James Cameron’s Avatar
I finally dragged myself to the theater the other day to check out Avatar in 3D. I originally had no intentions of seeing it because the “big bad military vs ignorant and honorable natives” plot has been so thoroughly overdone and never, in my opinion, done particularly well. But this is James Cameron! As I mentioned to my friend who similarly had no intention to see it, “It’s a James Cameron film. He made Aliens and Terminator and if this has been his Big Project for the past however-many-years, it has to be something worth seeing.” I have to say that I was right…
*Spoiler alert! I don’t think anything here will ruin the movie for you (honestly, if you’ve seen Dances with Wolves or The Last Samurai, you can figure this movie out), but for the surprise-sticklers out there, beware the following ramblings.*
The Downs
- Some parts were drawn out excessively. I mean, how much longer do you need to build up the “going to war” scene? I actually fell asleep because it was so generic!
- The big tree falling over is bad. We get it. There was an awful lot of buildup in the beginning describing how important it is. Watching so many subsequent scenes of crying and rending of garments was boring.
- The natives can shoot arrows through what was assumedly bulletproof windows? Sure they were some big arrows but I think the military force needs to reallocate their money on windshields that aren’t made of sugar glass. It just wasn’t believable that the Na’vi could take on such a heavily armed force of soldiers. Even the best intentions do not make good armor.
The Ups
- MY GOD, THE VISUALS. Absolutely awe inspiring! Everything glows, glistens, and glimmers. The alien environments are lush and verdant, and really take advantage of the 3D effects to pull the audience right into them.
- Colonel. Miles. Quaritch. This guy is like the Energizer Bunny of armed, unarmed, and mechanized combat. He is so ridiculous and over-the-top, it’s simply astounding. He’s a capital badass and that’s all there is to it.
So the bottom line is that if you like science fiction or fun action movies or even just bright colors, check out Avatar. I don’t know if “movies are never going to be the same” as the advertisements keep insisting, (in fact, the plot makes me think that “movies will always be the same”) but it is truly an experience. I can’t speak as to how it plays out in an Imax theater but I would strongly recommend it in 3D. The application of that technology is very well done and really enhances the movie.
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