First review of Cameron's Avatar [Archive]

Dowly

12-17-09, 01:49 PM

My main concern is that this'll be a "techdemo" movie. Showing off "Hey look at us, we spend ****loads of money and made these CG characters! Arent we cool!!??".

Looking at the trailer, Beowolf looked much more realistic with their CG characters. :yep:

But worry not Cameron, you have hyped this movie so much that ppl will see it and you get money, fortunate for you one has to pay BEFORE seeing the movie, tho. :O:

Skybird

12-17-09, 02:12 PM

From the trailers and excerpts I have seen I got the impression of a video game constructed around very earthly standard motives for a very earthly standard plot. Probably visually entertaining, technically a demo like Dowly said, and by content and story: nothing remarkable.

I'm all for stunning visual presentation - if it serves the purpose of transporting a good, complex story and believable character depiction. If the technical overkill is just self-purpose, and story and character psychology let me down, I tend to stay unimpressed nowadays. a good movie has not just one of these three factors, but all three of them.

GoldenRivet

12-17-09, 02:30 PM

My interest level in "Avatar" has been resting right at zero since i first heard of it.

i dont know, maybe it will be the "star wars" of the current generation... but for me to get excited about something, my skirt has to be blown WAY up over my head these days.

and Avatar just isn't doing it for me.;)

SteamWake

12-17-09, 02:43 PM

From the article

Cameron cheerfully concedes that the human race may be bound for extinction—he sets his story in 2154, when earth's resources will already have been depleted

Is that a 'message movie' I smell? :shifty:

Sailor Steve

12-17-09, 02:48 PM

Possibly, but that could also make Mad Max or A Boy and His Dog 'message movies'.

SteamWake

12-17-09, 02:50 PM

Possibly, but that could also make Mad Max or A Boy and His Dog 'message movies'.

True I guess I will have to see it to know for certain.

Weiss Pinguin

12-17-09, 02:55 PM

I do really want to see this movie,
BUT

Everywhere I read it seems like lots of people are making this out to some groundbreaking new project. James Cameron has done lots of groundbreaking work, but IMO this looks like it'll be another action movie. Sure it'll have cool effects, but I don't really see how this is so much more advanced than any other action movie coming out in the next year.

But yeah, I do still want to see it :O:

Catfish

12-18-09, 09:12 AM

Hello,
Cameron spent a lot of years (10+) for his "Avatar", and when the asking began to become a pita he used to say "the technical stuff isn't ready yet" - seems the graphic potential is ready now. For him it was a real heart thing, and i guess i will see it anyway, regardless how the critics develop :DL

But then it just seems he put the conquering of the north american continent a few years into the future, so it might be better to digest (with some "distance") lol. Well it's not so easy, Cameron seems to think there's a solution for all, as long as you have the technical stuff .. :-?

Greetings,
Catfish

Onkel Neal

12-18-09, 09:17 AM

Possibly, but that could also make Mad Max or A Boy and His Dog 'message movies'.

Awesome reference! The girl that led Don Johnson into the other world, she looked exactly like my first wife. :shucks:

Avatar, tickets bought, will see it this afternoon at 3pm. We'll see...

AVGWarhawk

12-18-09, 09:46 AM

I'm interested in your take on the movie Neal. Perhaps I will take my girls over the Christmas break if you think it is worthy. :yeah:

nikimcbee

12-18-09, 01:29 PM

Possibly, but that could also make Mad Max or A Boy and His Dog 'message movies'.
I heard one review of it that described it like "Dances with Wolves". :hmmm: wait, Ol' Mcbee just had an idea...SH5 "Dances with Wolves.":haha:

goldorak

12-18-09, 01:39 PM

CG is so fake that I can't stand it anymore.
A little bit is necessary in films, but when the only real thing are actors forget it. If I have to see a videogame then I'll play one on my computer thank you very much, in the end its even more interactive than what I can experience at the movie theater.
Oh and lets not forget that silly 3d thing that requires a pair of polarized glasses. Call me when real 3d is ready and doesn't require to wear a pair of freaking glasses just to enjoy a movie.
:shucks:

Buddahaid

12-18-09, 02:30 PM

I'd rather watch balsa wood rockets on a string with sparklers!

Buddahaid

IanC

12-18-09, 03:21 PM

CG is so fake that I can't stand it anymore.
A little bit is necessary in films, but when the only real thing are actors forget it.

:yep:
CG killed Star Wars for me... don't get me started on that one, hurts too much. :wah:

Weiss Pinguin

12-18-09, 03:50 PM

I dunno, I kind of thought the CG worked in 300 :hmmm: Although I agree, George Lucas went a little batcrap insane with the effects on the new Star Wars trilogy.

goldorak

12-18-09, 04:15 PM

I dunno, I kind of thought the CG worked in 300 :hmmm: Although I agree, George Lucas went a little batcrap insane with the effects on the new Star Wars trilogy.

For 300 it made sense. The movie was highly stylised as if you were watching something on stage. Avatar strives for realism, and there is a point where too much CG is just too much and it take you out of the movie. Its like watching those 10 minutes tech demos of ATI/Nvidia.

Jimbuna

12-18-09, 04:21 PM

Usually when a movie receives so much pre-release hype it ends up either 10/10 or 1/10. I will watch it but my instincts tell me the pudding might just have been over egged.

Dowly

12-18-09, 04:47 PM

I saw a review of it in the morning telly today and it got 2/5 and 3/5. Tho, mind you these reviewers are the kind that hand out 5 stars to some artsy movies that maybe get 200 viewers worldwide due to them being just so crap.

Anywho, they said the visual side was cool, but the plot was filled with cliches and that the movie should've lasted for 1½hrs instead of 3h.

Sailor Steve

12-18-09, 06:58 PM

CG is so fake that I can't stand it anymore.
About the only time it really works is when it's used to mate real pieces to each other. As much as I hated Titanic I own a copy, partly for the sinking scenes and partly for the way they tied the mock-up to the lower hull of a real ship to make it look like the full-scale Titanic is really at sea.

I think Das Boot could use a little CGI, just to add realistic foam to the external scenes.

Onkel Neal

12-18-09, 08:23 PM

Anywho, they said the visual side was cool, but the plot was filled with cliches and that the movie should've lasted for 1½hrs instead of 3h.

That's pretty close. The plot is nothing original, or extraordinary, you pretty much know where the story is going after the first ten minutes. Think Pocahantas + Cortez, with some hi-tech shock and awe (yeah, they used that phrase, innappropriately I might add. Always has to be some message to these films :shifty:). But on the plus side, the film delivers the story well. The world of Pandora is really, really a treat to watch and the effects are superb. Hey, you cannot visit strange new worlds without top notch CGI. CGI has come a long way and Avatar is an enjoyable film that showcases CGI better than any other I've seen. The natives live in harmony with nature with a subtle twist on the story (it is an alien world, of course) that gives the plot an essential kick. The action scenes and the accompanying effects are truly amazing. Sure, this is an old story but told in a dazzling new medium. Very much worth the $8 to see it.

Task Force

12-18-09, 08:27 PM

This movie gets the TF Not intresting award... lol

Sea Demon

12-18-09, 08:28 PM

Looks like a good movie. I don't know what to think about the report I saw the other day that said some people in the theater were getting motion sickness or something. That kind of intrigued me.

Task Force

12-18-09, 08:29 PM

No, Its cause it probably sucked so bad they couldnt hold it anymore.:rotfl2:

Onkel Neal

12-18-09, 08:38 PM

Looks like a good movie. I don't know what to think about the report I saw the other day that said some people in the theater were getting motion sickness or something. That kind of intrigued me.

Must have been the 3D. We watched in in normalD. :)

There's so much hyperbole about this film that it's easy to get unrealistic expectations. I'm fairly immune to that, I can shrug off the hype* and still see it as an enjoyable ride.

*Roger Ebert has lost his mind: (http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20091211/REVIEWS/912119998):haha:
"Avatar" is not simply a sensational entertainment, although it is that. It's a technical breakthrough. It has a flat-out Green and anti-war message. It is predestined to launch a cult. It contains such visual detailing that it would reward repeating viewings. It invents a new language, Na'vi, as "Lord of the Rings" did, although mercifully I doubt this one can be spoken by humans, even teenage humans. It creates new movie stars. It is an Event, one of those films you feel you must see to keep up with the conversation.

Uh, no, not really. But that doesn't mean it sucks. It's a good fantasy/action flick.

Torplexed

12-18-09, 09:17 PM

But that doesn't mean it sucks. It's a good fantasy/action flick.

So basically it's GI Joe Dances with Thunder Smurfs in Fern Gully. :D

Got it. :O: Got some unobtainium too.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unobtainium

Onkel Neal

12-18-09, 09:19 PM

So basically it's GI Joe Dances with Thunder Smurfs in Fern Gully. :D

:har:

Torvald Von Mansee

12-18-09, 09:40 PM

From the article

Is that a 'message movie' I smell? :shifty:

Does the Earth have infinite resources?

Buddahaid

12-18-09, 09:49 PM

So basically it's GI Joe Dances with Thunder Smurfs in Fern Gully. :D

Got it. :O: Got some unobtainium too.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unobtainium

That's genius! :salute:

Sailor Steve

12-19-09, 01:51 AM

That's genius! :salute:
That's Torplexed!:rock:

Weiss Pinguin

12-19-09, 12:34 PM

LOL @ Ebert's review, thanks for posting that Neal :rotfl2: If Roger Ebert loved it that much it must be halfway decent!

Onkel Neal

12-19-09, 12:45 PM

LOL @ Ebert's review, thanks for posting that Neal :rotfl2: If Roger Ebert loved it that much it must be halfway decent!

Yeah, this is more along my lines of thought. (http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1628530/story.jhtml):)

Good film but it could have been much better with a top notch story.

AVGWarhawk

12-19-09, 07:21 PM

Neal, the movie is PG13 is it really inappropriate for a 11 year old. Would an 11 year old be interested in Avatar?

goldorak

12-19-09, 07:26 PM

Neal, the movie is PG13 is it really inappropriate for a 11 year old. Would an 11 year old be interested in Avatar?

Why not ?
Avatar is all eye candy, just like Tron, The Black Hole and Star Wars were back in the day. An 11 year old is not going to care what little political statements there are. Its going to be pure enjoyment. Little kids should enjoy the film better than grown-ups, in the end the film is made for them. :D

AVGWarhawk

12-19-09, 07:32 PM

Why not ?
Avatar is all eye candy, just like Tron, The Black Hole and Star Wars were back in the day. An 11 year old is not going to care what little political statements there are. Its going to be pure enjoyment. Little kids should enjoy the film better than grown-ups, in the end the film is made for them. :D

Political statement I do not care about. Sexual innuendo and swearing is my concern. I'm guessing this movie is PG13 for the war type content or perhaps the concept of the movie might be much more that an 11 year old can comprehend.

kiwi_2005

12-20-09, 12:42 AM

I reckon it will be the best movie to ever come out. Every forum Ive gone to in the last few days all say the same thing that its friggin awesome! Im yet to read a negative about this movie, even those that hate SF movies loved it. But you have to go see it at the movies IN 3D don't wait for dvd to come out, dont download it!

The Aussie actor was living in his car before Avatar, hell be living in a mansion once the money starts rolling in lol

Im off to see it on Wednesday. :rock:

Jimbuna

12-20-09, 05:02 PM

I can't say I saw anything that was particularly threatening to an 11 year old....that's my opinion anyway :hmmm:

Nisgeis

12-20-09, 05:17 PM

South Parks' description of 'Dances with Smurfs' was pretty accurate for this one. There's was one slightly 'wrong' bit, which the whole audience seemed to agree upon, but other than that, it was a good film. Hardly ground breaking though.

nikimcbee

12-20-09, 06:30 PM

Now the big question is, do the smurf creatures have universal health-care?

AVGWarhawk

12-20-09, 08:22 PM

Now the big question is, do the smurf creatures have universal health-care?

No and they are blue with envy:O:

Torplexed

12-20-09, 08:44 PM

No and they are blue with envy:O:

Blue Cross with envy or Blue Shield? :O:

HanSolo78

12-21-09, 03:58 AM

Watched the movie on saturday... for my first 3d movie I was very impressed... great scenes like you were part of the world.
also the plot seems although simple, very good and with background chosen by Cameron.

I recommend everyone to watch this movie in 3d. You won´t regret!

Wolfehunter

12-21-09, 01:28 PM

I liked the film. I found it to be nice on the eyes. The story looks abit too much close to the north american natives being squashed by the white man. Nice twist in avatar to tell and old story.

Still I found it a cool world... I would to be awed by a sights. :yeah:

kiwi_2005

12-22-09, 04:38 PM

Great movie! I liked how this time we are the bad guys not the aliens. and how Humans are small in size compared to the Na Vi. But yeah like Wolfhunter said its abit like the indigenous people v the money hungry humans bent on destroying their world for its resources. No doubt the Greens, environmentalist will love this movie...

Go see it!

Weiss Pinguin

12-23-09, 04:41 PM

kiwi_2005

12-24-09, 03:42 AM

Eh, it was an insane tech demo, as Dowly put it, and the action scenes were great (The grand finale was quite fantastic to watch, especially in 3D), but the story was predictable. Not even any plot twists to make things interesting. And I could've down without all the treehugging bits; I know a lot of people are into that, and I think it's great, but when I go see a $300-million SFX thing I want to see ridiculous fights with more of those cool mechwarrior things and incredibly large gunships.

Anyways, I still thought (most of) it was good. I don't know how much more seeing it in 3D adds, I took off my glasses for the bits without 3D and thought it looked about the same... Well, actually, the actiony bits were really cool in 3D, but the rest didn't really look more or less okay. I dunno. Btw, anyone else think Sigourney Weaver looks kind of funny as a catperson? :O:

So what your really trying to say is you thought it was a good movie, but find it hard to accept the - family orientated bits. :DL Well yeah it was a PG here, so it is a family flick.

Dont worry i thought the same. Dont go for the story go for the fantasy aspect of it then your see why Cameron is one of the best out there. Totally kicks arse, best movie till Avatar II comes out :03:

Lt.Fillipidis

12-24-09, 06:08 PM

Watched it yesterday in 3-D.
Plot: Predictable.
Effects: Great in 3-D (Actually, a couple of times i thought the bloody object that was going towards the camera was gonna hit me!
Also, tried to catch a few of those white, flying jellyfish but to no result...)

Now there are only two things left in my life to do.
1# Write history (:har:)
2# Watch Lord of the Rings in 3-D, in a giant 52inch TFT Screen with a 7.1 surround, room that changes temperature depending on the scene, motion sensitive couch (moves the way the camera movies. Or gives you the impression it does :O:) and free popcorn and fizzy drinks for the whole movie!
And with a couple buds for company ofc!

nikimcbee

12-27-09, 09:37 PM

Okay, I saw it yesterday in 3D:yeah:. In a nut shell; It's Dances With Wolves story, with Shaka Zulu Characters set in Jurassic Park. I loved the film, you've got to see it in 3D. I almost burst out laughing during "the big speech" when they were talking about saving their mother. All I could think of during this scene was this:
(here's the last quarter of the film) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElJFYwRtrH4

:haha::har:

Torplexed and I need to do a MST3K of the last part of the film.:haha: During the big battle, I kept waiting for the ewok army to attack too:har:.
And when they blew the tree up, I said to my brother; "Wow, that sure will make a lot of baseball bats!" Plus I kept waiting for Leo to come out and say "I'm king of the world!"

The movie is worth seeing (in 3D) despite the heavy dosage of eco-religion evangelizing at the end.

Castout

12-29-09, 03:30 AM

Best US movie since as long as I can remember...I was convinced to think Hollywood has lost the way of making good movie but Avatar proves that there's the light at the end of the tunnel. Emotionally engaging:up:

Torplexed

12-29-09, 06:12 AM

Castout

12-29-09, 07:17 AM

I saw it this past Saturday and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Sure, the aliens cried and had other all-too-human expressions and gestures but I, as a human spectator, would have had a much more difficult time empathizing with the characters had they displayed grief by oozing blue puss from their ears. I even liked the story line for the most part. But then I liked Dances With Wolves, too. ;)

I liked the fan-VTOL gunship craft too - but what was keeping that slow moving shuttle aloft? :hmm2:

Not funny I love Dances with wolves too ;).
I couldn't help not taking side. Every time one of those VTOL craft got destroyed I was murmuring take that you piece of @##!$#!^& with both palms clenched okay maybe not that dramatic but that's how I felt.