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Very good and fun, but not world-shattering. smaug Send a noteboard - 19/12/2009 11:19:26 PM
Saw it in 3d this morning. I was actually expecting the worst, because I get annoyed at hype and Cameron seemed pretty obnoxious in interviews I saw about this movie.

The CGI is indeed very good, and I suppose they managed to avoid the Uncanny Valley effect because of the Na'avi's inherent alien-ness. So no trouble with suspension of disbelief. The world was quite beautiful, and the wildlife nicely rendered. But I'm sorry, and this may be a personal failing, but I really did not get the whole "this is a living breathing ecosystem" vibe from this movie any more than I did from Ice Age 3. Which admittedly uses a real-ish ecosystem as its backdrop, but you get my point. So you have rhinoceroses and wild dogs and horses and pterodactyls (and big pterodactyls). I don't see the importance of knowing what the dogs eat or where the bugs nest or how the trees grow. They don't really elaborate on it in the movie, and I don't really care.
So sorry if I sound negative - I actually think the SFX are great, although on my part as long as you avoid the characters looking Final Fantasy - creepy, I'm happy. So I can't really tell if this is so much better.

My main problem is with the plot - this movie has basically been done before, multiple times. From Pocahontas to the Last Samurai with some Dances with Wolves mixed in, it is cliched beyond the point of cliche. At least the acting was good enough to make me buy it - which I suppose is a testament to the quality of the mo-cap CGI performances.

In the end I got a solid, action-packed, fun movie which I really enjoyed, and the 2h30+ length seemed to zip by. But it hardly reinvents the world of movies as we know it.
Neutral Observer
This message last edited by smaug on 19/12/2009 at 11:19:49 PM
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"Avatar" discussion thread - 17/12/2009 08:10:04 AM 2611 Views
Innovative world-building sci-fi, dull cliched story - 17/12/2009 01:13:47 PM 1300 Views
Agreed for the most part... - 17/12/2009 11:05:27 PM 1283 Views
Doesn't that last paragraph describe Star Wars? *NM* - 18/12/2009 03:33:58 AM 660 Views
*snorts* *NM* - 18/12/2009 09:03:05 AM 537 Views
Re: Doesn't that last paragraph describe Star Wars? - 18/12/2009 09:49:23 AM 1194 Views
Star Wars had many things. Good characters was not one of them. *NM* - 18/12/2009 09:06:18 PM 561 Views
Re: Star Wars had many things. Good characters was not one of them. - 19/12/2009 02:57:43 AM 1162 Views
Avatar is basically Return of the Jedi, at least the part on Endor. But less militarily plausible - 19/12/2009 02:22:35 AM 1383 Views
Watch the movie again. - 19/12/2009 03:08:05 AM 1406 Views
It's a watered-down Dune. *NM* - 21/12/2009 08:41:39 AM 765 Views
What struck me the most about this movie... - 22/12/2009 01:25:00 AM 1205 Views
Predictable with a tired & preachy plot. (spoilers) Also, the ending was completely ludicrous. - 19/12/2009 03:02:21 AM 1678 Views
You need help *NM* - 19/12/2009 07:33:52 AM 798 Views
A rebuttal! For the points I disagree with, anyway. - 20/12/2009 05:07:59 AM 1235 Views
Re: A rebuttal! For the points I disagree with, anyway. - 21/12/2009 08:48:55 PM 1304 Views
It would help if you'd leave my quotes by the arguments, but whatever. - 22/12/2009 10:36:42 AM 1206 Views
Heh... - 29/12/2009 11:01:41 PM 1151 Views
wow, you really do need help - 21/12/2009 07:23:12 AM 1427 Views
If the bad guy has all the stones and still loses, how heroic were the heroes? - 21/12/2009 08:53:00 PM 1254 Views
Wow...you're serious? Really?? - 22/12/2009 04:56:20 PM 1163 Views
lol - 22/12/2009 04:59:47 PM 1111 Views
That's uncalled for IMO - 25/12/2009 09:04:01 PM 1315 Views
I am pretty sure she refered to the fact that he sheered for the bad guys and wished the Na'vi ill. - 25/12/2009 09:19:32 PM 1186 Views
He didn't cheer for them - 26/12/2009 01:05:40 AM 1159 Views
...an attitude I always found a bit worrisome, too *NM* - 26/12/2009 11:48:40 AM 671 Views
I tend to agree - 21/12/2009 03:23:54 PM 1129 Views
I thought the same things, but... - 25/12/2009 08:29:09 PM 1173 Views
A fun time. Predictable, but not in a bad way. Minor Spoilers. - 19/12/2009 03:05:19 AM 1158 Views
you said Fern Gully ^_^ - 19/12/2009 09:01:58 PM 1173 Views
Spectacular - 19/12/2009 02:54:53 PM 1221 Views
A wonder of a movie experience *minor spoilers* - 19/12/2009 08:47:06 PM 1279 Views
Very good and fun, but not world-shattering. - 19/12/2009 11:19:26 PM 1438 Views
Has anyone seen this in 3D and not enjoyed it?? - 20/12/2009 06:11:52 PM 1289 Views
Cannoli, presumably. *NM* - 20/12/2009 10:41:48 PM 746 Views
Sure make fun of the visually impaired, asshole. - 21/12/2009 08:57:33 PM 1258 Views
Yeah, that's totally what I was doing. - 21/12/2009 11:59:26 PM 1293 Views
Do you buy them from antique shops? *NM* - 22/12/2009 01:10:12 AM 735 Views
Does this include the new 3D? - 22/12/2009 01:17:07 AM 1351 Views
same here - 22/12/2009 02:59:32 PM 1061 Views
I'm tempted to make a joke about the depth of your posts. *NM* - 22/12/2009 04:31:04 AM 555 Views
is that what we are calling tunnel vision these days? *NM* - 24/12/2009 07:04:08 PM 660 Views
Dammit! So much better than mine. *NM* - 26/12/2009 05:19:19 AM 615 Views
Saw it with my family. - 20/12/2009 09:10:56 PM 1100 Views
Sci-fi Pocahontas - 21/12/2009 01:12:02 AM 1267 Views
My friend and I spent the whole movie - 07/01/2010 12:50:56 AM 1098 Views
Oh so you're the kind of movie-goer in the seat behind me... - 07/01/2010 11:20:56 AM 1072 Views
No way! - 07/01/2010 03:48:48 PM 980 Views
that you mock at all is incredibly disrespectful - 07/01/2010 05:31:55 PM 1169 Views
You're overreacting. - 07/01/2010 06:20:06 PM 1152 Views
You said you do it quietly - 07/01/2010 08:18:07 PM 1151 Views
Fair enough, fair enough. *NM* - 07/01/2010 08:57:23 PM 678 Views
Except maybe the purist who really needs to be kept in a total sensory deprivation chamber. *NM* - 08/01/2010 10:51:58 PM 583 Views
Nothing's more satisfying that seeing and hearing the crowd around you react like you do - 09/01/2010 01:36:36 PM 1047 Views
*NM* - 09/01/2010 03:59:28 PM 648 Views
You should never watch a movie with me. - 10/01/2010 01:23:30 AM 1146 Views
There's a gentlebot to see you, says his name is Tom Servo. - 08/01/2010 03:59:34 AM 1155 Views
3D IMAX is worth the extra money... - 21/12/2009 08:40:57 AM 1200 Views
The only thing I am upset about - 21/12/2009 09:38:17 AM 1414 Views
Oh yeah, that puppy's been selling out like crazy. - 22/12/2009 12:01:18 AM 1053 Views
Visually stunning. - 24/12/2009 02:12:42 PM 1054 Views
As usual, Hollywood shoves an ideology down peoples' throats. *NM* - 26/12/2009 04:30:20 AM 528 Views
Once they've paid their ten bucks to get in. *NM* - 27/12/2009 04:31:59 AM 625 Views
A good ideology assault doesn't come cheap! *NM* - 28/12/2009 10:03:08 AM 646 Views
$14 evening show with 3D glasses. *NM* - 29/12/2009 07:15:03 AM 747 Views
one point i haven't seen discussed yet.... - 26/12/2009 05:43:05 AM 1356 Views
It stinks!! *NM* - 26/12/2009 05:51:30 AM 759 Views
So, a silly thing I found distracting... - 29/12/2009 07:26:02 AM 1210 Views
that caught my eye too - 29/12/2009 07:36:46 AM 1107 Views
A silly thing I found distracting was that the aliens were humanoid. *NM* - 29/12/2009 09:48:46 AM 700 Views
Umm you would rather watch non-humanoid aliens? Yeah thats fun *NM* - 29/12/2009 03:29:26 PM 588 Views
*sigh* - 30/12/2009 11:09:16 AM 1078 Views
Yes. Yes. - 01/01/2010 08:19:58 AM 1135 Views
I have missed you so much on this site. *NM* - 02/01/2010 04:13:56 AM 569 Views
well. it's not necessarily erroneous either. - 30/12/2009 06:28:57 AM 1102 Views
See my response to Dark Knight above. *NM* - 30/12/2009 11:11:27 AM 615 Views
ah okay. carry on then *NM* - 30/12/2009 04:44:12 PM 681 Views
Yes. - 03/01/2010 05:08:17 PM 1176 Views
I believe she was speaking about their tails. - 07/01/2010 07:37:46 AM 1048 Views
If I remember it was the "USB Plug" in their hair. *NM* - 08/01/2010 08:29:38 AM 715 Views
Yep - 08/01/2010 09:33:08 AM 1143 Views
*facepalm* yah, that's what i was talking about - 08/01/2010 05:31:33 PM 1107 Views
I figured - 08/01/2010 05:50:22 PM 1142 Views
Yes, the plot is simple, predictable and ideological - 29/12/2009 07:41:36 AM 1087 Views
It was the best movie I've seen in ages. I'm seriously thinking of going to see it again. *NM* - 29/12/2009 12:20:11 PM 770 Views
We definitely will. - 29/12/2009 03:30:07 PM 1107 Views
Going again tomorrow. *NM* - 02/01/2010 05:14:53 PM 766 Views
Project 880: The Avatar that might have been - 31/12/2009 10:30:21 AM 1397 Views
That is very interesting. - 31/12/2009 01:25:19 PM 1077 Views
yeah - 02/01/2010 01:56:15 PM 1201 Views
i think that would be interesting to see - 31/12/2009 04:29:19 PM 1219 Views
Avatar is/was gonna make a pile of money anyways. - 31/12/2009 08:30:34 PM 1382 Views
Re: I hated the 3-D effect. It was horrible. - 10/01/2010 09:39:25 AM 1119 Views
Stephen Colbert on Avatar - 15/01/2010 03:18:29 AM 955 Views
I liked it even better the 2nd time. *Spoilers* - 16/01/2010 12:23:50 AM 1088 Views
Yeah, I really liked the music. *NM* - 16/01/2010 06:04:55 AM 724 Views
It just took the double at the Golden Globes. - 18/01/2010 04:04:08 AM 1193 Views
Ok, wow, I didn't expect that to happen. *NM* - 18/01/2010 08:59:51 AM 544 Views
I can't say I'm surprised it did. Not that I agree with it. *NM* - 18/01/2010 07:37:08 PM 505 Views
Okay I bit the bullet and went to see it - 18/01/2010 11:56:28 PM 1122 Views
I always forget that I saw movies in 3D. - 19/01/2010 01:11:05 AM 1176 Views

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