Avatar reviews - Attention : spoilers

C'mon guys, use a little imagination. :)

If there's one thing I hate it's needless exposition. Avatar tells us everything we need to know (with a little help from human history) about why the invading humans and indigenous N'avi don't get along.

Folks accuse Cameron of lacking subtlety, but then when he does credit us with the ability to connect a few narrative strands without having our hands held he gets slammed for not "explaining" enough.

AHHHHHHHHH!!!

:lol
 
Carson Dyle said:
C'mon guys, use a little imagination. :)

If there's one thing I hate it's needless exposition. Avatar tells us everything we need to know (with a little help from human history) about why the invading humans and indigenous N'avi don't get along.

Folks accuse Cameron of lacking subtlety, but then when he does credit us with the ability to connect a few narrative strands without having our hands held he gets slammed for not "explaining" enough.

AHHHHHHHHH!!!

:lol
Click to expand...
Like I said in my initial review...tell me why this "Unobtainium" is worth so much. That's all I needed.
 
Birdie said:
Absoluteley agree. I never once thought American Indian, as I mentioned in an earlier post, I felt the Na'vi were so tribal African that it took me out of the movie a little.

Funnily enough I've never seen Dances with Wolves or Pocahontas, and I still felt the plotline was hackneyed with over-familiarity. I also really wanted to hear Team America's 'Montage' song playing over the Jake & Neriti (sp?) training/falling in love sequence.

I think the major problem for film-buffs and the more tuned in cinemas goers is cynicism. Everyone is so knowing and jaded and 'impress me' in a way that they simply weren't back in Star Wars days.

I enjoyed Avatar quite a bit, but wasn't able to fully leave that cynicism aside. The scriptment had more stuff in it that would have appealed to me as a sci-fi fan (the ruined earth sequences) and a fan of of Cameron's kinetic action sequences (the Navi attack on the base f'rinstance).

I never really felt it was explained in the final version why the sky-guys fell out with the Navi in the first place, the explanation to this seemingly importrant question seeming to have remained firmly in the 'stuff cut from the original script', along with a lot of other plot-hole foiling details.

Oh well.
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@#$%!@#$%^ ME!
The cookie bug here just ate my post....

The falling out, to me, was never really a fallout as much as it was never actually anything there to begin with. The humans found their new gold 'unobtanium' (cute, huh?) and saw what they assumed to be 'savages' inhabiting the areas they needed to dig up to get it. They set up english schools to teach the natives their language so they could try and 'make a deal'. They tried to buy them off with food, money, drugs, etc, and the natives had no interest in any of their things. So they continued to try and when the natives didn't budge, they got frustrated and did things like closing the english school and then finally, attack. There was no straw that broke the camel's back - one side had zero interest in making a deal and the rich and powerful (humans) decided they'll just take it because they're simply entitled to have anything they want.

I saw it this morning and I loved it. I was blown away. I see the bit about cynicism above and I agree. You go in looking for stuff, and you'll find it. The internet, preconcieved notions, and whatnot has made going in with a completely open mind damned near impossible these days. Today, I was able to go in pretty clear minded and was much better for it. I knew very little about the movie itself. I'd seen the first trailer they put out in July or August and was less than thrilled because, as the case turned out to be, they weren't finished renderings. I thought the TV commercials looked a lot better and I caught the HBO special which dealt more with the technology than anything else. So after dropping my car off for service, I decided to give it a try and was rewarded big time. As I said, I was blown away. Totally transported.

I thought they did a great job with the motion capture and everything. If there really were no actual people in blue makeup - @$%^ me, that was some damned good work. Definitely was the best 3D i'd ever scene. Everytime I saw that round lab, i thought i was in it... :)
 
Qui-Gonzalez said:
Like I said in my initial review...tell me why this "Unobtainium" is worth so much. That's all I needed.
Click to expand...


I can see that as more of a comment on our current society than anything else. When people think something is worth money they'll sell their souls, to be the one to make money off it. That's the definition of corporations today, anything for a buck. The fact that they don't say why it's worth that much reinforces that type of point IMO. The greedy don't give damn why it's valuable as long as they get to make money off it.
 
firesprite said:
PS, I've also bought my tickets to see it in 3D! Going on New Year's day, so I'll let you know if I like it more or less than the '2d' version. :)
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So you haven't seen it in 3D yet? I think you will be especially impressed. I can't wait to get 3D at home and for some of my favorite movies to be released in that format. It will be a whole new experience. I can already imagine the Falcon flying out of the screen and especially scenes like the asteroid field or the opening sequence in ANH. Lightsabers should also be very cool. The thought of Bladerunner in 3D just gives me goose bumps.:lol People actually complain about having to wear the glasses and say that is a primary reason it will never catch on. People are such endless complainers these days it seems. Avatar was the first movie I've seen with the new type of 3D and I have to say I was totally blown away. I can't imagine watching it in 2D after seeing it this way.
 
Qui-Gonzalez said:
Like I said in my initial review...tell me why this "Unobtainium" is worth so much. That's all I needed.
Click to expand...

It's an alternative power source. It makes things go. It cures all ills. It's the Holy Grail. It's the Fountain of Youth. It's the microfilm from North By Northwest, the monolith from 2001, the briefcase from Ronin, the bag from Pulp Fiction. It's all of the above all wrapped up in one little rock. There, are you happy?!

:)

Kidding aside, it really doesn't matter what Unobtanium does. All that matters is that the audience believes men will kill for it. Since we know men will kill for oil, water, land, uranium, etc. it's not hard to imagine man killing for some imaginary or as-of-yet undiscovered power source.
 
nightrider said:
So you haven't seen it in 3D yet? I think you will be especially impressed. I can't wait to get 3D at home and for some of my favorite movies to be released in that format. It will be a whole new experience. I can already imagine the Falcon flying out of the screen and especially scenes like the asteroid field or the opening sequence in ANH. Lightsabers should also be very cool. The thought of Bladerunner in 3D just gives me goose bumps.:lol People actually complain about having to wear the glasses and say that is a primary reason it will never catch on. People are such endless complainers these days it seems. Avatar was the first movie I've seen with the new type of 3D and I have to say I was totally blown away. I can't imagine watching it in 2D after seeing it this way.
Click to expand...

X2.

I think our IMAX got new glasses, too. They almost looked like ski goggles :) Didn't hurt my nose or anything - which is a first for the imax. 2.5 hours and i forgot that they were on after about 5 minute and I didn't mess with them the entire time.

My TV IS 3D ready. However, I don't have anything to give it 3D content. Here's hoping the PS3 will handle 3D BR and i'll just need to pay samsung for the 3D glasses (currently 200 bucks I think).
 
Carson Dyle said:
It's an alternative power source. It makes things go. It cures all ills. It's the Holy Grail. It's the Fountain of Youth. It's the microfilm from North By Northwest, the monolith from 2001, the briefcase from Ronin, the bag from Pulp Fiction. It's all of the above all wrapped up in one little rock. There, are you happy?!

:)

Kidding aside, it really doesn't matter what Unobtanium does. All that matters is that the audience believes men will kill for it. Since we know men will kill for oil, water, land, uranium, etc. it's not hard to imagine man killing for some imaginary or as-of-yet undiscovered power source.
Click to expand...

I didn't like Pulp Fiction either. :D
 
cboath said:
X2.

I think our IMAX got new glasses, too. They almost looked like ski goggles :) Didn't hurt my nose or anything - which is a first for the imax. 2.5 hours and i forgot that they were on after about 5 minute and I didn't mess with them the entire time.

My TV IS 3D ready. However, I don't have anything to give it 3D content. Here's hoping the PS3 will handle 3D BR and i'll just need to pay samsung for the 3D glasses (currently 200 bucks I think).
Click to expand...

I thought 3DTV wasn't out quite yet?
 
Carson Dyle said:
It's an alternative power source. It makes things go. It cures all ills. It's the Holy Grail. It's the Fountain of Youth. It's the microfilm from North By Northwest, the monolith from 2001, the briefcase from Ronin, the bag from Pulp Fiction. It's all of the above all wrapped up in one little rock. There, are you happy?!
Click to expand...


Unobtanium represents an ultralightweight superconductor. Grace explains it(In the DC Earth voice :lol) for one of the featurettes that came out before the movie. It's the reason you have floating mountains in the fluxocons.

In reality it's a piece of lead ore.
 
Enjoyed it, again.... :)

The end fights remind me of the power loader/alien queen fight.....with reversed roles.

I would have loved to have seen Grace in a power loader...she was so kick *** in her attitutde....that's when the circle would truly be complete...
 
CTF said:
Avatar was full of useless (read: boring) exposition.

It took nearly two hours to explain their "beliefs," while it took Obi-Wan 30 seconds to explain the Force in Star Wars.
Click to expand...


Wow.... Just wow. You've actually rendered me speechless with that.
 
Finally saw it, but in regular 2d. It was amazing though. I loved it and I thought it was the best movie of the year. I will hopefully be seeing it in IMAX 3D on Saturday.
 
CTF said:
Avatar was full of useless (read: boring) exposition.

It took nearly two hours to explain their "beliefs," while it took Obi-Wan 30 seconds to explain the Force in Star Wars.
Click to expand...

It may have taken 30 seconds for Obi-Wan to explain that back then, but then again you have to admit it that he didn't quite explain it very well in that 20 years later a whole new can of worms was opened up when Lucas set his pen on paper writing Episode 1. Suddenly Obi-Wan's explanation wasn't so conclusive. It is now about 32 years since ANH and we have no freakin' clue how exactly to explain the force in that it just seems like some genetic BS vs. the magical thought that anyone could possess this power. My dreams of having that power were shattered. Do you know how many times growing up I tried to use the force?! :confused How does a substance in your blood enable you to control gravity and movement of objects around you? Someone scientific explain! :D

See I just wish it was just left at it being magic.
 
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