AVATAR

[Fucky McFuckerson]

Visually and technology-wise…amazing. The film did not start the 3d revolution people have been raving about, but I will say Cameron might have thrown the first brick.

The story is a hackneyed one… The greedy, technologically superior -yet emotionally/spiritually weak- colonizers attempt to take from the primitive –spiritually sound- aboriginals, and lose one of their kind who defects to the ways of the natives and assumes their goals. Standard Sci-fi…eh, whatever.

I didn’t give a shit about that, what was awesome about the narrative was the inclusion of the mechs, avatars, and the physical neural connection the Na’vi’ had with an omniscient planet (in the vein of Solaris). What’s so cool about that? The question of mediation, a question that arrives when we indulge in any media…how is my experienced being filtered through certain processes? Even though we watch the film as spectators, we, as the viewer, take Jake Sully as an avatar, who has his Na’vi as an avatar, and when he plugs into the geo-neural network or bio-neural networks of Na’vi, take on yet another avatar. This causes multiple steps of mediation, mirroring the process, taking place when we sit in a movie theater and watch lead characters, et cetera. This exploration of mediation, voyeurism in the form of an avatar brings up questions for the filmmaking in general and science-fiction as a genre and its purpose.

Science-fiction quandaries that were raised because of the avatar… what is a true human, do we have souls, the morality of “creating” life and many more. There were a lot more interesting questions I think the film brought up (excluding any morality questions concerning nations raping and pillaging others), it provided a cognitive experience for those into film and filmmaking and not just movies.

I would give it a B, for introducing new technology to the film world, looking and sounding amazing, for having a boring story but still hitting on some good questions sci-fi and film wise.

This review makes me want to see this...nice write up, man.

 

[Likwid]

did anyone have the feeling of being plugged in or feel any weird body sensations when Jake Sully initially connected with his avatar?

lol....no....

 

[MOREBASS]

Going to check this out soon in IMAX 3D...


Too bad Zoe Saldana had to be some blue alien thing in this...I prefer her like this...but oh well:

 

[Likwid]

Since seeing the first preview, I wanted to see this. And I hate most action flicks and couldn't stand to see anything sci fi related. The renderings in this film were insane. The film actually made me want to wish to go to a fucking planet like this. Floating mountains in a vortex. Trees thousands of feet tall. Enormous flowers. I really want to go to see this in Imax 3d now.

 

[Nuttkase]

Yeah, not going tonight because some other crap came up. Probably won't get around to this until sometime mid Jan now seeing I want to watch Up in the Air, A Serious Man and Invictus in the next couple of weeks.

I'll make sure to put my 2cents in as long as no one calls me a geek or llyod lol.

 

[Mike Manson]

My wife wants to watch this, so I guess I'm goin to the theater for the first time in like 2 or 3 years...

 

[ColdBlooded]

thanks, I hope we can get discussions in this vein in here from the likes of coldblooded. nuttkase, IPIM, Mike Manson , an 2-0-sixx and others who love film.

I'm glad you liked it but I could never get that deep with this movie because I thought it was totally cliche and shallow. I appreciated the film technically and on a basic visual level, but not much more.

I thought the plug in thing was a 2001 rip off.

About half way through the movie I started thinking why couldn't Camron have just put this effort into another Aliens. By the end I was happy he didn't.

I think I'd rather watch Phantom Menace than Avatar again. :ermm:

 

[NorthBay 415]

Saw it last night in IMAX dope!!! There was still a line to get in, I didn think there would be one still haha

but well worth it dope visuals, I didn't get bored once, at times it got intense I dnt kno why lol!! I was really into the movie

 

[Home-E]

Saw it again 2nd day in a row...lol, I wanna go a third time

 

[IronLungs420]

did anyone have the feeling of being plugged in or feel any weird body sensations when Jake Sully initially connected with his avatar?

wow son you fucken with that hash before the movie too!

 

[Dhadnot]

wow son you fucken with that hash before the movie too!

oh yeah, it musta been that bomb I chiefed before I went in the theaters...lol but naw my homie said he felt shit but so I decided to ask the sicc bretheren if they felt anything too.

 

[BorsaLino]

Saw it last night in IMAX dope!!! There was still a line to get in, I didn think there would be one still haha

but well worth it dope visuals, I didn't get bored once, at times it got intense I dnt kno why lol!! I was really into the movie

Saw it again 2nd day in a row...lol, I wanna go a third time

wow son you fucken with that hash before the movie too!

Intense...that's what I thought too.
There were people next to me, seeing it for the second time already.
I will see it again too.
Its too DOPE.
Nobody could even move or breathe during the movie. Straight up.
Could you imagine what it was like for me, on shroomies.....

What could James Cameron do next? That is the question.

 

[Dhadnot]

^^^embrace singularity, become a cyborg

 

[rambo187]

actually u can feel movement on the beginning of the movie when thet strat landing on PAndora

 

[Mac Jesus]

It could have been a great movie, they spend millions on incredible effects and then relied upon every single cliche involving people of color you can think of. Sad part is, there's alot of folks who won't get it. But it ranged from the Latina turned heroine getting killed off, to the Native tribe bowing down to their white saviour, and every stereotype of the evil white guy got played out very shallowly in AVATAR.

The best way to explain this is to imagine if I announced I was doing an expensive groundbreaking movie on women and I got Oprah, Hilary, Michelle Obama, etc. to be in the film. Now I start off telling their story and midway through I invite Paris Hilton and Jessica Simpson to show up and take off their clothes for gratuitous shots - and I even go as far as to try and get the esteemed cast to follow suit. Women would be like WTF? That's how I felt about AVATAR.

The special effects in 3D were amazing though.

 

[ColdBlooded]

**SPOILER**

Who didn't laugh at "unobtainium" ?

Seriously!

 

[Meta4iCAL]

True, but the experience can be reproduced with less money than you may think.

I heard the 3d experience is what makes it great... you can't reproduce that at home

I wasn't planning on watching, but my brother's girl's sister saw it and told my brother it was cool, mainly because of the visuals and the whole 3d experience and shit... so he asked if I wanna see it on imax... I might.. I dunno

 

[Mr. Nice Guy]

**SPOILER**

Who didn't laugh at "unobtainium" ?

Seriously!

Just reading about its use beforehand eliminated any possibility of liking the movie for me.

 

[Fucky McFuckerson]

I heard the 3d experience is what makes it great... you can't reproduce that at home

Yeah i didnt realize that was being the reference point. As far as the movie goes, yes it can. 3D can not.

 

[smittycal]

I watched the 3Dversion of this movie a few days ago in the theater and I will say that the movie is awesome. Visually its one of the coolest looking movies Ive seen.

Story wise its good but it felt like I was Dancing with Wolves meets Star Ship Troopers. Plus it felt like it was trying to preach a little bit in some parts but I realize the movie took 4 years to put together.

Overall the movie was clean and the 3d experience is the best Ive been too so far. Im going to see it in IMAX 3d this week.

This is one that should be seen in a theater w/ 3d if possible or atleast on a new 3d TV when they come out.