I can understand that. However, I think it's the spectacular visuals that are impressing the people that have seen the movie more so than the story itself.
No doubt. I guess you could say that I'm a true victim of George Lucas and Michael Bay. The allure of spectacular visuals is almost a warning to my damaged psyche.
I have nothing against retelling old stories, I just expect a new take. For example, I am a gushing schoolgirl for an old warrior redemption story, where the old jaded warrior, haunted by his past sins must embrace all that he was if he is to save whatever cherished thing it is that has now warmed the soulless domain of his heart. Gran Torino was on the surface that story to a tee, and yet in the end it was so much more. Avatar could be more, but only if humanity has a very compelling reason for pillaging the smurf homeworld. So far I've seen nothing but 'Halliburton in hovering gunships'. Meh.
Disagree. As a constructed languages geek, I think it adds a measure of interest and depth to whatever plot this movie has. While the jury is out on the quality of this "language", think "Lord of the Rings" and Quenya and Sindarin. I'm not saying Cameron is a Tolkien, but he is obviously following Tolkien's playbook.
But it does help to flesh out an alien culture and make it more interesting. It worked with the Klingons, Tolkien's elves, "A Clockwork Orange" with Nadsat, the Islandian language in Tappan's "Islandia", and numerous other science fiction works. I am not planning to see Avatar, so I have no idea how successful Cameron will be in fleshing out the Ne'vi, nor do I care that much. But it shows how serious he is in fleshing out and developing this culture.
As bad... Or mediocre as the reviews are, I feel like I have to go see it. Terminator, T2, Titanic.... With a track record like that and the fact that he does about one movie per decade, as a movie fan, I feel like I have to. The only question is theater or Blu-Ray.
May go see it next week, looks entertaining enough. The plot looks to be pretty much Herbie Rides Again, only with blue people instead of an old biddy and Sam Worthington instead of an R2D2-possessed VW Beetle. But then many good films have paper-thin premises, so who knows?
True... If I told you that I saw a great movie about a robot that travelled back in time to kill a woman, you'd probably roll your eyes.
I've seen the advertisements. I've read the articles. There's just nothing about this movie that inspires me to want to see it.
Just got back from it. I'm sure the wordier posters will get to a proper review. For me, it is a must see movie. It is visually spectacular, and as with his earlier works, he has reset the bar for what we will come to see in film. Story wise it isn't as full-on with it's Iraq parallels as I'd have thought; to be honest the green theme is more prevalent. The noble spiritual savage stuff is pretty risible though. Stephen Lang chews up the scenery and it was nice to see Vasquez and Carter Burke get another outing. I'm glad I saw Dances with Gungans as it's given a preview of the future of effects driven cinema; but it ain't a keeper and I don't anticipate repeat viewings or a Blu-Ray purchase.
why is it on another board everyone was taking it as a given this was a clever parody? Is it? If so what's the gag?
If I could see 3D, I probably would have watch it. But I can't so.... I watched it regular. the whole world JC created was great, very detailed, so were the beasts and plants. Yes there was a message there, but that was OK. They foreshadowed a couple things too easily, and Sigourney Weaver working for a James Cameron film with Aliens was funny to me, but it was well done. The accent they gave the bipeds sounded an awful lot like the Ethiopians I worked with in the past.
I've been catching up on some back episodes of the Slice of Sci Fi podcast, and I was surprised to discover that as recently as the end of October, they were not optimistic about the film. Given that they tend to lurve anything science fiction related (the podcast started because they were trying to raise money to get another season of Enterpoop made ), I would have expected them to be creaming in their pants over this film.
Friend "treated" me to a showing in 3-D this evening... Technologically, it's all it's been said to be: everything about Pandora--the landscape, the flora and fauna, and the Nav'i--work splendidly. The high-tech equipment the humans have is not only very cool-looking, but functional-looking. Verisimilitude pervades. After the first half hour, you'll have been impressed so many times that you'll settle in to the story. And the story? A BIG FAT FUCKING ZERO in total. Standard leftist anti-western, anti-imperialist tripe. Yes, there are some good parts that are very involving (when main character grows to become one of the tribe, for instance), but the writing actually expects you to root against the American army in the final battle. My, how you'll cheer as you watch aliens skewer American soldiers and fling them from aircraft! In my mind, this is unforgivable when we have troops in the field. Sorry, there's little resemblance between the Taliban and the Nav'i, except they're both tribal and pray to mythical beings. The only way they can hope to make this tenable is to have the businessman and the military leader antagonists so over-the-top (especially the latter) that suspension of disbelief is impossible. And (SPOILER) though the main character winds up fighting and killing a great many of his former comrades at the end, there is surprisingly little impact. Apparently, he didn't make any friends in his several months on the base. If you thought the Indians-as-harmonious-children-of-the-Earth in 'Dances with Wolves' was eyeroll inducing, you're risking vomit with the Nav'i. First, although they're the top of the food chain on a VERY hostile planet, they don't seem to have evolved much sense of aggressiveness. They also seem to be free of the defects that plague real world tribal systems (blood guilt, honor/shame, paternalism, backwardness, etc.); somehow, these primitives are superior to western culture in every way. Even in battle. Yeah, think Ewoks vs. Stormtroopers for that one. And just about as believable. Also, it's the year 2154. Humans have interstellar travel, space planes, giant floating combat ships, etc., but you mean to tell me the best they can afford for an injured soldier is a fucking wheelchair? Gimme a break.
It was mentioned medical science could easily give him back the ability to walk, but that the military was too cheap to foot the bill. That was one of the major plot points in the beginning, that whatshisface was working for the army guy in exchange for getting the treatment covered when he went home.
I know. But by 2154, the cost is going to be, like, $3.00. I can't believe the military could move all that complicated hardware to Pandora but couldn't repair a soldier--especially one who remains on duty.
Maybe the treatment requires some of that magic rock the humans were so desperate to get their hands on. That, or (insert your own Obamacare joke here)
Regardless, does anyone doubt the humans aren't just going to come back with reinforcements? "nuke the entire site from orbit, it's the only way to be sure."
