Escape to the Movies: Avatar

[inpachi]

I dunno.. I have seen a few of the trailers.. And it really really just turned me off.. I have seen this storyline hundreds of times before.. And just because it includes 10 foot tall kitty cats and giant mechs doesnt mean it will be any different.. I might see this if its my only option for movies this year..

 

[jestertheork]

i can't get into this movie, special effects are a good thing and 3-d always brings out the action, but i prefer movies where when i watch them again, i notice things that i never saw before. i'd rather rent the movie, reicently i've grown a new standard for games and movies, and this movie doesn't meet them

 

[Kuraigekage]

"comes to you at the price of more than twice the GDP of (wherever that was), courtesy robert murdoc and mcdonald's"

well yeah, unless you pirated it and watched it in your own home theatre, courtesy of sony and logitech...

 

[Jens Viking]

Still not gonna watch it. Why? You ask. Dont want to look at James Cameron's wankfest, and it certainly is nothing short of that. Wankfest how? you say. Well if I were to create a movie I would start by NOT putting my goddamn name in the title! That just irks me in a certain way. Yes yes there might have already been made another Avatar movie, I cannot say, but come on; Lord of the Rings is not named Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings even though a cartoon was made back in the day. No sir. Had James Cameron's Cameron simply named his movie Avatar then fine, I would watch it, no questions asked! I don't pay 10 bucks to watch someone jerk of, at least not in a cinema....

 

[Orhid]

Well, my review of the movie would come down to one grand

"Meh".

Lot of money sunk into visuals, but if at least half of that ammount was used to pay a script writer to do his damn job, the movie would have the astouning visuals AND a good story.

James Cameron should stop blowing all the money on CGI and spend some more on writers it would be a win win situation.

 

[Gilgamesh00]

If I might be so bold, what is so wrong about a movie that tells a story we have all heard before? Call me crazy but that seems to be the way in which any story/movie has ever been told.

Dances With Wolves was the combination of the European and American man taking over the Native American grounds mixed with a romantic center.
Star Wars brought together the idea of an evil expansionist Empire with that of the single hero taught by an elderly mentor.
Titanic was the well known historical disaster meshed with the romance of a young girl with father issues falling in love with the bad boy from the lower class.

See, it can be argued that no one wants to hear the same story again and again, but not only does that happen, but such stories become widely popular and become part of our culture. There are just two things that need to be done in order for such a "retelling" to be done successfully.

First of all, they need to bring something new to the table, otherwise we're just back saying/seeing what we have seen. Avatar does this by taking us literally to a world we have never seen before, and having us all but physically interact with that world.
Second, the retelling needs to stay true to the original. Another way of putting this would be to say "give the people what they want."

**Spoilers Ahead**
I do not know about everyone else, but I know for a fact that I wanted to see the main character grow sympathy for the Na'vi, fall in love with the girl and join forces against the army. I wanted them to rise up into a massive counter attack. I WANTED all of Pandora to say "enough of this crap" and ram a charging beast right down the army's throat.

I believe everyone is free to like and dislike what they please, but I can not for the life of me understand why they would turn against something as artful as Avatar and reject is as being over-budgeted, predictable and preachy, when all it really wants to do is take us somewhere we can't go, and let us lose ourselves in it. If nothing else, I hold a great respect for people that were at least willing to give it a chance, even if it did not deliver what you wanted.

Regardless of how this will make me sound, this movie has helped me remember what it means to be human, and truly alive.



(And one final thing, yes it can get annoying hearing movies and people saying "Protect the Earth" and what not, but if so many people find it important enough to say, wouldn't that give it at least a little bit of validity?)

+1 million respect points from me. My thoughts on the movie are very similar to yours and to everyone else's who agree with you.

Also, I really don't get the 'retelling the same story' crap. Do people not realize there are younger generations that haven't seen those "great" old movies that first told the story ? And I suppose besides those people, there are people who just can't get immersed (enough) in a fantasy world and bash Avatar for various related reasons, to which I ask myself why they'd watch SF movies in the first place.

 

[Zydrate]

I saw it. I liked it.
And nothing else to say, with 9 other pages of opinions.

 

[Ironic]

Spoiler

If I might be so bold, what is so wrong about a movie that tells a story we have all heard before? Call me crazy but that seems to be the way in which any story/movie has ever been told.

Dances With Wolves was the combination of the European and American man taking over the Native American grounds mixed with a romantic center.
Star Wars brought together the idea of an evil expansionist Empire with that of the single hero taught by an elderly mentor.
Titanic was the well known historical disaster meshed with the romance of a young girl with father issues falling in love with the bad boy from the lower class.

See, it can be argued that no one wants to hear the same story again and again, but not only does that happen, but such stories become widely popular and become part of our culture. There are just two things that need to be done in order for such a "retelling" to be done successfully.

First of all, they need to bring something new to the table, otherwise we're just back saying/seeing what we have seen. Avatar does this by taking us literally to a world we have never seen before, and having us all but physically interact with that world.
Second, the retelling needs to stay true to the original. Another way of putting this would be to say "give the people what they want."

**Spoilers Ahead**
I do not know about everyone else, but I know for a fact that I wanted to see the main character grow sympathy for the Na'vi, fall in love with the girl and join forces against the army. I wanted them to rise up into a massive counter attack. I WANTED all of Pandora to say "enough of this crap" and ram a charging beast right down the army's throat.

I believe everyone is free to like and dislike what they please, but I can not for the life of me understand why they would turn against something as artful as Avatar and reject is as being over-budgeted, predictable and preachy, when all it really wants to do is take us somewhere we can't go, and let us lose ourselves in it. If nothing else, I hold a great respect for people that were at least willing to give it a chance, even if it did not deliver what you wanted.

Regardless of how this will make me sound, this movie has helped me remember what it means to be human, and truly alive.



(And one final thing, yes it can get annoying hearing movies and people saying "Protect the Earth" and what not, but if so many people find it important enough to say, wouldn't that give it at least a little bit of validity?)

+1 million respect points from me. My thoughts on the movie are very similar to yours and to everyone else's who agree with you.

Also, I really don't get the 'retelling the same story' crap. Do people not realize there are younger generations that haven't seen those "great" old movies that first told the story ? And I suppose besides those people, there are people who just can't get immersed (enough) in a fantasy world and bash Avatar for various related reasons, to which I ask myself why they'd watch SF movies in the first place.

If you're really picky, theres only about 10-12 truly original stories out there, just different characters and settings with each version. As the poster above me said, 9 pages of opinions is quite a lot, so all that can be said probably has (i only read 2).

It was definitely ENTERTAINING in 3D though, it finally brought back the "cinema is for entertainment not a big screen" feeling, for me, especially because Avatar in 3D boils down to 4 words.

[HEADING=1]ORGY OF THE SENSES.[/HEADING]

 

[xDarc]

I was all set to dismiss this movie as an overwrought 3D tech fest for kids. I generally don't like movies that feature prominently in happy meals. However I usually respect Movie Bob's opinions, so I may give this one a chance.

Me too. In fact I was all set to never watch it. But then a screener showed up on the interwebz and I couldn't help myself.

Not impressed. Glad I didn't spend money to watch this crap. I didn't care for Titanic over a decade ago, (except for propeller guy) and I don't care for this now.

 

[Lusulpher]

I was all set to dismiss this movie as an overwrought 3D tech fest for kids. I generally don't like movies that feature prominently in happy meals. However I usually respect Movie Bob's opinions, so I may give this one a chance.

Go SEE THIS MOVIE. It's like seeing a film in a theater got reinvented. The 3D is THAT GOOD!

Overall score: 9.0/10.0, there are no tens.

Plot:Cliche, but he was working on it before other movies came out, I guess.
Immersion: Best in films ever. From the 3D to the set pieces, to the character acting.
It feels like a trip to another world!

Twist: Poor, this is the prequel to Aliens franchise...we know those Humans have nukes, and will nuke/firebomb that place into a warm grave. It's the only way to be sure.

Improvement: If the Beige man died[Sully, his acting is superb] and the Blue Smurf Princess[I'd tap that!, her acting is good.], was to lead the nation withthe memory of his sacrifice intact, that would have made a female empowerment ending. Something 1)less racist than this cliche "white guy, last historical, HONOURABLE, ethnic warrior" bullshit. And 2)less sexist than this cliche "women can't do shit, alone" bullshit.

If you watch it without the 3D, you can shave a whole point off, it's a different film/experience. I nearly cried twice in this film.[you can't prove I said this]
The film is crafted to be completely accessible, and so anyone who did not liek it, is actually exerting effort to frown. When those flying things swooped down and the surround sound captured all the flapping, I was like wow. Just smiles.[you can't prove I said this either]


@MovieBob And Titanic[emotional, empowering masterpiece] is not one of his weaker films, watched that 2 days back, for the 5th time...
T2 is.
I did not know he did one of my absolute favs, The Abyss...awesome.
And Aliens 2 is a masterpiece.

 

[Danglybits]

Saw it, found it entertianing but forgettable. Its one thing to say that a film retreads old ground but does it well, and/or adds something fresh to it because every story has already been told. However, Avatar doesn't really do any of that. It's pretty that's about it. The Na'vi were cool to look at (not that kind of look at) and were well acted but the Jake's dialogue and VO's were terribly childish. The Jake's Sad story prologue was pointless and did nothing to establish him, or endear him to the audience what wasn't done in the story proper. The movie painted everything in such sharp relief that it was hard to focus on much more than which of the Na'vi were going to die. Peace loving natives: GOOD, Military/Coorporate guys: BAD!! Anyone else notice that when the human soldiers were saying terrible things about the Na'vi and taking pleasure in killing them, there weren't any female soldiers present or taking part?

Anyway, it was just spectacle to me because there is no rooting for anyone but the big blue cat people. It didn't even do what Princess Mononoke did (a movie that tells pretty much the same story) and make the correct side ambiguous. The people of iron town need to survive too, Eboshi is compassionate to humans and the people are likable characters. In Avatar the people are just complete bastards. Pretty effects but a totally shallow story that would likely have been forgotten without James Cameron and the really, really cool visuals. It kills me to think that it's going to win best film when it really should be in technical categories alone.

I'd like to think that the 'bond' the natives form with things is done with a tentacle from the back of their head as an extension of their spinal cord, which is braided into their hair to protect it. That would be really cool; so would more info on Na'vi biology in general.

 

[Jumpingbean3]

I loved Avatar when I first saw it, but looking back the film was just okay. Like with district 9 the story was unoriginal but well told but the characters were barely there, the villain may as well have just held up a sign saying "hello I'm the bad guy", the dialogue felt forced and unnatural and the ending was kinda predictable (especially if you played the game). Also it was kinda ruined for me by the Nostalgia Critic constantly making unfunny jokes about it because I guess he can't stand the thought of someone liking something he doesn't.

 

[ResiEvalJohn]

If I might be so bold, what is so wrong about a movie that tells a story we have all heard before? Call me crazy but that seems to be the way in which any story/movie has ever been told.

Dances With Wolves was the combination of the European and American man taking over the Native American grounds mixed with a romantic center.
Star Wars brought together the idea of an evil expansionist Empire with that of the single hero taught by an elderly mentor.
Titanic was the well known historical disaster meshed with the romance of a young girl with father issues falling in love with the bad boy from the lower class.

See, it can be argued that no one wants to hear the same story again and again, but not only does that happen, but such stories become widely popular and become part of our culture. There are just two things that need to be done in order for such a "retelling" to be done successfully.

First of all, they need to bring something new to the table, otherwise we're just back saying/seeing what we have seen. Avatar does this by taking us literally to a world we have never seen before, and having us all but physically interact with that world.
Second, the retelling needs to stay true to the original. Another way of putting this would be to say "give the people what they want."

**Spoilers Ahead**
I do not know about everyone else, but I know for a fact that I wanted to see the main character grow sympathy for the Na'vi, fall in love with the girl and join forces against the army. I wanted them to rise up into a massive counter attack. I WANTED all of Pandora to say "enough of this crap" and ram a charging beast right down the army's throat.

I believe everyone is free to like and dislike what they please, but I can not for the life of me understand why they would turn against something as artful as Avatar and reject is as being over-budgeted, predictable and preachy, when all it really wants to do is take us somewhere we can't go, and let us lose ourselves in it. If nothing else, I hold a great respect for people that were at least willing to give it a chance, even if it did not deliver what you wanted.

Regardless of how this will make me sound, this movie has helped me remember what it means to be human, and truly alive.



(And one final thing, yes it can get annoying hearing movies and people saying "Protect the Earth" and what not, but if so many people find it important enough to say, wouldn't that give it at least a little bit of validity?)

+1 million respect points from me. My thoughts on the movie are very similar to yours and to everyone else's who agree with you.

Also, I really don't get the 'retelling the same story' crap. Do people not realize there are younger generations that haven't seen those "great" old movies that first told the story ? And I suppose besides those people, there are people who just can't get immersed (enough) in a fantasy world and bash Avatar for various related reasons, to which I ask myself why they'd watch SF movies in the first place.

I pretty much have the same opinion as you guys, and as for why there are people who just wanna bash the movie, I think it has to do with their egos. Basically, people who just call it off as a "Dance of Wolves" clone are just jealous because they didn't think of it first, or they thought of a similar story, but James Cameron got to make it first. So those people are trying furiously to divert attention away from the public by shouting "DoW clone! Do not see!!" However, if those people actually flushed their egos down the toilet and tried to like it, they certainly could; it's beautifully done.

I saw it two weeks ago and I thought it was awesome, 9.5/10 (because 10 is impossible, ya know).

 

[Donttazemehbro]

Now I defenetly want to see it. Oh and what did he ment with the last bit?

From what i gathered, he means that

I generally agree with Movie Bob, but this is bs. This movie is just visual masturbation, I would prefer to spend my money on a flm that actually has depth, and can immerse me.

It should have been pointed out that this movie is designed to appeal to people with a limited mental capacity.

This movie was not for everyone, you have to have a undertone liking for fantasy movies that require 300 million dollars to make. Personally, i thought Avatar was one of the best movies I've ever seen. The story was a little schizophrenic but i really liked it. But as i said, you have to like this subject matter or you wont like Avatar

 

[ostro-whiskey]

Now I defenetly want to see it. Oh and what did he ment with the last bit?

From what i gathered, he means that

I generally agree with Movie Bob, but this is bs. This movie is just visual masturbation, I would prefer to spend my money on a flm that actually has depth, and can immerse me.

It should have been pointed out that this movie is designed to appeal to people with a limited mental capacity.

This movie was not for everyone, you have to have a undertone liking for fantasy movies that require 300 million dollars to make. Personally, i thought Avatar was one of the best movies I've ever seen. The story was a little schizophrenic but i really liked it. But as i said, you have to like this subject matter or you wont like Avatar

Oh please, I like fantasy movies, but this is just space Pocahontas or Dances with Wolves. Its generic cliched bs, there is nothing in the story that is likeable.

 

[Prof. Monkeypox]

I really felt like this was easily the most overrated movie of 2009. It wasn't exactly terrible, nor am I bothered by the generic plot line lifted from Dances et. all, but I was seriously bored about an hour in. The reason: for all it's $300 million budget to create the visual effects, I was turned off by the lackluster writing and acting which made the characters fell completely unrelatable.

I don't care if a plot has been reused or played out, so long as it is again used in a way that is enjoyable and refreshing. Avatar simply wasn't that for me. I just can't enjoy a work (of any kind) that seems to totally sacrifice narrative and character development for the sake of reveling in its visual effects only. Honestly, this tripe almost won best picture?

Also, it was too long.

 

[soulalcatraz]

I saw this movie with my hubby and we both fell absolutely in love with it despite the plot's familiarity. I agreed with every single thing you said in this review.

 

[Siberian Relic]

I've got to say, after just sitting through this, I found it very difficult to care about. My banal, Y-chromosome self is certainly turned on by broad, well-captured action, but when it's set up by almost two hours of rote character and story and underscored by what felt like a forced piece of "this is our stand for survival" music, it undermined the whole thing for me.

The only brilliance to this film is topographical. The visuals are top notch, and the artistry of Pandora is quite a rush. Apart from that, not only was there nothing for me to really praise as being anything but somewhat above average, but there was nothing there to pull me back into additional viewings. There were no character transformations that stirred me (or even remotely surprised me), no performances that managed to dazzle me (Lang's Quaritch was the best thing of it all), and I can't comprehend how Horner's score was nominated for an Oscar. I'm the guy that notices music in film, and this score barely registered at all.

Overrated? Yes, and given its box office haul, I'd say the most overrated of all time. I didn't connect with a single character in the film (weigh that against the fact that I felt strongly for Carl Fredricksen, a character that's more caricature than photoreal and is fifty-five years my senior). Would I normally take such offense to environmental messages, high-watermark ambition, generic plot, and stiff character-types? Only when they're used so bluntly and unashamedly.

And only when the masses somehow think this entertaining, but ultimately tepid stuff epitomizes cinematic brilliance.

Also, the environmental stuff was way too overdone. It wound up vying for supremacy when weighed against the flat story, as opposed to being a cleverly veiled piece of subtext for an otherwise entertaining film.

 

[XavierPrice]

Who's going to stop the exploitation of the navi? Well, the furries of course! [http://www.furaffinity.net] N-no, I'm serious, the furry community got all butthurt assbent out of shape about the bloody blue freaks and their nature first "We love peace even though we kill each other" culture. Seriously annoying to be around, glad it's done with for now. I'm not looking forward to the sequel.

Sure the movie was good, but the aftermath sucked. And yes, I'm a furry, so I have a unique perspective on how much furries suck.