James Cameron's AVATAR discussion thread

[LChinoz]

Saw it for a 2nd time today and enjoyed it just as much, if not more. I was looking for certain things - such as the differences between the Na'vi and the avatars. What someone said about Grace's avatar being the first and that's why her nose is different (she's got bigger ****s too) makes a lot of sense.

Just looking at this this film and how a whole world had to be created. From the interstellar space ship to the time (just 150 years from now?) to the entire culture of the Na'vi - there's so much back story in every frame that it's pretty amazing.

I agree. This is one movie that somehow gets better the second time you watch it. You notice a lot of little things, like I just noticed the whole avatars have five fingers versus four for the Na'vi thing. Of course if someone didn't like it the first time they probably won't see it a second time but I suggest giving it another go round when it comes out on Blu-ray.

 

[Chargersfan57]

Re: I saw AVATAR in 3D!

Man, it would be AWESOME to see this movie in 3d!!!

Wait,...what am I talking about,...I still haven't even seen this in 2d!

 

[CelticPredator]

Re: I saw AVATAR in 3D!

I agree with Badmoon. While I loved it, and found it quite fun....it was nothing new. The effects were new.

 

[Nocturne]

Saw it for a 2nd time today and enjoyed it just as much, if not more. I was looking for certain things - such as the differences between the Na'vi and the avatars. What someone said about Grace's avatar being the first and that's why her nose is different (she's got bigger ****s too) makes a lot of sense.

Just looking at this this film and how a whole world had to be created. From the interstellar space ship to the time (just 150 years from now?) to the entire culture of the Na'vi - there's so much back story in every frame that it's pretty amazing.

I started noticing that too, just little things. All the Avatars have Eyebrows as well, where the Na'vi don't.

Other things like Neytiri's English gets better the longer she's with Jake.

The Field Guide to Pandora thats out now is a great tie in book to the whole films backstory explaining a lot of the things you see in the backgrounds.

 

[BadMoon]

Re: I saw AVATAR in 3D!

I agree with Badmoon. While I loved it, and found it quite fun....it was nothing new. The effects were new.

Yeah I'm not completely bashing it at all. I enjoyed my time watching it for the most part and will probably buy it. I would like to see it in IMAX as well purely for the special effects. But my theater is dumb and not playing it.

 

[A.L.I.E.N]

Re: I saw AVATAR in 3D!

I did and it was epic! A defo must see in 3D

 

[SnakeDoctor]

It's funny. I don't like any of the Lord Of The Rings, Pirates Of The Carribean or Harry Potter movies but I don't sit on their forums and bag 'em out.
Probably because I have a life?

The distinction between the "lives" of people who spend time on forums disliking a movie and people who spend time on forums gushing over a movie may be less profound than you think.

Anyway, I'm still trying to get my $12 of amusement out of this movie, and yanking the chains of the fanboys is the only outlet I have left for getting my money's worth.

SnakeDoc

 

[blakus939]

I'm one of the 'didn't like its'. What the hell was this movie? Some childish, painfully predictable mash up of the younger disney movies from when i was a kid. The effects are the absolute ONLY thing it has going for it. PATHETIC story. How on earth did Sam Terribleton get that role? I hear he 'outacted', many other leads for this position? Who on earth were the other options, channing tatum and ben stiller? An actor is supposed to be undoubtedly authentic, you are supposed to believe without question, that they ARE the character. Well, that's a bit hard when he can't even hold an american accent for 3 bloody seconds! It's all in the delivery, why wreck the role with someone who sounds like an amatuer still trying to grasp a basic accent, let alone no even hint of a proper dialect?
Damian Lewis can do it
Heath Ledger could do it
Mel Gibson can do it
Kate Winslet can do it
Jason o Mara can do it
Christian Bale can do it
Why? Because they are decent, or at very least, semi decent actors. Sam's voice pissed me off to no end in salvation, but the character was cool enough that i could see passed it, with annoyance. This was just, imho purely unacceptable. I couldn't help but cringe everytime he came on screen. I think he is terrible, as was the movie. Stephen Graham was the best thing about it, and the lead girl was decent. Once this is on DVD or something though ( or if it was to begin with ) without all the special 3d looking effects and stuff, it would be seen for the terrible pitch that it is, FILM wise

 

[SnakeDoctor]

Wow...very well said.

Its actually kind of strange that Cameron got so overtly preachy in this movie. Alien was subtly anti-corporate, and Terminator was subtly anti-technology ... but it didn't hit you over the head with it. This movie was so ridiculously caricaturish in its condemnation of "western imperialism" that it became a distraction (to the point that I eventually began rolling-my-eyes at the whole thing ... "shock-and-awe", really?).

I've learned to tolerate subtle messages in movies ... whatever ... but when the remarkably simplistic message becomes the whole movie, I lose interest.

SnakeDoc

 

[LOTRFan]

"shock-and-awe"

My wife and I gasped when that actual phrase was used to. Besides that this is a discussion thread, nowhere does it say or imply that it must be exclusively positive.

 

[SnakeDoctor]

My wife and I gasped when that actual phrase was used to. Besides that this is a discussion thread, nowhere does it say or imply that it must be exclusively positive.

I actually laughed aloud ... the final ridiculous straw, I suppose.

SnakeDoc

 

[RJMacReady16]

That, and the whole "the aliens returned to their dying planet" at the end. S#$%....could he possibly hate people any more?

I liked the 80's much better, when we also met a pagan savage alien, and then Arnold blew it to hell. Silly me...I like rooting for humans.

 

[Something Sexy]

I'm one of the 'didn't like its'. What the hell was this movie? Some childish, painfully predictable mash up of the younger disney movies from when i was a kid. The effects are the absolute ONLY thing it has going for it. PATHETIC story. How on earth did Sam Terribleton get that role? I hear he 'outacted', many other leads for this position? Who on earth were the other options, channing tatum and ben stiller? An actor is supposed to be undoubtedly authentic, you are supposed to believe without question, that they ARE the character. Well, that's a bit hard when he can't even hold an american accent for 3 bloody seconds! It's all in the delivery, why wreck the role with someone who sounds like an amatuer still trying to grasp a basic accent, let alone no even hint of a proper dialect?
Damian Lewis can do it
Heath Ledger could do it
Mel Gibson can do it
Kate Winslet can do it
Jason o Mara can do it
Christian Bale can do it
Why? Because they are decent, or at very least, semi decent actors. Sam's voice pissed me off to no end in salvation, but the character was cool enough that i could see passed it, with annoyance. This was just, imho purely unacceptable. I couldn't help but cringe everytime he came on screen. I think he is terrible, as was the movie. Stephen Graham was the best thing about it, and the lead girl was decent. Once this is on DVD or something though ( or if it was to begin with ) without all the special 3d looking effects and stuff, it would be seen for the terrible pitch that it is, FILM wise

Ok ok ok ok, back up a second here. In my opinion, Christian Bale was the worst thing in both the Dark Knight AND Salvation, why? Because of his voice, it was absolutely TERRIBLE. I HATE that voice he does it is so damn annoying and terrible and just ruins himself on screen. He is slowly turning into Vin Diesel. I can honestly say I don't give a ???? about Christian Bale anymore. I have the exact opposite opinion because every time Bale came on the screen in Salvation I had to close my eyes and plug my hears.

Sam Worthington on the other hand, rules!

Hey these are just my opinions, so please don't be like that jerk face in the PS3 thread.

 

[-jay-]

Hey these are just my opinions, so please don't be like that jerk face in the PS3 thread.

Oh god one of him is enough.

 

[Khev]

Re: I saw AVATAR in 3D!

Yes it WAS predictable! Come on! If you didn't know that Jake would....

Whoever said I was talking about that specific part? That's nice that you were dazzled by the visuals but if you were hoping for Gangs of New York or There Will Be Blood in a classic Hero Quest fantasy then you have no one to blame but yourself.

 

[Ra88]

I really liked it and thought the effects were great.
But I do have a gripe...

It bugged me that the military was obviously U.S.
I would have much preferred for it to have been a "World Federation" type of military.

Just my

though...

It was a mining corporation with a hired mercenary force. And they still preferred to seek a diplomatic solution instead of going in there and killing everyone. And even when it DID come down to war, they still did it with as few casualties as possible, seeking to drive the Na'vi out instead of killing them all with a nuke or something.

Really, I don't get people seeing an anti-imperialistic theme in this. It's not even relevant to today's world, unless we're still sailing to other parts of the worlds to wipe out their inhabitants and steal their natural resources. The only message that Cameron has said is in this movie is that we need to respect nature and be more careful more, and it was the only one that I personally saw. And even then it was handled tastefully and not preachy, save for that one line about us killing our planet (which the humans of Avatar did).

 

[thenammagazine]

Re: I saw AVATAR in 3D!

I enjoyed the movie. I really did. However, it was nothing new. Nothing fresh and original. My idea of Fresh and new would be Gangs of New York or There will Be Blood. This was the same old Sci Fi rip off crap that they have been churning out year after year. Although the 3D was amazing! It just was an meh story that I just wanted to end.

That movie sucked ass and was a HUGE effort just to sit through it and stay focused . Best part about it was the end credits because I knew I had to make up for the 158 minutes of my life I'd just wasted.

 

[Wor-Gar]

Re: I saw AVATAR in 3D!

I will drink your milk shake.

 

[KAOSINLA]

Its actually kind of strange that Cameron got so overtly preachy in this movie. Alien was subtly anti-corporate, and Terminator was subtly anti-technology ... but it didn't hit you over the head with it. This movie was so ridiculously caricaturish in its condemnation of "western imperialism" that it became a distraction (to the point that I eventually began rolling-my-eyes at the whole thing ... "shock-and-awe", really?).

I've learned to tolerate subtle messages in movies ... whatever ... but when the remarkably simplistic message becomes the whole movie, I lose interest.

SnakeDoc

Indeed.

For me, the EFX were the only saving grace in this film. I can tolerate an overused/unoriginal story, bad acting to some degree, and bad scriptwriting if not systemic. However, I acquire a distinct disdain when a film is constructed into a ideological soapbox...it's not my non-biodegradable cup of tea so to say. As I stated in my review, I could have easily watched this film on mute, because it was embarassingly apparent that the 15 yrs of development were entirely devoted to technology and not the treatment. This film was a feast for the eyes and bulimia for the rest.

At the very least, I'm glad Will Smith didn't have 5 sec. cameo for a "I gotta get me one of these" lines.

 

[LChinoz]

That, and the whole "the aliens returned to their dying planet" at the end. S#$%....could he possibly hate people any more?

I liked the 80's much better, when we also met a pagan savage alien, and then Arnold blew it to hell. Silly me...I like rooting for humans.

Did you root for the humans in District 9 too? I hated those SOBs