Avatar (not the airbender)(POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERTS)

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Avatar (not the airbender)(POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERTS)

Post by limpport » Sat Dec 19, 2009 1:50 am

Anyone see the movie yet? I saw the opening show. People's thoughts and opinions?
Last edited by limpport on Mon Dec 21, 2009 2:03 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Avatar (not the airbender)

Post by hailrazer » Sat Dec 19, 2009 6:52 am

I thought it was the best movie I have seen in the last 5 years or more .
Excellent story, excellent cgi, excellent characters.
Great movie, a must see.
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Re: Avatar (not the airbender)

Post by hackmodford » Sat Dec 19, 2009 8:21 am

I seen it last night and my mind was blown away :D
What I liked most was how original the alien planet was...
Also are there any other movies that focus specifically on one beautiful alient planet? (I can't think of any)
I remember Ben's comment about why would the blue aliens evolve (if you believe in that sort of thing) on a green planet... it makes sense now... :wink:
The other big thing I remember was seeing 3d Holographic Computer Screens in 3d... very nice 8)

All in all it's one of the best movies I have ever seen in my entire life...

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Re: Avatar (not the airbender)

Post by Black Six » Sat Dec 19, 2009 9:30 am

Reviews I've read said the graphics were amazing but the story was lackluster. Yet somehow they still have been giving it good scores?

Some of my friends want to see it on IMAX over the break, so I may tag along then to check out what the fuss is. :P
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Re: Avatar (not the airbender)

Post by jones » Sat Dec 19, 2009 10:38 am

I went to the IMAX 3-D midnight showing here in Madison Thursday night and was left unimpressed.

"Avatar" is a hollow film that tries to make you forget about it's lack of an original thought with cutting edge effects. There are so many things wrong about this movie it is hard to know where to begin.

Every character in the film is painted in such broad strokes that none of them can be taken seriously. None of them go through any sort of meaningful (or believable) personal journey with the exception of Michelle Rodriguez's character. I didn't care about any of the characters in the film, because none of them were developed at all. We're just basically expected to, which doesn't pass muster for me. You'd think that given all the effort Cameron put into making the Na'vi look believable that he would have actually tried to make us care about them as well. I guess that would have been asking too much though.

Also, why would they have even brought Sam Worthington's character to the planet in the first place? He's a crippled Marine! There's nothing for him to do there. Did they really bring him along just on the off chance that his research scientist brother might die and they need him? Not likely. This happens right at the beginning of the movie so it's not spoiling anything and is one of the many things that bothered me about the movie.

Furthermore... What the hell is Unobtanium (lamest MacGuffin in the history of film by the way) and why do they want it so bad? Yes, they say it is worth $20 million a kilo or some such nonsense but surely it must DO something to be so valuable. What does it do? We'll never know, because we're never told.

"Avatar" never managed to draw me in. The whole time I felt like I was watching a very well produced video game with an uninvolving story. I became bored enough that my mind drifted to another movie that dealt with the same themes far more effectively: "WALL-E". This is another movie that deals with the same themes through the use of technology. The two robots at the heart of "WALL-E" are fully realized characters that I find myself caring about more and more as the film goes on. Hell, there's even a part of the movie where I well up with tears damn near every time I watch it. It is so good, the fact that you're watching animated robots doesn't even matter. I felt like Cameron could have learned a thing (or 10) from repeat viewings of "WALL-E". As it is we get this uninvolving mess that is supposedly going to change movies forever (I certainly hope not).

It is sad to have to say these things, because James Cameron knows how to tell a powerful story with technology as an aid. "Titanic" is an excellent example of this. A movie so good that I found myself to be on the edge of surprise when the iceberg showed up. The story was so good it made me forget the inevitable disaster that awaited Kate and Leo.

There was a time when James Cameron used technology to service the story he had to tell. In his mad rush to bring 3-D to theaters it seems that the tables have turned. Now it seems as if he came up with all the cool things he wanted to do first and came up with the story as an afterthought to service the technology.

If this is the future of movies, I don't want any part of it.

PS - Why didn't he cast Michael Biehn as the military shmuck? He would have been WAY better!

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Re: Avatar (not the airbender)

Post by hailrazer » Sat Dec 19, 2009 12:29 pm

LOl.

Well if you were paying attention.

1. They brought him to the planet because the Company had already invested "A lot" of money in the Avatar and the only one who can use an avatar is the one with the DNA used to make the avatar. Hence they brought his twin brother who had the same Dna and could use it. And they brought him as a researcher not a Marine. And they didn't bring him till after his brother died.

2. We weren't told what the precious metal was or why it was needed because that was not the main thrust of the story. We are supposed to see how a planet and people are being destroyed out of greed. And how a man or group of people can change and learn to be in harmony with a place though not their own.

3. it tickles me that you were brought to tears for Wall-E and not this one. Wall-E bored me to death and was very unmemorable for me. Whereas several times in Avatar I got "emotional".

This is why I don't read reviews or usually engage in discussion of movies. To each their own. Watch a movie and decide how good it is or isn't. It will appeal to different people on different levels. And my loving it or your not loving it really shouldn't mean a dang thing to anyone else. :)
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Re: Avatar (not the airbender)

Post by limpport » Sat Dec 19, 2009 12:30 pm

jones wrote: Also, why would they have even brought Sam Worthington's character to the planet in the first place? He's a crippled Marine! There's nothing for him to do there. Did they really bring him along just on the off chance that his research scientist brother might die and they need him? Not likely. This happens right at the beginning of the movie so it's not spoiling anything and is one of the many things that bothered me about the movie.
He was sent out after he found out his brother was dead. It seemed pretty clear to me.

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Re: Avatar (not the airbender)

Post by collinE » Sat Dec 19, 2009 12:30 pm

Wow, Jones. I haven't seen it yet, but from reading every other review and hearing from every person who has seen it, it didn't seem like you wanted to like it. or even enjoy what was good about it, for that matter. Maybe I'll change my mind once I see it, but your opinion is, by far, the most unforgiving of the minor flaws the movie has. I'm not sure you are giving it the credit it deserves.
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Re: Avatar (not the airbender)

Post by jones » Sat Dec 19, 2009 12:51 pm

hailrazer wrote:Well if you were paying attention.

1. They brought him to the planet because the Company had already invested "A lot" of money in the Avatar and the only one who can use an avatar is the one with the DNA used to make the avatar. Hence they brought his twin brother who had the same Dna and could use it. And they brought him as a researcher not a Marine. And they didn't bring him till after his brother died.

2. We weren't told what the precious metal was or why it was needed because that was not the main thrust of the story. We are supposed to see how a planet and people are being destroyed out of greed. And how a man or group of people can change and learn to be in harmony with a place though not their own.

3. it tickles me that you were brought to tears for Wall-E and not this one. Wall-E bored me to death and was very unmemorable for me. Whereas several times in Avatar I got "emotional".

This is why I don't read reviews or usually engage in discussion of movies. To each their own. Watch a movie and decide how good it is or isn't. It will appeal to different people on different levels. And my loving it or your not loving it really shouldn't mean a dang thing to anyone else. :)
I disagree. He didn't find out his brother was dead until after he woke up on the ship, which would imply that he had shipped out prior to his brother's death. This being the case, why is he on the ship? Again this just doesn't hold water for me. I agree it is somewhat trivial, but it is representative of the lazy screenwriting that runs rampant throughout the film.

I know what that the central thrust of the movie was about, but that doesn't change the fact that knowing what Unobtanium was used for would have been useful information. Making it about money doesn't make it interesting. Nothing is really on the line. If the humans actually NEED it for a purpose other than greed it gives them more weight in the story.

"WALL-E" wipes it's ass with "Avatar" (and a lot of other movies for that matter) as far as I'm concerned. I felt nothing for any of the characters in "Avatar".

I agree with you about film criticism. People are going to like what they like and that's fine, but it doesn't mean it isn't fun to discuss. :)

All in all, I'm glad you enjoyed it. Nice to know someone who did.

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Re: Avatar (not the airbender)

Post by jones » Sat Dec 19, 2009 1:04 pm

collinE wrote:Wow, Jones. I haven't seen it yet, but from reading every other review and hearing from every person who has seen it, it didn't seem like you wanted to like it. or even enjoy what was good about it, for that matter. Maybe I'll change my mind once I see it, but your opinion is, by far, the most unforgiving of the minor flaws the movie has. I'm not sure you are giving it the credit it deserves.
You're right in a way. I did have lowered expectations for this movie, but I wasn't pre-disposed in any way to hating it. I wouldn't have spent $15 and gone to a midnight showing when having to work the next day if that were the case. I would have waited until last night and seen it. I gave it a fair chance and it didn't deliver in my eyes.

Given my lowered expectations (not getting caught up in the hype) one would think if the movie were good, I would have been quite pleased. That just wasn't the case though. A movie that proclaims itself in it's marketing to be "movie that will change movies forever" had damn well better hold up to scrutiny and this one doesn't.

I've liked everything else Cameron has done over the years to varying degrees, but this one missed the mark for me.

I'm not alone in my opinion of the movie. Even the people that give it positive reviews acknowledge that the story is lacking, but say "you won't care because it looks so good". That may true for others, but not for me.

Take a look at Rotten Tomatoes to see what I mean.

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Re: Avatar (not the airbender)

Post by timmeh87 » Sat Dec 19, 2009 2:58 pm

Hey, I read the entire plot synopsis on the internet, and I wholeheartedly agree with Jones. The plot of the movie sounds like 10 other crappy Disney movies Ive seen. Everything about the story is so unoriginal I probably could have written it in short story form on the toilet.

Havent actually seen the film so take that however you like it.

Also, Jones, keep in mind that most of the people here are in the under-18 demographic.
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Re: Avatar (not the airbender)

Post by hailrazer » Sat Dec 19, 2009 4:20 pm

jones wrote: I disagree. He didn't find out his brother was dead until after he woke up on the ship, which would imply that he had shipped out prior to his brother's death. This being the case, why is he on the ship? Again this just doesn't hold water for me. I agree it is somewhat trivial, but it is representative of the lazy screenwriting that runs rampant throughout the film.

All in all, I'm glad you enjoyed it. Nice to know someone who did.
I thought it was a flashback to his brothers funeral/cremation. Well I was slightly distracted with the kids and all.

*edit* Every review says that he goes to Pandora AFTER he learns of his brothers death. It was a flashback apparently*

And that last statement is just ridiculous. A lot of people have thoroughly enjoyed the including EVERYONE I know that has seen it. The majority being mature adults not kids timmeh87. :wink:

And the VAST majority of reviews on Rotten Tomatoe are very positive and encourage all to watch it , so I don't know where you're going with that.
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Re: Avatar (not the airbender)

Post by timmeh87 » Sat Dec 19, 2009 5:01 pm

Going somewhere? No I just like having an opinion.

I find that, for me at least, reviews have little to no correlation to my enjoyment of a movie. For example, one of my favorite movies of all time, Cube, got 58% on the tomato site.
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Re: Avatar (not the airbender)

Post by Rekarp » Sat Dec 19, 2009 5:02 pm

I am going to agree with Jones (as usual) with this movie. Once the initial "wow" factor wore off it was a fairly dry with almost zero character development. Seriously I really didn't care to much for the characters. Wall-e > Avatar by a mile.

I would say the 3D was impressive and it was fun to watch. I would recommend people watch the movie just for the sheer technical aspect of the movie.
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Re: Avatar (not the airbender)

Post by Rekarp » Sat Dec 19, 2009 5:03 pm

timmeh87 wrote:I find that, for me at least, reviews have little to no correlation to my enjoyment of a movie. For example, one of my favorite movies of all time, Cube, got 58% on the tomato site.

Cube? Astro...nomical!
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