Avatar
Movie Review
"Avatar"
Review by Eric D. Snider
Grade: B-
Rating: PG-13
Released: Friday, December 18, 2009
Directed by:
Cast:
"Avatar" will seem familiar if you've seen "Pocahontas" or "Dances with Wolves," or any film where an outsider comes to a village and falls in love with the chief's daughter. You'll recognize elements from the movies you've seen with environmental messages. It also has obvious, un-profound parallels to Iraq and Afghanistan. In short, while writer/director James Cameron is justifiably proud of the groundbreaking special effects employed in "Avatar," the actual contents of the film -- the story, the characters, the dialogue -- are disappointingly mediocre. Were it not for the spectacular visuals, this would be a C-grade movie at best.
Oh, but those visuals! Set on a distant moon called Pandora, the film creates, from scratch, a new world with completely convincing plants, animals, and humanoids. The lush jungle scenery is often beautiful to behold. Only George Lucas has invented alien worlds in such fantastic detail, and even his best effects can't compare to the realism on display here. The computer-generated images interact so seamlessly with the real people that it's often hard to tell what's digital and what was actually in front of the camera.
The year is 2154, and an American company is on Pandora to harvest Unobtainium, a valuable energy source found in abundance here. The indigenous people, the Na'vi -- thin, blue-skinned, and about 10 feet tall, with catlike facial features -- are peaceful jungle-dwellers who worship Eywa, their planet god, and are connected to all of Pandora's living things. I mean that literally, too: At the end of each Na'vi's ponytail is a clump of organic fibers that can intertwine with the same fibers on any plant or animal on the planet and exchange information. The Na'vi must hunt in order to eat, but they do it respectfully, and without waste. Naturally, some invading warmongers will need to teach this bunch of blue hippies how we git 'r done in America!!!
The Na'vi are suspicious of the humans' intentions, so the company has recruited scientists, doctors, and researchers to help them understand the locals, which really means earning the locals' trust so they can take their natural resources. The latest improvement is the development of avatars, Na'vi-like bodies, grown in a lab, that humans can control telepathically. You get into what looks like a tanning bed, connect the electrodes, and suddenly you ARE your avatar, free to interact with the natural-born Na'vi like one of their own. Our hero, Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), is a paralyzed Marine who has just arrived on Pandora to take his deceased brother's spot in the avatar program. The added bonus for Jake is that, through his avatar, he can walk again.
Under the direction of a gruff scientist named Grace Augustine (Sigourney Weaver), these avatars have made some inroads with the Na'vi and have learned a lot about their planet's biology, but they still haven't gotten them to hand over their Unobtainium deposits. That's why we have guns. The company seeking profits here, represented by a slimy corporate type named Selfridge (Giovanni Ribisi), has brought in military contractors, led by Col. Quaritch (Stephen Lang), a stereotypical jarhead who's tired of diplomacy and thinks we ought to just attack. Kill 'em all and let Eywa sort 'em out, that's his policy. Selfridge is only mildly resistant to this course of action, having no sympathy whatsoever for the Na'vi. ("Fly-bitten savages," he calls them.) He probably expects them to move off "his" land and open some casinos. Still, he'll hold off on the heavy artillery for now if Grace's avatars can make a peaceful negotiation.
As an avatar, Jake meets Neytiri (Zoe Saldana), who is apparently beautiful, though to be honest all the Na'vi look alike to me. (Please don't call me a racist!) And why he would be physically attracted to a 10-foot-tall blue woman anyway, I don't know. The point is, they meet, and she knows he's a human in an avatar body -- how much the Na'vi know about that whole system is unclear, but she calls him a "dreamwalker" -- and she's the daughter of her tribe's leader. Jake earns her trust and is gradually introduced to the tribe. Predictably, he goes native and comes to doubt his original mission of learning more about the Na'vi so that Col. Quaritch will know where to invade.
Unfortunately, there are a lot of predictable things here -- the story has no surprises at all. Once the basics have been established and the story starts moving, you could stop the film at any point, guess what's going to happen next, and be right almost every time. Take it out of its otherworldly setting, replace the aliens with humans, and you've got a plain, generic eco-fable.
The dialogue is no help, either. It's mostly functional, with little wit or flavor, nothing but a series of cliches pulled from war movies. One character gets shot and says, grimly, "This is gonna ruin my whole day." Col. Quaritch comes across as a parody of over-the-top military figures, telling his men just before an attack, "All right, ladies! Let's bring the pain!" At one point he actually uses the term "shock and awe." He and most of the other characters (including Michelle Rodriguez as a tough Marine pilot), though seen in 3D, are quite one-dimensional, not just in their derivative dialogue but in their personalities and motivations.
The same is true of Jake and Neytiri, the lead characters. We get very little sense of who they are other than star-crossed lovers. Are they playful? Stubborn? Clever? Resourceful? Shy? Curious? What? They are nothing -- they have the standard traits that heroes and heroines in action movies usually have, i.e., generic bravery and vague nobility. And I'm sorry, but if I'm going to spend over 2 1/2 hours with a group of characters, I'd like those characters to be, you know, interesting. Save the stock characters for your B-list projects, not your massive, 162-minute ones.
But yeah, the film is pretty cool to look at, and the pace picks up considerably in the last half-hour, when the heavy action begins. The story remains uncompelling, but at least the battles are spectacular, perhaps more so because of the fully immersive 3D. A movie this big ought to offer more than just special effects, though, no matter how fantastic they are. A film that raised the bar technologically and also told a great story with memorable characters? Now that would be a game-changer.
Grade: B-
Rated PG-13, moderate profanity, a lot of action violence, a bit of mild sexuality
2 hrs., 42 min.
Copyright © Eric D. Snider.
This work may not be transmitted via the Internet, nor reproduced in any other way, without written consent from Eric D. Snider.
This item has 64 comments
December 17, 2009 at 1:21 am
Years of work, a gazillion dollars, and NO STORY?
{{{{{{{Shakes head, face in hands}}}}}}}
When will they learn?
December 17, 2009 at 2:42 am
Your first paragraph encapsulates my entire opinion of this film. Congratulations, sir.
December 17, 2009 at 3:40 am
Watched the movie last night and I got bored. Dialogues are very bad. I got bored to be honest. Nice graphic work - 3D essential. I wouldn't say that it is a movie that will be remembered as something 'top' in the cinema world.
December 17, 2009 at 7:32 am
Damn, I knew this would be a bust...I've been telling everyone at work but they won't listen. One guy actually thinks this is going to make more than Titanic...yeah right, buudy! This will be such a loss financially it won;t even be funny. Kind of sad, actually.
December 17, 2009 at 7:46 am
Wasn't "Unobtainium" the "material" used to "construct" the "ship" in the "movie" The Core?
December 17, 2009 at 8:05 am
Wasn't "Unobtainium" pretty much the worst name they could possibly have picked? Why couldn't they have gone with "That hard stuff" or "Mystery Metal?"
December 17, 2009 at 8:35 am
I think they should have gone with "Red Matter" myself.
December 17, 2009 at 8:48 am
Yeah, I totally lost interest in this movie at "Unobtainium."
December 17, 2009 at 8:56 am
I think Neil Patrick Harris stole some Unobtanium in Dr Horrible's Sing Along to make his freeze gun function. It seems this stuff is more common that James Cameron would have us believe.
December 17, 2009 at 9:00 am
Even though Cameron pretty much gets a guaranteed ticket out of this sci-fi geek, I was harboring a cautious hope for this movie. Sounds like it is turning out to be much more by the book, and all the "Dancing with Smurfs in Ferngully" analogies hit pretty close to the mark. I'm still baffled by the trailer that this character can manipulate another physical body, but they can't fix his legs? And then there's unobtainium? Still better than Lucas, though, right? Right?
December 17, 2009 at 9:28 am
Wow - Erics review, finally one worth reading about this film!
2.1/2 hours of cliché riddled with..well..clichés. There are so many Cameron couldn't cut it down to less than 2.1/2 hours, to be honest.
This is not to say that it's the worst film you'll ever see but the 3D pre-film trailers were visually more awesome than most of Avatar (Shrek3 / Alice in Wonderland) because of the CGI - it works so much better than live action to the point that you didn't get a fully immersive experience all thru the film, sadly. But it is an immature technology at this point so not a big deal.
The worst thing about the film [apart from the clichéd plot] was that the CGI characters have much more feeling and believability than every single one of the live action cast. Cameron didn't need to put live action into the film really. It(or maybe it was Cameron?!?)flattened the performances out to the point where no one performance bordered on greater than 2D.
Dialogue, set-pieces and emotions all hammered home with a 50lb ham!
The "boss fight" at the end is so thickly coated with ham and cheese that it stunk up the screen (smell'o'vision). It was dragged out for the effects and didn't it show. It is bad but in a bad way.
All-in-all recommended for the spectacle but don't go in with your brain as you certainly won't leave with it intact...
December 17, 2009 at 10:42 am
I'm a sucker for the lame/corny sci-fi genre. And yes, they stole unobtainium from "The Core". In "The Core" however, at least the hermit-like mad scientist who developed the substance seemed to recognize it was just a dumb name he pulled out of his rear.
"Harboring a cautious hope" as Jason did accurately described my feelings as well. At least my expectations have been managed.
December 17, 2009 at 10:58 am
While watching the trailer, I thought, "Wow, this world looks really pretty... but I think I've heard this story 1,000 times before." Now that I hear about "unobtainium", I have absolutely no interest in this movie. For some reason I keep thinking of the simple economics of the plan... if the humans conquer the Na'vi and usurp all of the mineral for their own needs, the price is surely going to fall from $20 million a kilo (the price they mention in the trailer) to something much much lower, making the whole enterprise suddenly not so worth it anymore. I think James Cameron is going to have a hard lesson in economics after the receipts come in this weekend.
December 17, 2009 at 11:18 am
Unobtanium is a fine, fine name. It can go on a few rows under Squeakyvoicium, right in between Cancergivium and Easytogetite.
December 17, 2009 at 12:00 pm
References to "The Core"... Ouch! I almost got excited for this movie.
At least "Dark Knight" got it right with excellent action, great characters, and a fun crime/drama plot. Did James Cameron forget how much that made, or is he just too arrogant with his "Titanic" model of great special effects with cheesy/lame story recipe.
December 17, 2009 at 12:01 pm
"And why he would be physically attracted to a 10-foot-tall blue woman anyway, I don't know."
I don't know either, but I have no trouble believing the possibility. In fact, if dirty fanart of Neytiri does not already exist, I will be very surprised.
December 17, 2009 at 12:14 pm
The sheer idiocy of you people is staggering. Cameron did not steal "unobtainium" from The friggin' Core, it's a generic term for any physically impossible ore or material and it's been in use by NASA since the 1950's. How do I know this? Like a normal person, I looked it up after I heard the term.
For God's sake, people, do your research before you make yourself look like idiots. I understand that the internet has made you all lazier but it really says something about you if your first priority is to jump on a board and lambast something erroneously instead of simply typing in the term and finding out its origin. Google is right out there and ready to be used.
As for the movie, haven't seen it, probably won't.
December 17, 2009 at 12:27 pm
I can't hear the word Unobtainium without thinking of the episode of the Simpsons where they have a periodic table of elements donated by Oscar Meyer and one of the elements is Bolonium. James Cameron must have gotten hold of a copy of that chart.
December 17, 2009 at 1:50 pm
"A film that raised the bar technologically and also told a great story with memorable characters? Now that would be a game-changer."
You mean, like Star Wars?
December 17, 2009 at 3:59 pm
@ Adam
What Dr. Horrible stole was "Wonderflownium" which sounds way the heck better than Unobtainium.
@ Dave
You know Dave, I could get all angry and condescending and say things like, "Well, since they obviously found some of it, it's not Unobtainium after all, is it? They'd have named it Pandorium or something becuase that's where they found it." But I refuse to get angry about something like selection of terms in an over-budgeted movie with crappy character development. I just won't!
December 18, 2009 at 12:04 am
@JeremyB: That episode popped right in mind too. Hah!
December 18, 2009 at 7:37 am
my fist thought was that it looks to me like Texas meets Oregon, only the Oregonians are REALLY weird looking and the texans use technology. (seriously can someone kindly explain to the town i live in town that online bill pay is normal and check writing isn't?)
oh yah star wars the epitome of fascinating plot and dialogue...truely madly deeply dialogue.
December 18, 2009 at 11:25 am
To Scott (#13):
If the humans were able to get a hold of massive quantities of Unobtainium, it would only lower the market value if they tried to sell it off all at once. If they had a modicum of business sense, they would hoard it and sell it off slowly. They could keep the price high, kind of like what the diamond cartel does with diamonds.
On the other hand, suppose you found 1000 buyers, each willing to pay $20 million per kilo. You sell ten kilos of the stuff to each of the 1000 buyers on the same weekend (making sure that each buyer thinks he's the only one). Now the market has been flooded and the value went down, but only after you sold 10,000 kilos for a gross of $200 billion. Who cares if the price goes down now? You've made your cash. Sit on whatever's left until the price goes up again.
December 18, 2009 at 11:42 pm
I really enjoyed the film. You can't separate the technological achievement from the film. There is never a moment where you look at some scene or effect and say "That just doesn't fit." Flawless effects.
It is thematically similar to a great many films, among them Dances with Wolves, but that did not make the story less enjoyable.
I find it interesting that most commenters have not yet seen the movie.
December 19, 2009 at 8:55 am
I saw the movie which means I am somewhat more qualified to comment than those that haven't. I would agree with all of Eric's comments. This movie was amazing! I think it is the most amazing movie ever made. Sure, the script and plot are everything that Eric said it was. The movie would have been much better with a better plot and better scripting for the Texans.
The movie is a must see in 3D just for the spectacle. What they did with Pandora is something to behold. It was still far better than Star Wars and I would be shocked if it didn't make all of its money back.
I was fantastically entertained and despite the fact that it could have been better, I think it will make more money than any other movie made this year just because it was so entertaining. This show is more entertainment than art and it will be successful on that basis.
December 19, 2009 at 10:37 am
I also really enjoyed the film. It was just beautiful. And yes, the story was very predictable, but unfortunately that's the formula.
December 19, 2009 at 11:59 am
I saw the movie and agree with Dude. It's a weak story but it really is amazing what they have created. I like that most of the negative comments have been by people that haven't seen the movie.
December 19, 2009 at 6:35 pm
Read both Larmey's review on Film.com and Eric's review here and I have to agree with aspects of both. Haha.. Dances with Smurfs, Matt Stone and Trey Parker totally nailed it on the head.
I saw the movie and I was highly entertained despite the unoriginal plot. I think the reason I liked it so much as due to the familiar plot but I am not sure if I would have enjoyed it as much if not seen in IMAX 3D. I thought Cameron at least re-invented some aspects which I liked more than the plot itself. I was more fascinated with the science behind it (being a nerd that I am) such as the organic optical fiber like things, the avatars itself, the fact that every organism on Pandora contains fluorescent proteins (the night scenes are absolutely gorgeous) and the whole idea that the planet is connected via synaptic connections.
Unobtanium was a clever name considering that they never do get their hands on it even after they decimated Home Tree which was the whole point of concentrating on this particular Na'vi tribe .
This movie is totally worth the price of admission and worth watching. I myself was skeptical about this movie at first but having seen it on opening night I cannot recommend it enough.
December 19, 2009 at 10:17 pm
In response to the above comment by "Dave"
Dave says: "The sheer idiocy of you people is staggering. Cameron did not steal "unobtainium" from The friggin' Core."
Hey, Dave! You're the friggin' idiot. Yes, he did steal it. Now go back and do some more "research" on Wikipedia, you fool. Loser!
December 20, 2009 at 12:35 am
Watching this film was like watching a 3D slideshow of Roger Dean album covers.
December 20, 2009 at 10:05 am
Just like Tegus, I've got to agree with Dude. Despite the formulaic plot it is visually absolutely stunning - and I didn't even see it in 3D! Although a less predictable, more complicated etc. plot would have been a nice bonus; I still regard films as primarily visual entertainment - and boy is it that. In that aspect I'd give this one all the stars I've got.
I spent half the time (during the outdoor scenes anyway) with my mouth open, and can't count how many times I at least mentally said "Wow!" Now I've just got to make the hour-long trek to the nearest 3D-compatible theater and see it again!
December 20, 2009 at 7:48 pm
@Jason
"I'm still baffled by the trailer that this character can manipulate another physical body, but they can't fix his legs?"
That's because you're going by the trailer. They can fix his legs. That's a major plot point.
December 21, 2009 at 9:20 am
I think Cameron made the right decision: To be able to produce a "profitable" movie investing $230, well you have to deliver a final product easy to "watch and be followed" by millions of people, all over the world, different cultures, etc.
Then, with the business model fixed, he was allowed to spend that incredible amount of money on a long project high-tech movie.
I saw the movie (IMAX 3D) and I have to tell that I agree with Eric, the story was absolutely predictable, however there is something else you can count on as predictable: you will have an amazing experience for $10...
Come on guys! release the happy kid everyone has inside... you will enjoy!
December 21, 2009 at 1:19 pm
I thought the movie was well worth seeing. As for the plot complaints of it not being original...lame complaint. The plot is a typical formula used repeatedly in storylines based on conquering lands/people/entities for their precious elements, and if a "lesser" lifeform is in the way, attempt to eradicate them for their precious elements. Fits thousands of titles, from Fatal Attraction to Avatar. That said, I think Cameron did a great job on trhis storyline by balancing the technology to develop this movie, adding in the emotional aspect, as well as the action and suspense, in a timeframe of 2 hours and 40 minutes.
Best movie ever? No, but to wait for DVD/BD would be a shame.
@Daniel,
My quick lookup on wikipedia indeed shows it as a term used since the 1950's. Look a little harder next time.
December 21, 2009 at 2:06 pm
Don't go see it if your worried about the plot. But I'll be laughing at you when it's not in theaters anymore!! That movie was sick!! Best 3d movie made by far. And if you have HBO on demand, watch how they made it, incredible. It was like watching the Matrix for the first time. It's that big of a game changer.
December 22, 2009 at 12:26 am
wow! just wow! The story and local-alien stuff were all the same(how many times we mentioned about it right?)I mean wouldn't we be disappointed if it was continuing predictable but then with a sudden bad end? From the scientific view, the movie is OUTSTANDING! The job that Cameron did is AMAZING, he really must have tons of tons good fantasy to make such a movie up. I don't get why they call the movie Avatar though, couldn't he find a better name? =) Flying dragons are so freaking good. SPOILERS**** I laughed so much when he caught that huge Toruk dragon because he comes to the tribe on it, and everyone forgives him right on the spot! and Neytiri is like, Oh thats my man, he is so cool. Forgives him because he rides that big dragon. it was funny=)
December 23, 2009 at 4:01 pm
Add me to the group who loved the movie. The images were stunning and I fell in love with the characters - doesn't matter that I've heard the basic story before. I watched it in 3-D in a regular theater, and couldn't stop saying WOW in my head during the whole movie.
And what's up with people hating on Unobtainium??! Who cares what they called the stuff?
December 24, 2009 at 12:01 am
Stumbled upon your review through IMBD and felt the same way about this film. Been there done that. Looked cool though. Started checking my watch about an hour into it. ..... Thought you might be same Eric D. Snider from EHS, as confirmed by your bio. I taught ceramics there 84-05. Read your review right after I read Ebert's!
December 27, 2009 at 5:04 pm
I agree with you all about the plot and characters, but the visuals make it definitely worth the trip! It is fun to travel to Pandora and have a look around.
I HATE/DETEST/DESPISE battle scenes and this one is too long. It would have been better to use some of that time for character/location exploration and development.
I still really enjoyed the journey.
December 31, 2009 at 7:05 am
Yup - the plot and characters are everything Eric said they are, but the outstanding visuals alone are enough to go see this movie in the theaters. In fact, I would probably pay to go see it again.
January 2, 2010 at 6:22 pm
do some ******* research people.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unobtainium
January 3, 2010 at 8:58 pm
I'd really like to see the movie, but I'm very prone to motion sickness. I'm worried that the 3D version, in particular, would be a problem. Can anyone shed some light on the viewing experience? Thx!
January 5, 2010 at 9:19 am
Eric (the Snyder), I thank you for reaffirming my sanity. It seems every guy I know has been calling this one of the greatest films ever made and seen it multiple times. I pretty much guessed everything after seeing one trailer and couldn't imagine what the big deal was. Fortunately, we have sane(ish) minds like yours to help us save ten bucks and 3 hours! I salue you!
January 5, 2010 at 9:20 am
*salute (this is what happens when you teach seminary, I guess)
January 6, 2010 at 7:06 am
Yes, everything is a cliche today, and absoultely not worth talking about - racism, child abouse, terrors of Holocaust, murders, rape, crime, war - such a cliche!! When did we become so ignorant??? Is it bad that somebody even tried to create a message that will try to reach people? That would try to make us more sensitive for things that are killing us and our planet? Seen allready? And that is a problem? That's what makes this movie a bad one? No wonder Cameron used simple dialogue, cause most of the people wouldn't understand what he ment to say..and he is so right: people are blind, ignorant and stupid. And that is why their planet will die, together with everybody on it.
Somebody here wrote that this movie will be financial fiasko - what a skxawng....
January 7, 2010 at 2:27 am
just saw the movie, AMAZING! To even notive/care about unobtainium you have to be a moron, the plot was so much deeper then just that. The fact that humans are destorying Earth as we speak and...AHHH just go see it! its AMAZING!
January 7, 2010 at 3:15 am
I have yet to see this movie, but I'm actually excited about it. It's kind of like pop music..I don't care if I've heard the story before, you take it for what it is and just enjoy it. With that said, I think it's funny that so many people were sooo sure that this movie was gonna be a financial flop, especially considering it's huge production budget..and at this point its already made over 1 Billion dollars lol. Just goes to show you....too much cynicism can really throw objectivity out the window.
Meanwhile, I love this guys reviews haha. I've mostly seen random ones, and this is the first time I'm coming to this site. Keep up the good work, Mr. Snider!
January 7, 2010 at 12:45 pm
This is a pretty amazing visual and sensory experience that sets a new bar for the integration of CGI and live action. I look forward to seeing what WETA digital has up their sleeve for The Hobbit remake. For Avatar, I thought the story was weak and predictable, but good enough to make the movie worth seeing and recommending IMHO.
As far as the unobtainium goes, I would agree with Dave, but not as harshly. Two seconds of research or common knowledge of the engineering realm is needed to know that unobtainium is a standard jargon term. As a general rule, folks should consider whether they know the facts before making broad criticisms.
January 8, 2010 at 9:13 am
I've seen it twice. I guess I am a geek, but I really enjoyed the effects and action...sometimes it's just fun to go to the movies.
There are times when I go to the movies to be inspired or motivated (I'm usually disapponted), but this was not one of those times. Fun was on the agenda and it was very enjoyable.
As far as judging the movie without seeing it and then commenting about it...seriously? Who does that? Time to rethink your life people.
I agree with Eric's review. Poor dialogue and character development...definately B-. I still thought it was really fun to watch.
Hopefully, someone commenting on this message board will create an Avatar flick that is not only fun to watch, but is as compelling and intelligent they want it to be. I'd see your film three times.
January 8, 2010 at 11:22 am
For all of Avatar's plot familiarity, un-originality and un-profundity, it sure was well executed. Also, exactly what kind of dialogue would you expect from a marine, corporate hack or scientist - not very profound or Shakespearean I'm guessing. I mean, everyday speech is generally very run-of-the-mill, wot? Plus, how many movies one would get to watch in a year if one only watched the unfamiliar, original and/or profound ones - not many, methinks. Certainly not 365. I'm just sayin'...
January 10, 2010 at 2:02 am
"Fortunately, we have sane(ish) minds like yours to help us save ten bucks and 3 hours!"
More like snobby, stubborn, every-movie-sucks-if-it's-not-perfect-in-every-single-way minds. You can't enjoy a great movie, so that makes you saner than everybody else? No, it didn't have the most creative plot ever. Yes, it was quite predictable. But compared to most movies being made of late, this has got to be by far one of the best. Why do you think Avatar has completely dominated box office charts since the day it came out? It's because no other movies in theatres today are as well executed, nor do they have the suspense or stunning special effects like this film does.
Unless you're a complete movie-elitist-party-pooper like some people, I highly recommend you see Avatar in theatres if you haven't already.
January 10, 2010 at 1:10 pm
Since I actually liked the film, it will be fairly obvious to most of you that I can't possibly have any big words in my mental bag to use in describing how much, or why I was pulled into the story. Oh well, "I really liked Avatar" will just have to do. Go ahead--over-analyze THAT and impress the hell out of me! Please use some big, unique words so I can be just as shocked and awed by you!
January 14, 2010 at 4:38 am
**** all the haters. Avatar at this point is the second highest grossing movie after 1 mth! It will be the highest grossing without a doubt. Dialouge? Character development? It's a friggin fantasy movie - that tells a good story - simple but effective. It rocks visually and has moved millions already. All you geeks, and couch critics need to get a life. I can't believe some of the **** you are talking - I bet you people complain about everything if its not "perfect". Blah Blah Blah - how's that for dialogue!
January 15, 2010 at 6:46 pm
Saw it. Liked it. At this point there aren't any movies that are really entertaining me right now so... I'm taking what I can get. After looking over the list of shows playing this weekend atleast Cameron took the time to make some of it fantastic.
In general, you'd think with all the money and creativity in Hollywood-land we'd get better movies. I'm falling in love with Turner Classics and the Sundance channel just because those movies bring (or brought, depending) something unique to the table.
January 18, 2010 at 10:44 am
I think Avatar was a visually stunning film. As for the plot and underlying messages, been done? Yes. (Dances with Wolves, Last Samurai, Pocahontas) Does it bother me? Not one bit.
This is a Science Fiction Film, one of the hallmarks of a SciFi film is that it takes familiar morals and show them to you in a new light. Avatar succeeds at this.
Bravo.
January 19, 2010 at 12:35 am
I am impressed with the film.I have a suggested story for james camaron the story is that the present or the existing world is not true.we all different from each other however we all are connected in a certain point if we able to unlock this point the existing world will be vanished and the real world will be visible.The problem is how to prove this-the solution is that in the movie independence day,we have seen war between two planet similarly conflict between continent country province district town village family level but in one case there is no conflict there is the point to unlock.
January 20, 2010 at 8:38 am
you sir a just another typical U S A-HOLE what is wrong with respecting your own planet. obviously you were raised in a motorhome with you hillbilly mom and crunk father who watches nascar 24-7. And yes it was speaking out against war. what is good about killing innocent people and torturning them (and yes despite what the trustworthy government says HA! we do torture innocent people.) And the main point of the movie is that money corrupts. and america is by far one of the most corrupt countries in the world.
January 22, 2010 at 1:55 pm
Spot on, I say. Spot on.
The colonel made me giggle.
The visuals made me feel like a little kid at Disneyland for the first time.
I laughed when the nav'i went from hating Jake Sully to instantly Loving Jake sully when he showed up on his big red flying Lamborghini.
ALL is forgiven now that he's RICH and AWESOME.
Was I moved by the big red flying Lamborghini? Yes, the whore-part of me (the part i hate but have no control over) was very moved. Hey cool guy. Wanna be friends?
I disgust myself.
January 24, 2010 at 5:16 pm
firstly, completely agree with the sentiments here regarding people who havnt seen the film yet feel they know enough about it to pass judgement. if these people feel it neccessary to negatively criticise the film, then at least take soem time to watch it and then create a constructive argument.
secondly, the complaints about the predictability of the plotline are substantial ones, but what is important here is that the film manages to tell it in a way that allows it to be engaging, and also allows you to sit back and admire what are truly the films stronger points.
thirdly, the construction of character identity is also formulaic, especially amongst the human characters including the steretypical appearances of heartless greedy businessman and Col. heartless meatheaded bastardo. however, i will contest that despite this, the development of the Na'vi characters somehow manages to be compelling despite being unsurprising.
besides the obvious high quality of the special effects and the beauty of the alien, creature and planet design(particularly in 3D), i feel that where this film is groundbreaking is int he way that for the first time you can genuinely feel empathy for the CGI characters. for me at least, i felt to some extent every different emotion being expressed by the almost (but not quite) photo realistic faces and body language generated by the motion capture effects, even more so than fo rthe human characters.
in short, this isnt THE film thats going to 'change the film industry', but it is a good starting point.
if pushed to give a rating, i would probably go just a notch above Eric's rating and give it a B
January 27, 2010 at 3:39 pm
So, I'm completely behind the curve. I only saw Avatar a few days ago. What everyone here has written about the incredible special effects doesn't do them justice. It was the most fantastically real world I have seen on film. Kudos for Cameron for that.
Others have commented on the predictability of the plot, comparing it to Pocahontas, Dances with Wolves, The Last Samurai and the like. For it to be like Pocahontas, John Smith would have had to join the Indians, then lead the Iroquois Confederacy and a herd of buffalo to destroy Jamestown. Jamestown would have been (unsuccessfully) defended by some cartoonish hybrid of Dick Cheney, Major Pain and the Joker. Finally, sea gulls and the Beluga whale would have chased the Mayflower back to England. Set it in space and add cool effects and you have Avatar.
In conclusion, Alex Thorne, I had no particular empathy for the CGI characters. Gollum, on the other hand, elicited a great deal of empathy. (The worst thing about Avatar is that I'm afraid to go back and look at Gollum. At least he was well written and acted, though.)
February 4, 2010 at 4:33 pm
Totally agree with your critique. This story has been told before and if not for the 3-D visuals which are stunning (Digital 3-D or IMAX 3-D is a must) this flick would be an also ran. Like the Titanic and the Terminator(T-2) the dialogue is extremely weak but the special effects keep it entertaining.
THE HOLLYWOOD HYPE MACHINE AND MINDLESS MEDIA HYSTERIA HAVE THE LAMBS ATTENDING IN DROVES!!! NOT ONCE, NOT TWICE, BUT THRICE OR MORE TIMES!?!?! No thanks, I'll pass as once was quite enough.
February 4, 2010 at 10:23 pm
It had it's moments, but I mostly hated this movie.
"I am Mr. Heroic Chosen One" has to be the most annoying plot device ever devised.
And "white guy hangs out with natives, becomes better at their own skills than they are, and saves the poor, noble savages from the military-industrial complex"
Really?
You had the glory of Pandora at your fingertips and that was the story you wanted to tell, Cameron?
LAME
I have the urge to write a seething sociological essay, but I guess I'll spare my fellow comment readers.
February 6, 2010 at 3:04 pm
Have just been out and seen this film after hearing everyone talk about it at work.
I must say, I found it a bit disappointing. The visuals were great, but the story was very predictable and the characters very shallow. I guessed the ending in the first 20 mins.
The lady in the seat next to me actually laughed out loud when she saw the blue aliens for the first time and I have to admit that I found myself thinking back to the Smurfs in the 70's.
All in all, reasonably entertaining, but a bit too long. I found myself getting bored in places.
February 6, 2010 at 8:30 pm
Overall, I would say the movie had some very nice special effects, though not completely immersive as some people would have you think. I would say that it is about 90% of the way there, but in a few years we will look back on it as being nothing special.
The plot and dialogue were miserable. Now that I'm over 8 years old I am no longer satisfied with pretty visuals, I want some substance to my story as well. It seemed like a waste of a perfectly good setup just to tell the same old story again.
The most entertainment I got out of it was imagining the sequel. The human survivors return to Earth and tell their corporate masters what happened. Since they have already shown a complete disregard for the Na'Vi, they decide that dead humans make for much worse PR than dead aliens and make the decision to nuke the planet. The Na'Vi of course can't do anything to stop a thermonuclear weapon deployed from space, and they die along with everything else on the planet. The corporation then mines for the 'unobtainium' (snicker) at their leisure. The whole movie lasts about 10 minutes. The End.