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Post by michaelpaciocco on Dec 21, 2009 7:17:05 GMT -8
So...anyone seen it yet? I haven't, for the record. Thoughts/comments/rants? Anyone?
Also, because I'm not nearly as plugged into the American punditsphere as I used to be, someone (possibly Kirk) will have to tell me whether or not the American Right is throwing a hissy fit over this movie's message (you know, the environmentalism, and the anti-US military bias, etc) because the only thing that movie would have to have in order to be more insulting to that faction would be a scene in which the Na'vi burn a church/kick Jesus in the balls/kill God.
Michael
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Post by jbhelfrich on Dec 21, 2009 9:44:01 GMT -8
I haven't heard anything, and all the nutjobs are distracted by the blackmail-disguised-as-debate in the Senate over health insurance "reform" disguised as health care reform.
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Post by Anders on Dec 21, 2009 15:44:53 GMT -8
I saw it Saturday in all its 3D glory.
To anyone with any amount of genre savvy there are exactly zero surprises in the story. It's very, very formulaic - yet the 2.5+ hours didn't drag at all, because the story, though predictable, is very well told. The acting is okay, the dialogue services the story but nothing more, the action is good but not amazing.
The 3D is generally good. Occasionally it's annoying, sometimes breathtaking. The CGI is very well done; there were only a couple of times when I was reminded that there were computers involved and for me that's an achievement.
The wilderness environments look very WoW to me, and often the creatures look more designed than natural, but they mostly look cool enough that it doesn't bother me.
All in all I think it's a solid movie but not one I'll need to watch again.
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Post by jensaltmann on Dec 21, 2009 16:18:51 GMT -8
I reviwed it in my blog. jensaltmann.wordpress.com/2009/12/11/movie-review-avatar/What I left out, because it didn't occur to me later, was that this is the movie the Furries have been waiting for all their lives, the movie that justifies them. Because Jake Sully is a Furry. Think about it: he and Neytiri aren't even the same species. She's excused because Jake's Avatar is indistinguishable from a Na'vi. He? He shouldn't be sexually attracted to her at all. Unless he's a Furry. Their relationship is a clear case of bestiality. |
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Post by K-Box on Dec 21, 2009 20:29:53 GMT -8
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Post by michaelpaciocco on Dec 21, 2009 21:17:39 GMT -8
Actually, I was the one asking about who in the punditodome that has become America was losing their shit over the movie, not Jens.
Also, interesting article with actual intelligent observations - a first on the internet (in my experience, at least)
Michael
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Post by Anders on Dec 22, 2009 8:06:41 GMT -8
Yeah, that's a good article.
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Post by jensaltmann on Dec 23, 2009 1:10:05 GMT -8
It took a moment to sink in, but...
Other than Michelle Rodriguez, who plays that Marine pilot who joins the fight against the corporation, there are no non-white actors/actresses who play humans in Avatar. All the non-white actors/actresses play Na'vi.
And why does Sigourney Weaver's Avatar look like Sigourney Weaver, when all the other Avatars bear only a very slight and superficial resemblance to the actor behind the CGI?
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Post by jensaltmann on Dec 23, 2009 1:28:19 GMT -8
Avatar Wars: Human Action Heroes vs. CGI-Heroes. Who will win?
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Post by jarddavis on Dec 23, 2009 15:33:15 GMT -8
I have absolutely zero desire to see this movie.
A while back, this guy named James Cameron made this movie called The Terminator. And it was awesome. But I was 16.
Later he made Terminator 2: Judgement day, and while it was an interesting movie to watch, I still preferred the first movie.
He made Aliens prior to Terminator 2, and again, while it was interesting, I still preferred the original.
Then he made Titanic. And he announced it "THE SINGLE GREATEST FILM OF ALL TIME!!!!!" and would get upset if you actually dared to disagree with him.
What he did was, he took an old movie named A Night To Remember, remade it with and additional love story sub-plot. Yes, the ship sinking was visually astounding. But who cares if every single dish was perfectly recreated from the White Star line originals. You only saw them at a distance as they shattered on the floor.
But remember... this is "THE SINGLE GREATEST FILM OF ALL TIME!!!!!" Just ask Cameron. He'll tell you.
I have no respect for James Cameron as a film maker any more. The way other people talk about Michael Bay films? That's pretty much how I feel about Cameron. I am long past the point where awesome special effects do it for me. I want a good story. Or at least something that doesn't feel like a rehash of other people's stuff, or indeed, even his own.
So, yes, I will pass on Dances With Avatars.
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Post by michaelpaciocco on Dec 24, 2009 14:00:08 GMT -8
Went to see it in 3D because my dad wanted to see it. Judgement: Yes, it's Dances with Wolves...in Space, and yes it is visually beautiful.
Oh, and I think I figured out why we haven't seen a Cavuto/Beck meltdown like we did with Wall-E or Happy Feet - this film was produced by 20th Century Fox. Guess they won't bite the hand that feeds them. Huh.
Cameron? Yeah, Jard, I lost all respect for him as a person when I learned about the true Origins of Terminator, so I'm not singing his overblown praises, but he does make pretty pictures - much more muddled in content than anyone would like to admit (oh...the message of the movie is Green? reeeeaaaalllyyyy. Yeah, I'm thinking that unless part of that $300 million or so was to build a giant solar farm to power the computer tech necessary for all that animation, I'm gonna call shenanigans.)
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