually comes to know them and like them and is willing to fight for them. The latter part is an eventuality. Otherwise, they wouldn't be spamming TV programming with their crappy images of Mechs. There's probably a love interest as well.

I'm also aware of all of the cutting edge CGI and 3D effects. These are what I'm told is why it's worth it to go see the film.

What I wanna know is, is it worth my $15 to go watch this in Imax 3D?

 

[Blindgroping]

I'm taking a friend to see it Imax 3d.

 

[Weevil]

MF opinions for the curious.

 

[Dual]

No, fuck this movie, deeply and in the neck.

 

[FBI parte due]

Not really, IMHO, unless you have some acid and they're not showing any documentaries about coral reefs or anything.

 

[Archibald Nixon]

Saw it last Sunday.

I didn't fully appreciate that I was watching a James Cameron movie until the giant robot pulled a knife.

 

[Conchaga]

Did it then say, "I keep this for close encounters."

 

[Blindgroping]

I liked the irony of Sigorney Weaver acting in a James Cameron film about Aliens.

The people I saw it with loved the 3D Imax experience.

 

[Blindgroping]

If you would like to read the original idea, just google Avatar Scriptment and real 144 - 240 pages in the story. It give a different plot to the movie, written aroung 1996, and gives a lot of back story to make a few things make more sense.

 

[jack]

I finally saw this in 3d. Still kinda boring, because I'm not geeky like the theory of the story. I likey my body and soul, etc. But the 3d part, although headachey was visually stunning, so I was able to sit into that.

At least worth the 7 bucks, plus I got a decent buzz from the carafe of wine I shared with my wife while we watched it.

 

[Ilyanna]

The story was utter blech, I think it would have been more enjoyable to watch two and a half hours of someone walking around the virtual environment of Pandora or the labs, just for the 3D effect.

 

[FBI parte due]

I theoretically support the right of people to hold James Cameron movies to whatever high standard they feel entitled to, but, in practice, I can't take a bunch of Buffy and Voyager fans seriously about something like this.

 

[Conchaga]

^ I completely agree. He did do a great job with T2 and Aliens, however Titanic was horrible. Also, this does seem like a giant fanboi movie. I still haven't gone to see it. Maybe I'll go Thursday. The general consensus is that the 3D is worth watching, while the rest of the movie can be seen while wearing headphones with good music. Amirite?

 

[starguard]

When I bought this movie (Bootleg mind you), I completely got it confused with "Avatar: The Last Airbender". This is what I thought I was buying. Instead I get stuck with some movie about a bunch of tall blue hillbillies running through the forest fighting the military.

 

[Conchaga]

Went to go see it last week. The story was crap, as I expected. Also, the characters had less dimension than the visuals. The action sequences were actually quite good, and had me cheering at one point. One thing stood out for me. The sound effects. These were the best sound effects I've ever heard. The explosions when they were blowing up home tree were so real I was just in awe. All that was missing was the thump you feel in your chest when high explosives are going off right next to you.

Overall: 5/10 only that much because of the visual and auditory detail.

 

[Eggs Mayonnaise]

The plot may be ham-handed (snip)

I enjoyed it. The dialogue was terrible, the plot was terrible, and the imaginary technology was terrible, but Cameron managed things so that those things didn't get in the way of the nice, flashy action movie he'd made. (snip)

If Cameron takes over a decade to develop the script alongside the technology, and is cocky enough not to take on any co-writers, and this trite story, simpleton characters and reheated fanboy dialogue is all he felt he needed to go with, then he doesn't get a pass from me.

If he wanted to show off his tech e-penis, he could have made a short movie to show in IMAX theaters before another feature, and then waited until there was a REASON to spend all this time, money, manpower and hype. For me, the end doesn't justify the means.

But since the movie is raking in megabucks, the studios feel totally vindicated. Now there's talk of turning every piece of entertainment known to man to 3D (including Wheel of Fortune, I kid you not), and planning in the short term to make it common enough so that everyone who had to buy a new home theater last year will have to buy ANOTHER new one all too soon.

Meanwhile, the indie film industry is currently in another downward cycle. It's just greedy, and just plain wrong. Whatever anti-BIGBADMONEYMAN message Cameron wrote into his fanboy script is hypocritical to the extreme. He would be just fine with every studio turning into Cameron factories, churning out theme park rides like this and expecting Oscars for the masturbatory pleasure. I'm just glad he goes away for 10 years between movies, giving people enough time to come back to their senses.

I did not like this movie attraction.

Oh, and...

I theoretically support the right of people to hold James Cameron movies to whatever high standard they feel entitled to, but, in practice, I can't take a bunch of Buffy and Voyager fans seriously about something like this.

You're a smart person, and that's about the stupidest thing I've ever read on this board.

(Posted twice, once here and once in the MF thread)

 

[Mirage]

What more do you all want? This movie had it all....action....drama....romance...visuals off the chain...I was totally satisfied with this cinema experience. I want to go and see it again. I loved the way he married the Native American feel with aliens.....makes you realize there is nothing new under the sun, and that people all over are basically the same.

 

[DarthSikle]

I liked it and thought Titanic was one of the top 30 movies ever made.

 

[Mirage]

Titanic was great....it was epic....and furthermore a period piece which is always good.

 

[Eggs Mayonnaise]

I liked Titanic too, it was more worthy of all the operatic hype (which, like this movie, was generated more by its huge price-tag than by any artistic anticipation). Titanic delivered the goods as an "event" movie because you got lost in the story, not just all the money you saw onscreen. With Avatar, you just get lost here and there in the visuals, but you catch yourself deciding to put up with the lame characters and plot devices along the way.

I don't mind people really liking the movie for what it does well. I just hate the blind promotion of it as the obvious Oscar frontrunner simply because it's so big and has cool tech. It's like cheerleading for Microsoft, or the Death Star. It deserves the technical Oscars for effects, sound, etc. Just don't bullshit me that it deserves Oscars for screenplay or Best Picture.

Or even Best Direction, for that matter: I think if you gave several other directors 10 years and that much money, they could have churned out something better than what Cameron did. But what would Cameron have done to Fargo, or The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, or The Graduate? Probably not much more than leave pee stains on them.