Derrick Posted November 15, 2009 Report Share Posted November 15, 2009 I don't see the whole "it's a new and better cgi". It looks like Scooby Doo type cg faces to me. I think that simply comes from the fact that when the human face is distorted, it instantly looks fake because our brains tell us that it must be. (It's the reason that we'll never have a live-action version of the Hulk that looks perfect.) I find it really odd how people are already pre-judging the movie simply based on its special effects and one trailer. I'm more interested to see the final product and find out if it's actually any good on something other than a surface level. Chalk it up to the curse of too much information. These days people base their opinion on trailers and what they read on The Internet long before they've actually seen the movie itself. When it comes to movies I actually prefer the pre-Internet days when you didn't know much of anything about a movie until you went to the theater to see it. Yip. No matter how hard you try, you are going to see something about a film, you wouldn't get the twist at the end of Empire Strikes Back: When look realises he's been wanting to shag his sister. Ok, more likely that was Jedi, but I'm making a point you would find out somehow, as it is hard to avoid info now. EMPIRE was pre-Internet and back then people didn't delight in deliberately spoiling a movie like they do now. You've got those people who seem to take pleasure in divulging every detail of a movie months before it hits the theater now. And don't get me wrong. I think The Internet's the greatest invention since the cheeseburger. It just means I have to work harder at avoiding information about a new movie now. And I manage very well, I think. Call me old fashioned but I really don't see the point of wanting to know every single detail of a movie before going to see it. What's the point of going to see the movie if you've already read the screenplay online, read the daily blogs of the actors and director during filming and know all about all the big special effects scenes? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackFetch Posted November 15, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 15, 2009 What's the point of going to see the movie if you've already read the screenplay online, read the daily blogs of the actors and director during filming and know all about all the big special effects scenes? That argument holds no weight. What's the point of seeing a movie if you've read the book then? These are different times, and following the production of a movie is part of the experience for a lot of people now. It gives sites like this one things to talk about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derrick Posted November 15, 2009 Report Share Posted November 15, 2009 What's the point of going to see the movie if you've already read the screenplay online, read the daily blogs of the actors and director during filming and know all about all the big special effects scenes? That argument holds no weight. What's the point of seeing a movie if you've read the book then? These are different times, and following the production of a movie is part of the experience for a lot of people now. It gives sites like this one things to talk about. It's not an argument, Jack. It's an observation. I fully understand that this is a different time and a lot of people enjoy following every single aspect of a motion picture from A to Z. All I'm saying is that I'd rather wait and see the motion picture as a complete whole instead of drawing conclusions from bits and pieces I read or see here and there on The Internet. Now, that's just me. All I'm saying is that the overwhelming access of information we have now encourages people to ruthlessly pick apart and denounce a production before a foot of film has been shot. It seems as if nobody has the patience to simply wait until the movie has been finished and go see it, then pick it apart ruthlessly But I attribute this to a mentality of instant gratification; "What do we want? EVERYTHING! When do we want it? RIGHT NOW!" And there's an excellent reason to see a movie adapted from a book: they're two different mediums and what will work in a book sometimes doesn't work in a movie and vice versa. There's been literally hundreds of movie adaptations of books that have little resemblance to the source material. If I were to go by your statement then why should I go to the movies and see an Iron Man or Batman movie since I've read the comics? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aaron Robinson Posted November 15, 2009 Report Share Posted November 15, 2009 I don’t get it. Nothing I’ve heard or seen about this movie interests me. Why would I spend $15 of my money and an hour and a half of my time just in case this movie somehow goes against every piece of media they’ve released so far for it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KnightWing Posted November 15, 2009 Report Share Posted November 15, 2009 I don’t get it. Nothing I’ve heard or seen about this movie interests me. Why would I spend $15 of my money and an hour and a half of my time just in case this movie somehow goes against every piece of media they’ve released so far for it? There's a difference between not being interested and pre-damning the movie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aaron Robinson Posted November 15, 2009 Report Share Posted November 15, 2009 I am pre-damning this movie as a movie that does not interest me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackFetch Posted November 15, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 15, 2009 If I were to go by your statement then why should I go to the movies and see an Iron Man or Batman movie since I've read the comics? I was actually going to write that also because it compares to what you said. To me they both sound ridiculous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chadzilla Posted December 4, 2009 Report Share Posted December 4, 2009 I laughed out loud when the teaser for the next episode of BONES showed that Avatar was going to be a semi-major plot point in the episode. Nice marketing there, Fox. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KnightWing Posted December 12, 2009 Report Share Posted December 12, 2009 Rottentomatoes has it at a 90% rating. The IGN.com review is pretty enlightening, as it's written by someone who was an admitted naysayer of the film before seeing it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stavros Posted December 17, 2009 Report Share Posted December 17, 2009 Seen it, and you know what? Its really REALLY impressive. Its got great execution, a solid concept and good performances all around. If the story is familiar its because it really is just Dance with Wolves in an extreme sci-fi setting, but that doesn't mean it doesn't work. Downside? Apparently you can spy on an indigenous population and report back to your evil commanders knowing full well they intent to use it to forcibly move the tribe, then be all sorry because you start tupping the chief's daughter around the time they use that info to massacre said people, then lead a misguided assault on the troops you were with earlier, get half your force killed and you'll still be ok because you'll get bailed out by a nature goddess. District 9 had more to say that was relevant to the modern world, and Cameron is VERY heavy handed throughout, but its still very much worth checking out. Oh yeah, and there were only two trailers, Alice in Wonderland and an fucking interminable 10-15 minute long trailer for Street Dance 3D, a movie so fucking simple and straightforward you wouldn't need 30 seconds to explain it. Ballet dancers and street dancer forced to use the same studio? Ballet man and streetwise girl have tension? Will they hook up? Will the two groups win the big dance contest? Seems pretty straightforward to me, but they insisted on showing a massive chunk of the film anyway, presumably looking to hook some of the stupider bacteria who might have regarded the plot as a mystery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackFetch Posted December 17, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 17, 2009 I think one of the things I said after reading the script was it's like Dances With Wolves with the Battle of Endor thrown in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaxPower Posted December 17, 2009 Report Share Posted December 17, 2009 I really need to watch Dances with Wolves one of these days.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KnightWing Posted December 17, 2009 Report Share Posted December 17, 2009 Go see Avatar first, then annoy people by saying that Dances With Wolves is "just like Avatar." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackFetch Posted December 17, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 17, 2009 Stavros, does it still hit you over the head with the environmental messages? Also, does it still do the stupid Gaia crap at the end? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stavros Posted December 17, 2009 Report Share Posted December 17, 2009 Stavros, does it still hit you over the head with the environmental messages? Also, does it still do the stupid Gaia crap at the end? Yes, its still very heavy-handed on that bit, but it explains it all in a way that makes sense, its not like there isn't a quantifiable actual global link between all these creatures. The animals running in to save the day was a bit much, but the fact is that their god was actually provable and literal through the vast neural network of the forests and between the creatures. It was scientifically explained. The battles are sort of adavannced attack of the clones, but with an actual point and genuine stakes. There is no superfluous action in the film. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chadzilla Posted December 20, 2009 Report Share Posted December 20, 2009 Sitting in an almost filled up IMAX theater, waiting.... For the magic to begin. Hope it's good. EDIT: Just got back. I'm going to put it on my top ten list for best of 2009. While I get the Dances With Wolves comparisons, I thought it also invoked Edgar Rice Burroughs's A Princess of Mars and others in the SF pulp tradition. It is also closest in tone and execution to Cameron's own The Abyss, it has the same jaw dropping level of detailed immersion into an artificially created environment. An awesome viewing experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missy Posted December 20, 2009 Report Share Posted December 20, 2009 It's made $232 million worldwide in its opening weekend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stavros Posted December 20, 2009 Report Share Posted December 20, 2009 It's made $232 million worldwide in its opening weekend. Deserves every penny. I'd much rather watch a blockbuster like this one than fucking Transformers 2 or whatever bullshit family adventure film it inspires. Avatar employs the most stunning use of special effects I've ever seen to make you actually give a damn, as opposed to Bay's dynamic but ultimately flat action. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derrick Posted December 20, 2009 Report Share Posted December 20, 2009 Yes, it is a really, really, really big budget remake of "Dances With Wolves" Yes, the tree-huggers are going to fall in love with this movie as James Cameron bashes us over the head with pro-environmentalism every chance he gets. The characters played by Giovanni Ribisi and Stephen Lang are painfully one-dimensional. Now having said all that I say this: AVATAR is an extraordinary movie and James Cameron didn't lie when he proclaimed himself King Of The World. Unlike Michael Bay and Roland Emmerich he knows how to spend $500 million on a movie that doesn't insult my intelligence or wastes my time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chadzilla Posted December 27, 2009 Report Share Posted December 27, 2009 Looks to have outgrossed Sherlock Holmes by ten million dollars, estimates have it dropping off it's 77 million opening by a mere 2 million. Looks like the flick has got legs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Venneh Posted December 31, 2009 Report Share Posted December 31, 2009 Went and saw this tonight with my mom. I can honestly say that I was not expecting to like this as much as I did. Those three hours flew by in a flash. The CG in this is absofuckinglutely spectacular, not to mention wonderful in its creativity and the way it was used to build the world. One of the exchanges between me and my mom went something like this: Mom: Oh, that's so pretty! Me: I wonder how it's going to try and kill them? Kind of struck a hard chord with me, what with training to be an anthropologist and this kind of reminding me of some of the kind of awful things the gov has used anthropologists to do (this being a textbook situation). (Also, the sex scene made me feel like I was almost watching furry porn.) In short, going to try and see it again this weekend with my dad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dc20willsave Posted January 5, 2010 Report Share Posted January 5, 2010 I think it's finally hit the point where I'm going to go and see Avatar. I've heard enough good things that I'm going to overlook my bias against the film. It's still got to be better than the last movie I went to see because everyone else was. Heh, Titanic. Such a funny movie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dread Posted January 5, 2010 Report Share Posted January 5, 2010 I haven't seen a James Cameron film since T2. I don't plan on seeing one unless that "Heavy Metal" he's in production on in imdb is a remake of Heavy Metal. At which point, I'll be in the audience throwing shit at the screen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuaveStar Posted January 5, 2010 Report Share Posted January 5, 2010 I haven't seen a James Cameron film since T2. I don't plan on seeing one unless that "Heavy Metal" he's in production on in imdb is a remake of Heavy Metal. At which point, I'll be in the audience throwing shit at the screen. You haven't seen true lies? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dread Posted January 5, 2010 Report Share Posted January 5, 2010 nope Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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