Avatar

Vlad Piranha · Posted: Tue Dec 22, 2009 8:52 pm Post subject: Avatar

I got around to seeing Avatar yesterday and have had plenty of time to let it sink it for a review. It's mostly a great film, but there are some plot devices that James Cameron has dusted off and recycled from his old films.

You'll find little bits and pieces of all sorts of love stories and war films in this. Everything from Ferngully: The Last Rainforest to Last of the Mohicans seems to pop up (Even Wes Studi makes an 'appearance' in this film), but archetypes are inevitable, so you can't hold that against the film, especially when they're done this well. After all, last year's The Wrestler was pretty much the same film idea as 2005's The Weather Man, but it was still nominated for several awards.

The one part of the plot that is really tired is the concept of a military group under the influence of an evil corporation on a mission into a dangerous alien world. They're even Marines. Oh, and Sigourney Weaver is in this. Gee, why does this all sound so familiar? It's laughable, but don't let it ruin the film for you.

In any case, I enjoyed this film greatly and do recommend it. It was one of the better films I've seen in a while and had some really compelling characters. It's nice to see a movie with a love story in it that isn't really tacked on or thrown in out of necessity. The story flows so well that over 2 1/2 hours will move by quickly. I love long films like The Dark Knight if they use their time wisely, which Avatar does. I'd give it 3 1/2 stars.

2shoes · Posted: Mon Jan 25, 2010 8:06 pm Post subject:

saw it in 3D and i cant normally sit through any movie without getting up and never realized 2 hours 42 mins went by
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Brutus · Posted: Mon Jan 25, 2010 11:18 pm Post subject:

Visuals A++
Acting C
Plot D

Great eye candy, acting was bad (deliberately to make animation more deep? maybe?), plot was a ridiculous predictable (probably because it has been used 100 times already).
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Wang Chung · Posted: Tue Jan 26, 2010 12:10 am Post subject:

I didn't think the plot and acting were that bad. The graphics really did take it to a new level. Great film, A-.
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RCSI · Posted: Tue Jan 26, 2010 11:36 am Post subject:

On the subject of avatar, how about Pocahontas?

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Brutus · Posted: Tue Jan 26, 2010 3:23 pm Post subject:

Ding, cookie for Pocahontas correlation! Or any other self-hating white-man's "noble savage" type novel/movie...

The plot was SO f'n obvious. Sorry Wang. Razz

And the acting was bad. Character's feelings and methods seemed to change with the wind. Maybe perspective-changing intermediate scenes were edited out. Dunno, but the actors were more unreal than the animation. :/
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RK-Mara · Posted: Tue Jan 26, 2010 4:23 pm Post subject:

Cameron knows how to make a good action movie. But it's still just an action movie.
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Vlad Piranha · Posted: Tue Jan 26, 2010 8:04 pm Post subject:

I've had alot more time to really think about the film and really see its flaws for what they are and now I'm disappointed that it's the highest grossing film of all time. It doesn't deserve that honor by a longshot, just like its predecessor, Titanic. It's like James Cameron had some sort of vendetta against Star Wars.

"You know what, George Lucas? If your shitty movie can be somewhat archetypal with great special effects and make a ton of money, I'll make a movie that's totally unoriginal, has amazing special effects and makes an insane amount of money. I'm king of the world!" -hypothetical James Cameron quote.

Wang Chung · Posted: Tue Jan 26, 2010 11:42 pm Post subject:

Just because the plot was predictable doesn't make it bad as long as the rest of the movie kicks some ass.

As long as it doesn't win Best Picture I'm okay. Highest grossing film adjusted for inflation even? How can you really complain about it being the highest grossing film ... it's not like a panel chooses that and it's arguable, that's determined by people going and paying money to see it haha.
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massive · Posted: Wed Jan 27, 2010 12:17 am Post subject:

I liked it. There was an awful lot of cliche's and such, tho but the eye candy made em easy to look past. The plot is old but not tired if presented in a new way, which I believe it was.

Our collective sub consciousness is really ashamed and embarrassed about what we did to the Native Americans (well, except for Republicans and Tea Baggers, but meh) so it shouldn't surprise us that people like the Pocahontas story and find it somehow satisfying.

I liked the ingenuity of the alien world and FINALLY we have one where we can't just jump out of our space ship and breath the local atmosphere - like in Starwars where EVERY planet's atmosphere seems to be composed of ~3/4 nitrogen and ~1/5 oxygen.

I like some of the good guys dying off, except the sexy helo pilot Crying or Very sad

I like the flying things and the communication thingy with the native creatures.

The inhospitable planet thing was dealt with creatively getting the hero into the avatar body.

The one small thing that really bothered me was the stupid fucking name: unobtainium?!?! To whomever coined that: "You are a moron."
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Vlad Piranha wrote:

I'm offended that a zombie holocaust isn't on the list. It would be terrifying, sure, but it would be pretty sweet if you think about it.

Stealth · Posted: Wed Jan 27, 2010 4:30 am Post subject:

massive wrote:

The one small thing that really bothered me was the stupid fucking name: unobtainium?!?! To whomever coined that: "You are a moron."

Thanks. I had dry lips when I read that and laughed so hard that it split and now my lips bleeding. I agree entirely. I was like wtf?
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RK-Mara · Posted: Wed Jan 27, 2010 5:00 am Post subject:

Unobtainium is actually a real scientific term that has been in use for decades. But that doesn't change how stupid it sounds.
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AlMightyBob · Posted: Thu Jan 28, 2010 7:24 am Post subject:

I remember the term being used in the film "The Core" to describe a magic material that allowed the plot to continue and the world to be saved. It's a handy plot device, it seems.
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Vlad Piranha · Posted: Thu Jan 28, 2010 9:59 am Post subject:

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Unobtainium

massive · Posted: Thu Jan 28, 2010 2:02 pm Post subject:

Oh I get the term, it's just obscenely retarded. I guess if I was autistic or a bi-polar nerd I'd be ok with the word.

It's use in the movie is retard^2 because it is a real substance that they are mining, not unobtainable or theoretical.

Seriously, does anyone with common sense ever have the final say? Give me one example of one sci-fi movie that doesn't have some glaring error or incredibly stupid thing like "unobtainium". I mean they got the "no artificial gravity in every ship" right, the "atmosphere is poison to earthlings" right, (they did miss impossibility of giant celestial bodies so close proximity tho, but no big deal), the helo blades were good and doable rather than some anti-gravity engine or Harrier type lift/propulsion. I wasn't thinking about the absurdity of anything until that point....

Is it too much to ask the writers/editors to clean it up so I'm not distracted by shit like that?
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Vlad Piranha wrote:

I'm offended that a zombie holocaust isn't on the list. It would be terrifying, sure, but it would be pretty sweet if you think about it.