I went to the midnight showing of Avatar last night. I left three hours later feeling disappointed and wishing I had gotten some popcorn and feeling tired and all the things you’re not supposed to feel after seeing a movie that was supposed to revolutionize the movie making industry.
Avatar is the story of a paraplegic marine who is sent to the planet of Pandora in place of his dead brother. He is part of a team who is genetically linked to an “avatar” that looks like the indigenous (a word you’ll hear more times than the word THE) people who live on the planet. On the first day, this jughead gets separated from the group only to be welcomed with open arms by the tribe. He then becomes one of them all the while reporting back to the military force back at base. (It was very annoying to watch the military and science branches bicker, fyi.) The military strikes, but as you saw coming from the beginning doesn’t win. Nature FTW.
I’m going to start with the good. It was in 3D, which was actually very cool especially since James Cameron didn’t use every corny 3D effect to remind you. Also, the CGI team did a magnificent job. Very real-looking. All in all, it was a very visually awesome movie and I would definitely see it again if not to just see it.
If you are a person who enjoys an original movie, than this movie isn’t for you. At all. Nothing about this movie was original. Just watch FernGully before you see it and you’ll know what I mean. One scene was practically copied and pasted from Dinotopia (the ABC miniseries that was awesome. Just saying.) and that annoyed me more than anything else. And on and on. It was also ridiculously long.
I can’t say that I wouldn’t recommend this movie, just that you need to forget all the hype that everyone and their mother is giving it and go see it with a clean slate. I am getting very annoyed at all the reviews that are saying that it was great. It was better than decent. James Cameron still owns a large slice of the Sci-Fi pie in my book, because let’s face it- who doesn’t get giddy while watching Terminator 2? But people really need to get real and realize that it wasn’t revolutionary.
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December 18, 2009 at 7:28 pm
jmmnewaov2
Thanks for the commentary. I don’t think the word revolutionary is meant as it pertains to the film industry. I think they had to wait for the technology to catch up with the idea and in that sense, Cameron used new techniques rather than old techniques. It may be out with the old and in with the new, as in innovative.
But I think your reference ‘revolutionary’ may not be your own term. Maybe you read it elsewhere.
JustMeMike
My own review is here:
http://jmmnewaov2.wordpress.com/2009/12/18/avatar/
December 18, 2009 at 8:47 pm
Paul
Yes, I did read the term “revolutionary” elsewhere, just to prove my point that it wasn’t that great. And I did enjoy reading your review. The only problem I have with it is that you ask us to watch the film without thinking of the countless similarities we see to other films. I have a problem with that as I can’t watch any film without pointing out two or three copies. When I watch an entire film that is almost a mirror of another film with even more copies from other films, I get annoyed. But like I said, I would go see this film again if not for the view.
December 19, 2009 at 2:30 pm
Jeri Lindley
Good review…but Marines are jarheads not jugheads!