Avatar

[Pesci]

Yeah, when I was talking about it the next day my mate said stuff like "the story wasn't exactly original, was it?" And I remember just before we went in he was like "I read some reviews and apparently the story is pretty shit, he just falls in love with one of them". I hate people who judge films like that. Surely it doesn't matter if you've seen the story before as long as it's told well? You won't find a completely original plot for every film you see and most of the time, tried and tested methods work the best. That's part of the reason I don't read reviews - I can generally tell which films are gonna be shit from the trailers anyway, and I hate having a pre-determined view of something in my mind before I've seen it. I think that's why I enjoy most films a lot more these days.

The story might be done to death but it was told so beautifully that I don't care, I loved it.

Edited December 23, 2009 by Pesci

[arwrestling]

The only time I noticed the time go by was during the last 40 minutes. Up until that point, I could have swore it had only been 45 minutes maximum. Like others and myself have said before, you get sucked right into this world James Cameron created.

Oh, and I don't think there really were any "furry" things, all the animals seemed armored not furry. The graphics were amazing.

[Marsh]

Watched this yesterday in 2D, thought it was really good & the 3hrs flew by.

Admittedly lacking in originality, I felt that whilst the film didn't tread new ground in the story arc, the story it did tell was very poigniant and well delivered.

I would have perhaps liked to have seen less action at the end & more interactions between the different species. However if there are people complaining about the 3hrs dragging, this idea wouldn't have helped matters.

Left the theatre thinking it reminded me very much of The Lion King 2. Jake Sulley is Kovu.

[Mr Evil Guy]

HOLY FUCKING SHIT.

One of my favorite movies now. The entire time i was like ""

[the machine]

Saw it yesterday on imax. The visuals were absolutely mind-blowing. Cameron has really re-defined "epic" film-making, and he did it by combining the genre with cartoons. But the depth of field and bright colors are just amazing; it makes Lord of the Rings and King Kong look dated. I wouldn't care if it was the worst story ever it would be worth seeing in theatres for the visuals. Fortunately it's not the worst, it's just mediocre.

And for all that's been said about the story, it's only the last 45 minutes or so that it started to strain under the weight of its cliches. You're drawn into the world as you experience it along with the Jake character (gee, it's like he's your avatar or something). But suddenly the bad guys turn into cartoon villains and the story starts up again, and it's all downhill. If Cameron had an intermission at the 2 Hr mark, I would've just left. If there was a quiz on what happens in the end, I could've just guessed. "Who saves the Na'vi and becomes their leader?" Uhhhh Giovanni Ribisi?

Really my only problem is that every character is a moron. From the corporate drone who's too "duh duh" stupid to recognize the tremendous economic benefits in biological diversity through a freaking network to the mustache-twirling stand-in for the US military in Iraq and Vietnam. But really the biggest moron is Jake: I know he's a marine but did he plan his attack at all? I realize I'm not some messianic chosen one, but it seems like the very first stage of my plan would be rounding up those space-rhinos and getting them to stampede the ground troops. The second stage of my plan would probably involve teaching my air guys how to take down one of the space-helicopters. The third stage of my plan would probably involve not fighting a big dumb climactic battle where I need to be bailed out by the very definition of a deus ex machina.

Oh, one other thing I thought was cool was the battle between Jake's Avatar and a souped up Powerloader from Aliens: sort of a fight between the past and the future of special effects.

[EddieRuckus]

To the people who say that the marine general or the corporate douchebags become cliches, well that's how they were back in the day when they were all about Manifest Destiny. Natives were godless savages that needed to die/be converted, and damned if they were on top of sacred places that had resources in them(the Black Hills for instance, or Mount Rushmore for godsakes.) Because of that we have these cliches.

Also, my understanding is that the great planet mother spirit, whatever she was called, would only keep balance to Pandora, which is why Jake couldn't plan out his attack with the rhinos/flying creatures/etc. They weren't available to his will and call, and only when the great mother spirit realized that he was fighting a losing battle, then did she send out the reinforcements. It wasn't as if he could say "hey, rhino dudes, go fuck some shit up" when he was planning all of it, hence the praying/dramatic tenstion/etc etc.

[the machine]

To the people who say that the marine general or the corporate douchebags become cliches, well that's how they were back in the day when they were all about Manifest Destiny. Natives were godless savages that needed to die/be converted, and damned if they were on top of sacred places that had resources in them(the Black Hills for instance, or Mount Rushmore for godsakes.) Because of that we have these cliches.

Yeah, that's a, uh... simplified explanation of things. Besides, if you don't get a Vietnam vibe from the head marine guy, you need to watch more Vietnam movies. But the fact that in history there may have been jerks doesn't really provide an explanation. Simple, stupid characters are fine for cartoons (which, again, Avatar essentially is), but to argue that it's somehow because 19th Century America was like that is just silly. Obviously we're not dealing with an identical situation, since for all intents and purposes the Na'vi are the guileless, mystical spirit-people that we sort of assumed the Indians were until we actually dealt with them.

Also, my understanding is that the great planet mother spirit, whatever she was called, would only keep balance to Pandora, which is why Jake couldn't plan out his attack with the rhinos/flying creatures/etc. They weren't available to his will and call, and only when the great mother spirit realized that he was fighting a losing battle, then did she send out the reinforcements. It wasn't as if he could say "hey, rhino dudes, go fuck some shit up" when he was planning all of it, hence the praying/dramatic tenstion/etc etc.

Animals, even untrainable ones, can be herded. Maybe different rules apply for space-animals.

Edited December 24, 2009 by the machine

[EddieRuckus]

To the people who say that the marine general or the corporate douchebags become cliches, well that's how they were back in the day when they were all about Manifest Destiny. Natives were godless savages that needed to die/be converted, and damned if they were on top of sacred places that had resources in them(the Black Hills for instance, or Mount Rushmore for godsakes.) Because of that we have these cliches.

Yeah, that's a, uh... simplified explanation of things. Besides, if you don't get a Vietnam vibe from the head marine guy, you need to watch more Vietnam movies. But the fact that in history there may have been jerks doesn't really provide an explanation. Simple, stupid characters are fine for cartoons (which, again, Avatar essentially is), but to argue that it's somehow because 19th Century America was like that is just silly. Obviously we're not dealing with an identical situation, since for all intents and purposes the Na'vi are the guileless, mystical spirit-people that we sort of assumed the Indians were until we actually dealt with them.

Also, my understanding is that the great planet mother spirit, whatever she was called, would only keep balance to Pandora, which is why Jake couldn't plan out his attack with the rhinos/flying creatures/etc. They weren't available to his will and call, and only when the great mother spirit realized that he was fighting a losing battle, then did she send out the reinforcements. It wasn't as if he could say "hey, rhino dudes, go fuck some shit up" when he was planning all of it, hence the praying/dramatic tenstion/etc etc.

Animals, even untrainable ones, can be herded. Maybe different rules apply for space-animals.

I didn't say the first one as an excuse, just moreso that people in charge actually said those things back in the day(and some still do and believe it), and not excusing them from their other obvious cliched roles(uber-tough/ignorant whatever). And yeah, I'm assuming Pandora animals might be able to be herded, but for dramatic tension they couldn't be

[Bryan Blade]

It's kinda realistic though aswell i'm sure if we ever did find a planet with aliens on it and there home was on like some massivley valuble stuff to us i'm sure we'd blitz them too and make out that they were attacking us 1st

[HeartlineTwist]

Call me crazy, but the Na'vi were pretty small in comparison to the rhino beasts. I don't think herding them would happen. Think of it this way: if they weren't already being herded, I think it would be next to impossible to do so on the relatively short notice that they had when they were amassing their warriors, etc.

That, and I think the way that played out in the end battle helped reinforce the discovery of the nature of the planet.

[TKz]

It's kinda realistic though aswell i'm sure if we ever did find a planet with aliens on it and there home was on like some massivley valuble stuff to us i'm sure we'd blitz them too and make out that they were attacking us 1st

I know we're a pretty retarded species as a whole, but I like to think that we'd be slightly less evil than destroying an entire planet and it's species if they were as intelligent as the Na'vi. I'm sure we'd just be psyched to know there's a planet we can later take over when our one has gone to shit. >_>

[DFF]

I loved Avatar. It a decent (if simple) story, told pretty darn well - and it looks beautiful in its execution of it. I only saw the 2D version, but I'm almost certainly going to see it in 3D too (if I can convince some mates to go ).

For the record, I liked Worthington in the lead. I thought he was good in this, good in T4 and will probably be good in the new Clash of the Titans film.

One small detail I do like:

The fact that Worthington's legs get/are really thin due to them not getting any use, due to his condition.

[The Quasi Juice]

One small detail I do like:

The fact that Worthington's legs get/are really thin due to them not getting any use, due to his condition.

I had never seen the guy before, so during the break I was like "that lead actor must be really handicapped, his legs look very real" and then my mate said he played in Terminator Salvation and wasn't handicapped. How the hell?

[Mx. Canadian Destroyer]

It's the most beautiful movie you've ever seen in the cinema.

QFE.

While it wasn't my favorite movie of all time, I'm definitely glad I went to see it in theaters. I really liked the first two hours, but wasn't that drawn into the last hour, other than the epic battle scene.

My friend didn't like it and said, "It's funny, the whole hype is about the new technology, but that's about the only thing new. Everything else is from the 80's." You can't really complain though considering Cameron's had this idea for quite a few years now, or so I think I read. Anyway, I recommend seeing it if you're torn. As Quasi said, it's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen in the cinema.

[Herr Matzat]

This Movie sucked. The Design was somewhat like this.

Just with more colores and kitch. The story was flat and you always knew what happens next.

It´s really sad, the 3D was used very well... almost no "look we are useing 3D" in your face bullshit. - Could have been so much more......

Edited December 28, 2009 by Michael Matzat on a Plane

[Guest Mr. Potato Head]

Good movie.

Certainly not a great movie, definitely no better than second-best I saw this year (Inglourious beats it if nothing else does), but a good movie.

3D was awesome, really gave the feeling of an extra layer of depth, and like somebody said wasn't in your face at all. Normally I can't stand CGI because I can't get over how much it looks like CGI (i.e. Green Goblin), but that wasn't the case here - some of the best CGI I've ever seen and I never really thought about it being such.

Plot was what it was...nothing special, but I didn't go in thinking it would be. Enjoyable anyhow. This movie is going to age very, very well.

Only real complaint is that they specified when it took place (Jake's video logs all show being recorded in 2154). I know it's far enough off that nobody will remember (or care) when Avatar gets the future wrong, but I'd have preferred them to just leave the date out and leave it to us to determine if it's the near future, the far future, or some parallel world.

[IJS]

Saw it today. My god, that was great. Time simply flew watching it. Brillant CGI. Loved the general, he was top class.

My only complaint is that some things could have been explained better, like what MPH said, they didn't really explain when it took place.

[zero]

Without question, the most beautiful movie I have ever seen. It's unfortunate that originality and Cameron's ability to completely change the game in terms of production couldn't have translated to an even remotely creative plot. Loads of creativity in terms of visuals, but from the moment the movie gets going, you know exactly how it's going to play out. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed the movie, I'd even say I loved it, and seeing it in 3D is something that everyone needs to experience, but while it is a revolution in filmmaking, it could've done so much more in storytelling.

[HeartlineTwist]

Without question, the most beautiful movie I have ever seen. It's unfortunate that originality and Cameron's ability to completely change the game in terms of production couldn't have translated to an even remotely creative plot. Loads of creativity in terms of visuals, but from the moment the movie gets going, you know exactly how it's going to play out. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed the movie, I'd even say I loved it, and seeing it in 3D is something that everyone needs to experience, but while it is a revolution in filmmaking, it could've done so much more in storytelling.

I highly recommend you find the comparison of Avatar to Cameron's treatment/script hybrid for the movie called Project 880. With the kind of story the movie had in the treatment, I have high hopes for the inevitable Avatar sequel.

[Plubby]

I saw this movie last week. I thought it was a great experience, but the movie itself was somewhat lacking. But I think I would have liked it better had I not been forewarned about the greenie overtones.