AVATAR -no spoilers (yet)-

ASHREY

ASHREY

this film is unbelievable

i went into the cinema excited as hell, not really knowing what to expect, i knew the basic story out line, but i was just kinda thinking it be an amazing looking film, and that was enough for me at the time. but i was surprised by how genuinely invested i was in the story and characters.
yes its a storyline that we've all seen before, yet its still relevant (ie, the greed of human race amongst others), but it approached with such unique characters and environments and faith, that anchor the story, and you to it. i found it incredibly interesting.
i won't go to much into it, cause it really is something to experience on your own.

the look of this film, I'm sure i don't have to mention but will any way, is unbelievable! UNBELIEVABLE
the 3D is so surreal, so surreal in fact that when i left the cinema, i said to my partner 'it doesn't feel like i left the cinema, it feels like i was there and left their world' which she promptly agreed with.

i've only seen one other film in 3D since its return to cinema and that was an animated film. i was thinking that it would really only work well with the digital and CGI stuff, however, i found it most effective when it was used on the actual live action actors etc. i mean Pandora and the Na'vi look bloody brilliant as well, but i wasn't expecting the live actors and locations to be so damn effective. its really is a bizarre feeling when it looks and feels like there is 100 people standing in front of you.

but anyway, want to hear other peoples thoughts.
for me, i was blown away by absolutely everything and will be seeing it again before it leaves the big screen, cause it will never be as good once it leaves it!
 
I hear great things about the visuals. But I hear the story is a dumbed down version of Dances with Wolves. I haven't seen it...going this weekend.
 
It was good, but not phenomenal in my opinion. Personally, I'm never really wowed by VFX anymore. I'm more into the story aspect of films, not the technical. And this one had a rather basic storyline. It wasn't bad, but not the best film I've seen this year. That one goes to Star Trek, for blockbusters at least. I love Cameron's films, but this one was not his best.

Mya biggest problem with it was the so called "mind blowing visuals" looked like a slightly tweaked Pixar film, making this look more like an animated movie/video game. Personally, I found the visuals to be better in Revenge of the Sith and other ILM films, as opposed to Weta. B+

The story wasn't bad. Basic, but not bad. And one could argue the Star Wars films had a basic storyline too. It didn't bother me too much, and for a high concept like this it's a good thing they settled on a traditional storyline so not to loose the audience. B

The character (with the exception of Jakesully and Ney'tri) were really two dimensional. If they died, I would care about as much about their death as a teen getting wasted by Jason or Michael Myers. C

The soundtrack. I really expected something better from James Horner (Aliens, Star Trek II, Titanic, Braveheart) but what I got was a rehashed, recycled version of Troy, Titanic, and Enemy at the Gates. C-

Overall, not bad but could've been better. And at least the 3D wasn't as gimmicky as other 3D films I've seen. The 3D really worked to give it more depth than anything.
 
Lord of Light said:
this one had a rather basic storyline. It wasn't bad, but not the best film I've seen this year. That one goes to Star Trek, for blockbusters at least.
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I agree with this. I liked TREK much more. If you've seen the AVATAR trailer, you know the story.

I did really enjoy AVATAR, though. I didn't care about the 3-D. In fact, I walked into the next auditorium and watched the finale of the 2-D version, which had sharper images. I could see detail better.

The jungle was well done, but most impressive, for me, were the aircraft. They looked real! Not just the small rotor craft that you see in the trailer, but the big flying wings, which were amazing to look at.

I can't help feeling how much more real the Na'vi would have looked, without the blue skin. It seems like such an over the top color and it does take a while to look past and just focus on the performances. Once you do get past that point, the performance capture is impressive.




My main complaint was that I didn't see enough motivation for Michelle Rodriguez' character to actually turn on her fellow men. When she breaks them out of lock up, I was like, "What the....?"




I also agree that Horner's music wasn't up there with his best work. It sounded a lot like a Cirque Du Soleil score, but that's not a bad thing, as I've enjoyed their impressive shows. I would have to see the movie again to really comment more on that.
 
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I just saw the film for the second time tonight and to be honest I found it better this time round than I did the first time.

I loved the imagination that Cameron put into this film, it's literally like he did splash his mind onto the big (green) screen. Pandora is such a beautiful thing to observe and I think that alone makes the film good.

I'll agree that the storyline is fairly basic in the end but it's not a bad storyline in any sense and it's a good wake up call for all of us.

I hope they'll be a sequel to this film and I think there will as the ending doesn't exactly bolt up the door for a sequel.
 
ASHREY said:
i hope not.

a sequel will be way over kill. i think its strong by itself
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Hmm maybe you have a point, but to see more of Pandora and more of the imense battle scenes would be a treat.

But you're right in saying that the film alone is strong and maybe a sequel would mess it up, I mean take a look at what happened with The Matrix trilogy lol.
 
Scoopicman said:
I did really enjoy AVATAR, though. I didn't care about the 3-D. In fact, I walked into the next auditorium and watched the finale of the 2-D version, which had sharper images. I could see detail better.
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Interesting. I was wondering about that, but the last time I saw anything in 3D it was in the 90s, some animated X-men spin off at a theme park so I don't have much basis for comparison.

Anyway, it sort of makes me want to compare the two, but I'll probably do the 3D one as I'm not certain I'll want to theater this one more than once. We'll see though.
 
Avatar did good with their 3D. I really like the way they put so much work into the whole film.
Yet I still don't think "visuals" alone can make this movie. Although it was a little better than I thought it would be, the storyline was still very basic, extremely predictable and you could feel it drag.

I enjoyed it, but I doubt I'll want to watch it again. B-, C+.
 
Visually stunning and captivating. It was said earlier in the thread. Great movie, but the SFX are what elevated it for me. More work should have gone into the story.

A few of the plot points were weak. One that hasn't been mentioned yet - When the tribe accepts Jake Sully into their lives so easily...just because they had not met a warrior before.

Yes, it is a story we've seen before...but aren't most things that way anyways. Yes the characters were stereotypes - but they worked. I liked the movie, but perhaps the amazing SFX is biasing my opinion.
 
saw it in imax 3D and loved it! great CG, epic score, beautiful in general. a bit cheesy dialogue, but loveable characters and more than worth the 2 hours and 40 minutes.
 
Zensteve said:
What makes it a "new" type of 3D, btw?

How does it differ from previous 3D flicks?
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It's not, at least from what I've seen. Looks just like updated 3D in the same way other VFX films have more updated effects compared to the ones in the previous years.

Nothing new, just updated and improved. I, personally, didn't see anything revolutionary about it. Just another excuse for the studios to release expensive films that focus more on the VFX than the story.
 
Zensteve said:
What makes it a "new" type of 3D, btw?

How does it differ from previous 3D flicks?
Click to expand...

Saw it last night, loved it. I went in expecting "Dances with wolves" in space and got it (not a spoiler, it's in the trailer).

What I expected going into it was over-the-top 3d as a novelty. I was really impressed that there weren't any OMG, THEY JUST THREW SOMETHING RIGHT IN MY FACE moments that I would have expected. So the "New and Improved" 3d is really just that they finally made a "regular" film in 3d rather than making a 3d film. Even the kids in the theater around me got over their "It's right in front of my face, I can't grab it" stuff during the 3d trailers and theater splash.

The environments were phenomenal and beautiful and opens an interesting editing conundrum for filmmakers. In traditional film, you spend lots of time directing the gaze of the viewer. In 3d, it's harder as their point of convergence can change as well as the x-y point they are looking at on the screen, making control of the audience's perception of the story more difficult. I found myself looking into the luscious background often when there were story points happening (now out of focus for just me) in the foreground.

They had one moment of bad cross fade with 2 objects occupying the same screen space in different depth... it causes pain about halfway through the fade as your eyes try to decide which one to focus on.

Loved it though.
 
the acting was pretty awful. the message is good. its a cookie cutter storyline thats compensated by good visual effects. i would compare it most to dances with wolves/ pocahontis with a very large budget. its incredibly overrated in my eyes
 
LOVED IT in 3D. I was completely transported, the live action 3d was wonderfull.

The message to me was weak and childish.
Humans (invaders) bad, indigenous good! At least in dances with wolves we see that SOME of the "indigenous" do some not so good things.. but on Pandora, only non-human (this includes the Humans that give up there humanity) are good.
But hey that's just my opinion.
Week ass marine should have been shot on the spot! :)
HuAh!

In defense:
At least the "military" were "contractors" and not good ole USA! That would have been too much, I would have walked out!
 
I finally saw it, and my score is 3 out of 5 stars.

It goes without saying that the CGI is some of the best to date. Incredibly detailed, with layer upon layer of photo real CG assets. Even the characters are beginning to look near photo real. And they are getting better at creating eyes--which are the fundemental disconnect we experience from watching 3d characters...it's all in the eyes. You can't fake a soul...or something. :)

The story was the weakest point. Only because it's a cliched concept done time and again, and this take on the 'become a native and then turn sides' storyline isn't the strongest to date. It's basically a Dances With Wolves concept, only in Avatar it's not as deep or complex. That aside, I didn't mind it. I didn't let that get in the way of a classic tale idea.

This was the first time that I actually felt for a CG character. There were several moments in the film, while watching the CG characters that I got choked up...really. The facial mo-cap and keyframing is becoming so detailed that I can see the reel emotion the actors originally portrayed. And as I mentioned before, the CG eyes are really well done, which is the most important piece of a CG character now'adays. We can make everything look fantastic...but without eyes that connect, the feeling isn't there. And in this film, I felt it (or at least some of the time).

The technology 'Real 3D' is the best version of 3D out to date. It's clear, textures don't blur, and fast motions don't create problems. I thought it added greatly to the immersion of the film and CG environments, and never got in the way. After about 30 minutes of watching, you forget you're watching a 3D movie...which is ideally the point. It means you're doing it well.

There were a few plot points that could have been fleshed out more...for instance the technology behind the Avatar mind implanting...I would have liked a touch of backstory.

I found the film very entertaining as a whole. And boy do I want an Avatar for myself. Those creatures are badass.
 
It's Pochahantis in spaaaaace! :eek:

No, but seriously. I liked it. I was blown away by the visual feast before me. And maybe it's just my lack of Y chromosome, but I found the story compelling, despite the 'tired' plot.
 
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