I liked Avatar. in Off Topic

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ID:89267
 
Jan 5 2010, 9:05 pm (Edited on Jan 5 2010, 9:12 pm)
Keywords: avatar, review
Well I've noticed a trend going around with the movie Avatar, where it's completely ass backwards in terms of review. All of the respectable film critics of our day (Roger Ebert, Jules Brenner, and A.O. Scott just to name a few) deeply expressed their adoration for James Cameron's latest film, while every "hard ass" viewer out there has turned it into something of a scandal in their eyes.

IMO the movie was brilliant. From start to finish I was in the world of Pandora, my emotions were tied to the progression of Jake Sully's character development and even with Neytiri. I found myself (although as predictable as the movie may have been to some) wondering what would happen next, personally I didn't make the initial leap to accusing it of a story I've seen before. Sure it had its similarities to other stories of the same genre, but the way it was presented and the believable acting made it feel like I was watching a wonderful fiction novel that pulled me right in from the get go.

I see some wanna-be critics claiming that the movie is a recycled Pocahontas script, or Fern Gully, or Dances With Wolves which are similar to Brother Bear, or The Last Samurai, or District 9 which are similar to Memoirs of a Geisha... We get it, it's been kinda done before. Big freakin deal! No matter what your favorite movie is, I guarantee it's been done before (The "simpsons did it" accusation gets no props). What you people should focus on is not spending your time trying to identify what movies a popular movie reminds you of, but rather the way the movie is presented. In my opinion this movie had heart. I found I could easily appreciate and follow the main characters, fiction or not there weren't any loopholes in the story and it was also easy to follow, which in turn made the venture more enjoyable since I was never facing a momentary "that doesn't make sense because...".

In all fairness if you were to go into the movie expecting what James Cameron promised to deliver, you would not be disappointed. He promised viewers a visually stunning and captivating world, he delivered, end of story.

Here are some of the things I personally liked about the movie. Aside from the two main characters, the rest of the supporting cast also had a temporary place in my heart (Although watching them die wasn't too depressing), it seems like it was designed to keep your mind on the love story while also enjoying the benefits of a supporting cast, mission complete. The world of Pandora was so realistic! Every little detail of the CGI was amazing, nothing felt fake to me. Everything from the facial expressions to the simple drifting of leaves when Home Tree fell sold my mind the lie that I was looking at something tangible.
The Colonel was a great villain. He possessed a certain air of righteousness, as if in his mind he was doing the right thing, as evil as it might be. The fact that the world of Pandora could communicate with its inhabitants as its own life form was a great concept, and actually left me many reasons to cheer for the defense.
The action/suspense sequences (even the tiny ones) were very very enjoyable and the battle at the end of the picture had me on the edge of my seat, and honestly being a James Cameron flick I expected Jake Sully to die. The beginning was well done, the filler story was done well, it couldn't have ended better, and all for the presentation of this visually stunning world. This story possessed a wide range of emotions and backstories without taking our eyes away from the target focus of the picture, mix that with a visually stunning and believable world and captivating characters and IMO you've struck gold as a storyteller.

So far I've seen the movie twice and both me and Angie appreciated every moment. Sure it could've run shorter, but I wouldn't change a thing about it (It sure didn't feel long to me). I also guarantee that if this exact movie was done with not-as-great graphics, with a differently named director, it would've gotten greater reviews from the outspoken public. It seems the only people who have really taken to disliking this movie are the same type of people who only appreciate indie music and/or think Stephanie Meyer is the greatest author in the world.

As a final note I wish to state that Pocahontas, Fern Gully, and Dances With Wolves were all great movies too!

<3 Ken.
#1 Jan 5 2010, 9:08 pm
Finally, someone who isn't a nutcase critic.
#2 Jan 5 2010, 9:11 pm
Nigga, I ain't readin that!
#3 Jan 5 2010, 9:45 pm
I've seen this movie four times, and I loved every single time (three times in IMAX 3D and one time on my 62" home tv. ;] )

I wish there weren't as many flying scenes.
If you count, there are four.
1. Jake's first flight
2. Jake flying in formation with Neytiri and Tsu'tey
3. Neytiri showing Jake the Tree of Souls
4. Jake and Neytiri hunting (only to be hunted by the Toruk)

Each scene is very important in plot and character development, but I wish that they could have been merged together or something.
#4 Jan 5 2010, 9:46 pm
'I'm not the only one with guns, bitch' Haha. Trudy's line.
#5 Jan 5 2010, 9:47 pm
I liked this movie better when it was called Blazing Saddles.
#6 Jan 5 2010, 9:50 pm
The original scriptment seems like it would've been muuuuch better than the Avatar, but it was also, like, twice as long. I think it was a good movie. Not a great one, but a decent popcorn flick.
#7 Jan 5 2010, 10:00 pm
While I did like the movie a lot, my first impression from seeing the trailer earlier last year would be that it would be action packed. It had enough action and I thoroughly enjoyed it but I somewhat expected a epic battle, maybe on the scale of Lotr Two Towers...
#8 Jan 5 2010, 11:42 pm
This is fun. I liked the movie. Bye. :P
#9 Jan 6 2010, 1:53 am
All hail Yammen, the legendary mediator!!!

Haha, just kidding. Whether Avatar was a ripoff or not, I actually liked the movie. I seen it in 3D and couldn't keep my eyes off of the screen. Anyways, I'm outie.
#10 Jan 6 2010, 1:58 am
Yammen wrote:
How the hell did this post get detailed and turned into a piss and moan-fest between Fizz, Nadrew, Silk, and Jared.

I think that it's the first time that I've posted something mildly controversial in a few months, and so certain people needed their Silk Wizard comment blowout fix.

I missed me too, guys.
#11 Jan 6 2010, 1:59 am
SilkWizard wrote:
Yammen wrote:
How the hell did this post get detailed and turned into a piss and moan-fest between Fizz, Nadrew, Silk, and Jared.

I think that it's the first time that I've posted something mildly controversial in a few months, and so certain people needed their Silk Wizard comment blowout fix.

I missed me too, guys.

Uhh... -lick-
#12 Jan 6 2010, 2:32 am
SilkWizard wrote:
Foomer wrote:
I was wondering why this post had 52 comments. Then I saw that a lot them were SilkWizard, and that answered my question. I'll be steering clear now.

Holy crap. I'm seriously a prophet. I also totally called that you'd show up at some point in this thread to make a snarky comment about how the whole thing was stupid.

The best thing about Foomer is that his snarky comments are always correct.
#13 Jan 6 2010, 6:15 am (Edited on Jan 6 2010, 6:25 am)
Ha! I log on this morning expecting 59 comments of people discussing the movie, not a blown up piss and moan fight.

This was about the movie Avatar, not some single ill-spoken critic. We all know Silk makes it his business to speak negatively towards anything he doesn't make around BYOND, the dude makes it clear that's what he does.

Critics like Roger Ebert are people who's opinions I stand by before entering a film, I don't always agree with everything he says but it'll give me enough push on whether or not to see a movie I'm iffy about. In my eyes (and the eyes of many) he does his job well and with taste, which by the way is something you can't have just by claiming you have it.

Silk's entitled to his opinion, sure he delivers it as if he's the only one with a proper one, he's pompous let it go. Below he even had the audacity to state something as ridiculous as "The average movie-goer doesn't have particularly good taste in films"... wtf? That's like a a restaurant saying "the average customer has no taste for food", good luck being anything more than a fail director with that attitude. My friend Jon (theletterj) is like that though, very indie. If it's not original no matter how bad it actually is, it holds more value, especially if the majority of the people don't know what it is or like it.

Also don't insult a person's games because they disagree with your taste in movie, that's not cool. If you can't debate in an intelligent fashion then refrain from the debate at all. The same goes for insulting people directly by picking on issues a person can't control, or calling names. And as far as Jaredoggy goes, sure he may agree with silk on some issues but he seems like a decent dude, there's no reason to go out of your way to insult people you don't even know.

And to Silk: I liked your Gamers pilot better when it was called Big Bang Theory, Pure Pwnage, or The Guild.

-Ken.
#14 Jan 6 2010, 7:14 am
He promised viewers a visually stunning and captivating world, he delivered, end of story.
Every little detail of the CGI was amazing, nothing felt fake to me. Everything from the facial expressions to the simple drifting of leaves when Home Tree fell sold my mind the lie that I was looking at something tangible.

do you also judge video games based solely on their art, completely disregarding the gameplay?
#15 Jan 6 2010, 7:20 am
Good post!

I initially had no intention of seeing Avatar. The trailer and the commercials made the movie look cartoonish. But, one of my friends put it very succinctly, if you are going to watch the movie at all, watch in the theater in 3D.

My wife and I left the theater feeling the same way when we first saw Jurassic Park in the theaters some 15 years ago -- like kids leaving the best candy shop in the world. The detailed CGI in 3D gave the movie a real tangibility and physicality that I didn't expect. I'm used to the complex shading to simulate depth in 2D Pixar movies -- the "actual" depth in Avatar suspended my disbelief throughout the movie.

Not unlike other James Cameron movies, the writing and storyline wasn't much to sneeze at. But then again, I liked Titanic just to watch the forensic way it sank. Every movie or game has its niche... you don't play CoD for the uniqueness of its gameplay, nor do you watch The Shawshank Redemption for its computer graphics. The average movie-goer understands this very easy to grasp concept.
#16 Jan 6 2010, 7:22 am (Edited on Jan 6 2010, 7:38 am)
Zaole wrote:
He promised viewers a visually stunning and captivating world, he delivered, end of story.
Every little detail of the CGI was amazing, nothing felt fake to me. Everything from the facial expressions to the simple drifting of leaves when Home Tree fell sold my mind the lie that I was looking at something tangible.

do you also judge video games based solely on their art, completely disregarding the gameplay?

Of course not, unless the videogame solely promises to offer visuals. Obviously the biggest deal with Avatar were the visuals, the story was a secondary importance in the design of the movie yet that was also enjoyable.

If you actually took the time to read the post you would notice I explained other aspects of the movie I liked, rather than assuming I solely focused on one aspect and accusing me of disregarding anything.

Edit: I just saw this and I have to give it props for the lulz.

IcewarriorX wrote: "I liked this movie better when it was called Blazing Saddles."
#17 Jan 6 2010, 7:25 am
As a final note I wish to state that Pocahontas, Fern Gully, and Dances With Wolves were all great movies too!

Right you are!
#18 Jan 6 2010, 10:15 am
I loved the movie.

Watched it in 3d and will go see it a second time with more friends next week. I thought the graphics were, of course, stunning but I also had little issue with the plot and characters. Were I to not watch/play anything that had even a remotely similar plot to a movie/game made years before, I'd be a very bored and boring person.

Though, I must admit, the scriptment for Project 880 was more down my alley.
#19 Jan 6 2010, 11:15 am
The movie was great... (Much needed input)
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