Avatar (Spoilers!)

[Old Toby]

Somebody had to start a thread for this amazing film! Well, amazing hardly does it justice. I think this is the most visually stunning movie I've every seen! The creatures and landscapes are so fantastic, so original and imaginative, the colors so mesmerizing, that I must have sat through the entire film with my mouth open in awe. And that's not even mentioning the native people of this world called Pandora, the Nav'i, who are sort of a cross between Native Americans, African aborigines, and the Jedi. Only they are really tall. And really blue. And have pointed ears and fangs. And they are incredibly adept with bows & arrows, lances, and knives. Awesome!

Hats off and a standing ovation to WETA Workshop and WETA digital for this one! It has "Oscar" written all over it.

The story line is, by comparison, nothing new. The bad US military machine led by a super-macho commando type wants to destroy the native inhabitants in order to mine the ore that lies beneath the planet's surface. There is a bunch of scientists who are interested in the planet and it's inhabitants for much different reasons, and they have created avatars, a genetic cross between humans and the Nav'i. They can transfer their consciousness into the avatars, and hope to gain the trust of the Nav'i in order to come to a peaceful co-operation. But when they fall asleep, they are again transferred back into their human bodies. So the plot line is predictable. But with visuals as stunning as this, WHO CARES?!

Stars Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana (formerly Lt. Uhura of the new Star Trek movie), and Sam Worthington.

[Ringwraith-Wife]

Really happy to hear your good review. It looks stunning from the clips I've seen.
You DID touch on something that makes me crazy, though... when a film is this good... why on earth isn't the story line better? It isn't that the writers aren't out there. I could watch LOTR WEEKLY, and never tire of it, because the basic story is so well done and compelling. Too often the whole show is lost to me because the story is so weak, and sometimes nonexistant. ( Rant, Rant,Rant )

[Old Toby]

Really happy to hear your good review. It looks stunning from the clips I've seen.
You DID touch on something that makes me crazy, though... when a film is this good... why on earth isn't the story line better? It isn't that the writers aren't out there. I could watch LOTR WEEKLY, and never tire of it, because the basic story is so well done and compelling. Too often the whole show is lost to me because the story is so weak, and sometimes nonexistant. ( Rant, Rant,Rant )

Well let me qualify my statement above by saying that it's not a bad story. It's just one we've heard before: indigenous people and nature being destroyed by callous greed. Not that we don't need to be reminded either. Also, the motion capture and the acting of certain characters is so good, so compelling in the moments of extreme emotion, that their tears were relfected in my own as I witnessed their loss. I was so drawn into their world, their story, that I cared about these digitally enhanced creatures! This response on my part goes far beyond just a reaction to the technical expertise of the film crew! All I can say is, go forth and witness for yourselves. And yeah, next time I'm going to watch the 3D version, and I never watch 3D! "I see you."

[Bregobaby]

I absolutely loved Avatar. It was a typical storyline but the images, creatures and myth was original and I loved it all. James Cameron is an amazing director/writer and hats off to WETA yet again.
I want to go to Pandora!

[gentle-giant]

This response on my part goes far beyond just a reaction to the technical expertise of the film crew! All I can say is, go forth and witness for yourselves. And yeah, next time I'm going to watch the 3D version, and I never watch 3D! "I see you."

when i saw AVATAR with my sister about a ten days ago, it just sort of worked out that a 3-D showing fit in with our schedule for the day ... i'm QUITE pleased that i decided to shell out the extra bit of cash for the 3-D experience! in SOME places, the effect seemed to cause out-lying images -- generally toward the edge of the screen or somewhat removed from the center of attention for the specific scene -- to be unduly "out-of-focus" to the point of distraction ... but these events were invariably quite brief. i'm continuing to hope that i'll have a chance to see it again in the coming few days ... with gentler-half this time ....

[Old Toby]

in SOME places, the effect seemed to cause out-lying images -- generally toward the edge of the screen or somewhat removed from the center of attention for the specific scene -- to be unduly "out-of-focus" to the point of distraction ...

I'm glad you said this, GG. I thought I was either sitting too close to the screen or something was wrong with my 3D glasses, because occasionally I got the 'out of focus' towards the edges of the screen thing also. Which is why I prefer to watch this film in regular old 2D, since the entire screen is worth seeing, believe me! I think I'll go watch it again on New Year's day, only on the regular screen. Besides, the 3D shows are all sold out!

[eowynmaiar]

The storyline really, really disappointed me. Because otherwise it was so good. And it looked like it would have a better storyline in the trailers but it didn't. I was quite disappointed about that.

[Old Toby]

Okeydokey. Tomorrow will be my third time watching it in 3D. I must say, the second time around was much better for me than the first. I think I was kind of discombobulated the first time since I hadn't seen 3D since I was a kid....many, many moons ago! But I knew what to expect and it was great the second time! I think it pulls me so much into the film that I tend not to take note of a lot of the peripheral things going on, which may be good and bad. Which is why I enjoy also the regular 2D version.

I particularly love the visuals when the seeds from the Tree of Souls descend upon Jake for the first time....and also for the last time. And the choosing and bonding with his banshee, and the subsequent first flight, is just breathtaking for me! (I now have a wallpaper on my computer of the Hallelujah Mountains)

What I didn't know was that Sam Worthington is an Aussie! He played Jake with such effortless and impeccable American English, that it never occurred to me that he wasn't American! You can imagine how shocked I was when I heard him in an interview, when he was speaking in his normal speech with his very heavy Aussie accent! (And I didn't realize until now that he had starred with David Wenham in the hilarious "Gettin Square")

In another video interview with Zoe Saldana there were some brief shots as she was wearing all that motion-capture gear while filming a scene with Worthington. It was really fascinating, and I hope they include some of this as extras on the DVD when it comes out.

Okay, I know, I'm now an Avatar geek.......sigh. I just haven't loved watching a film so much since the LOTR movies were out. And it's gonna be a while until The Hobbit......so, until then, I'm off to Pandora.

[Bregobaby]

I heard recently that the sequel to Avatar will commence filming in Australia in the not too distant future. Awesome! There is even going to be a third film, making it the Avatar Trilogy...

[eowynmaiar]

Oh, great... I hope the sequels are better than this one.

[Old Toby]

Ah, I'm going to break down and see it in IMAX 3D this coming weekend! I've never been in an IMAX theater. I thought it might be a bit overwhelming. But given how much I love this film, I just want to immerse myself in the Pandoran landscape!

I'm thrilled of course that Cameron is making a sequel. But I don't know how he can top the extraordinary and imaginative visuals of this one. I mean I don't know if he can surprise me more than he has; but I'm sure looking forward to Avatar II. Maybe it will answer some of my questions, like:

- Will Norm be able to be transferred permanently into his Avatar, assuming it can be healed? (I really liked Norm and felt sorry that his Avatar got shot)
- Will Jake's Leonopteryx find a mate and make little Leonopteri?
- Will the Tree of Voices grow again? And if so, will it be singing a different tune?
- Will we see Neytiri and Jake bond their tsahelu together? Will they settle down in Home Tree II and have a litter?

Ah, okay, time for me to go now......

[Old Toby]

Went to see it in IMAX 3D today, and all I can say is........
HOLY SCREAMING BANSHEES!!!! There IS no other way to see this film!

I sat in the very last (top) row (we have small theaters here), dead center, and it was just perfect. The high definition of IMAX was incredible, and none of the blurring of the regular 3D versions occurred. In fact, it was like seeing this movie for the first time! The glasses with their bright yellow frames looked like they might not be the best, but I was wrong. They were much more comfortable, larger lenses, and didn't tend to slip down the nose as much as the other 3D glasses I had been using at the regular 3D screenings.

I was worried that the sound might be overwhelmingly loud, but not so at all. Actually it was much better, with many more speakers giving much more depth and quality than what I had been used to.

So if you're going to see this film only one time (you haven't seen it yet? what the heck is wrong with you anyways?), go see it in IMAX 3D. It's worth it.

[eowynmaiar]

I saw this film in a relatively small cineme, but in 3D nonetheless, and all I can say is, 3D sucks. It's terrible. I wished I'd seen it in 2D because I don't plan on seeing it at the cinemas again. I felt nauseous throught most of the movie because of the ugly, unnecessary 3D effect. At one point I thought I was going to have to run out of the theatre to go and vomit. I think that 3D just looks stupid and I hope to God that it is not the way of the future, because I love my movies to death.