I have been putting it off for some time, but today I went to the cinema to watch Avatar in 3D, I knew it would be good but I was not prepared for it to be bloomin’ fantastic.
Right from the off the viewer is treated to some spectacular 3D and computer generated visuals all perfectly tied in with the cast who perform admirably well.
Is this an arty film? No, but it is a great work of art and that is the key thing to remember before watching.
At times it felt like a slightly more grown up version of ‘The Lion King’ but that does not do this film justice and I could slam many parts of this film for its predictability in plot only to miss the out completely whole experience and the film is an amazing experience overall.
Only after coming home and analysing the film do I find fault where there was none apparent during the viewing, so that says much about the quality of said experience and also the way we absorb a film over time after watching it.
Yes James Cameron has really come up with something special that is not designed as a film to please the usual critics but instead an entirely enjoyable piece of cinema that leaves you wondering how the hell did he manage to actualise such a masterpiece?
You are transported to another world where a paralysed man is able to walk again through a half human/half alien life form, that he experiences the world through in order to infiltrate and alien village that is built on some precious ore being mined for humans back on earth which is of great value.
The hero of the film decides that he has had enough of infiltrating the village of aliens and goes native and falls in love with one of them much to the annoyance of his commanding officer blah blah blah blah.
I am trying to write a scathing critique on this film because I have had enough of the numb-skulls reviews that only manage to skim the top of the film and say “The special effects were awesome” which of course they truly were and with equal gusto I have had enough of the reviews that slate the film for the very reasons I have already mentioned because this film is so much more.
No it is not enlightening spiritually and I am sure it will breed a new kind of Gaia based new age teeny spirituality just like ‘The Matrix’ did with its “Nothing is real” pseudo spiritual message but none of that is important because the film is one thing and one thing alone.
The Vatican also did not approve of the nature worship Gaia theme running through the film which turns people away from the deification of Christ and towards a paganesque white witch version of ‘The Wicker Man’ but if someone is dull enough to go and sleep under a tree after watching this film then they are probably too dull to worry about it in the first place.
What will history make of Avatar? I think it will be held up against other similar epic films because this is a modern epic for the 21st century and it will be remembered with fondness and could make a good, regular seasonal film show around the festive season for many years to come.
It is a spectacle that will cement James Cameron as one of the world’s top directors for popular culture and I will leave you with what happened to me whilst leaving the cinema seats. As I got to the bottom of the steps to hand my 3D glasses back in there was a girl in a wheelchair also leaving her seat and my heart bled for her.
This film must have worked on an entirely different level for her.
She would have just sat for over two hours watching a story about someone who is is transformed from depending on a wheelchair to an athletic humanoid who can walk and run freely over the magical landscape of another planet.
The parallels that girl must have been drawing with her own predicament are too upsetting to dwell on for too long and I get the feeling this was not the first time she had seen this film and that it won’t be the last.
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Tags: 3D, Avatar, Avatar 3D, Cinema, Culture, James Cameron, News, The Lion King, The Vatican, The Wicker man
It’s not a masterpiece by any stretch of the imagination, Avatar or ‘dances with smurfs’ as it should really be called is a good popcorn movie that’s about it.
Avatar is a “post-modern”, “post-structural” master piece.
Only those with a wide enough exposure to world history, other movies and do not have any Freudian complexes about their own insecurities can really applaud.
One of the major sources of the criticism of the movie is the “white man’s guilt” in the heart of the critics.
Camerons heart is pure and it is the reverse racists who are criticising it on racial ground.
As a non-white and the inheritor of colonial legacies, I can easily identify with the film.
Those who say that the movie should have had a Naavi hero are stupid and have no idea of movie making or story telling. It would not have been possible for humans to identity with the film without such a plot device. It is elementary.
If you look at most Hollywood movies set in Asian environs, they are told from a white man’s narrative. It is not about racism but pure ans simple economics and of being able connect to the white audience. Otherwise you will be preaching to the choir and wont be able to have cross-over appeal.
If Cameron had taken into consideration all the suggestions of the over-enthusiastic half-baked critics, then he would have not been able to make this movie (no one would have funded it) nor would it have become such a phenomenal success.
Ultimately movie making is about connecting with audience not about making some armchair critics go ga ga over the nuanced dialogues pouted by a Jarhead! (that would stimulate the critics but other jarheads wont get it)
Good analysis. I think people who idiotically compare it to “dances with Smurfs” have no clue. Really, so an alien can’t be blue and a story can’t be similar to another story? Happens all the time in cinema, books, and life. Plus if you have seen the movie, you’d know that the “Dances with Wolves” aspect of it is a small part of the film.
They can hate, but $2 + billion says people really enjoyed it in mass. You can’t manufacture $2 billion in ticket sales through marketing with a crappy movie. Maybe $200-$300 million. I don’t see anything wrong with a movie that entertains as a popcorn movie. Also, Isn’t that the point of making movies in the first place? To entertain? This movie also raised many scholarly social and political debates;more so than most “smart” movies. Which makes it much more affective than the “smart” movies that tries to send a message.
Come and talk about Avatar at http://www.Naviblue.com, a large fan site.
Thx for the review. ITs said that some people cant appreciate a great work simply because its beautiful. Besides anybody who has ever managed a bigger project should be in awe of the scope of project like Avatar. New visual, new technolgy, fantastic movie and create a whole new world etc etc.
Very nice commetn regarding the girl in the wheelchair
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Avatar is the best movie of all time!
Some people just want to criticize, no matter how good the movie is. They think they are the “wisest”, just like the CEO in Avatar. These idiots does not understand the message the movie is trying to convey. Let me try to explain to the stupid critics. This movie is not about animation – it is about religiousness. (NOT RELIGION).
Once upon a time, our Earth would have looked like Pandora. Trees dancing, birds singing, animals running around like kids. Alas – Human has evolved – to destroy all happiness on earth.
I like the dialogue in Matrix. This is from Agent Smith.
“I’d like to share a revelation that I’ve had during my time here. It came to me when I tried to classify your species. I realized that you’re not actually mammals. Every mammal on this planet instinctively develops a natural equilibrium with the surrounding environment, but you humans do not. You move to an area, and you multiply, and multiply, until every natural resource is consumed. The only way you can survive is to spread to another area. There is another organism on this planet that follows the same pattern. A virus. Human beings are a disease, a cancer of this planet, you are a plague, and we are the cure. ”
See the point?
I doubt that the scorpions who comment on this realize a single bit of that!
We humans are the most violent animals. Lions & Tigers does not stock pile nuclear weapons. They do not talk about nuclear submarines. Come on dick heads, think a bit about humanity!
Avatar you have just proven that you yourself is the stupid person. There is NO SUCH THING AS EVOLUTION!!!!!
There is no proven fact at all animals and humans were evolved, how can evolution design us, or your father that you believe in is the bogey from space that somehow decided to started life. You are the most dangerous person ever to fellow humans. I feel sorry for you.
LOL. elspicus deny all you want – it changes nothing – evolution happens. FACT.
Avatar is a great movie experience. Note: I said experience, not movie. The plot was a bit thin and rehashed, but the actual 3d feel and beauty of the world definately makes up for it. Can’t wait to see what James Cameron will come up with next!
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I saw this epic last night at the Empire Leicester Sq in London, which is a superb venue in which to view this film. Huge screen, excellent sound and an extraordinary Dolby, 3 dimensional image. The whole effect is mind blowing. This is a ‘Must see’ movie, innovative, and extraordinary. I think it will be regarded by most cinema goers as another milestone in the history of the art. The level of realism achieved is remarkable, and although the film is relatively long in real time, it retains it’s excitement and holds the audience’s attention to the end. Performances are good, but this is not the sort of film that dwells on big star value for the actors, although Sigorney Weaver does shine and delivers a very convincing performance, as do the rest of the cast. But as there is so much entertainment and action value on screen the human element does not dominate in the usual way. As Writer/Director, James Cameron deserves high praise for this creation and in my opinion it will break box office records. I thoroughly enjoyed this film.
Avatar was easily the greatest movie ever made.
I’ve sent a link to this stuff to few of my friends. That’s actually the best recommendation for this info you put here that I could give you out.
This film was rubbish. Call it a masterpiece for its visuals, but then it’s not really a film. Film is special because it combines visuals, sounds, and writing along with acting. When someone like James Cameron makes a film like Avatar that has incredible graphic but a poorly written script based on over used stereotypes, it is not fair for filmmakers who put the effort into creating a fantastic screenplay. A movie is based on its screenplay. Without the steady foundation of an impressive screenplay, a film is just style and no substance, it ceases to be a work of art, rather just a commercial way to make money. I understand that one argument is that it made loads of money, however, I have to ask how many people have actually seen the masterpieces and works of master directors such as Akira Kurosawa, Martin Scorsese, Andrei Tartovsky, or even Francois Truffaut. Now that we know that most people haven’t, what you have to think about is what that means about the audience. In an age where Hollywood Blockbusters dominate the cinema, it seems that the audience, which consists mostly of young people, is ignorant to the fact that there are films out there that actually are original and untouched by greedy studios. So any argument about it being popular and making money is ridiculous. James Cameron is like Richard Prince, he is considered revolutionary but steals other film ideas (Pocahontas) and simply makes them look “cooler”. For there to be anybody that praises such a blatant money making lie which steals ideas from other people is absurd. And there is no argument to justify its making or the fame of its untalented director.