Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Avatar (2009)

There are many good reasons to go see Avatar in the theater, especially if any part of you gets excited by visual effects. Despite the fact that it looked under-impressive in the trailers, on screen and in 3D the eye-candy is like nothing you've ever seen before. The world that James Cameron created with Pandora is totally unique and immersive. That said, the story didn't really work for me. It's pretty cheesy in places (not a huge problem) but there is absolutely nothing surprising that happens in the film. You can see every plot point coming from forty clicks away, and there are lots of plot points in two hours and forty minutes.

I see quite a few similarities with this to Titanic, and not just the music score that James Horner essentially ripped off from himself; the good guys are all good, and the bad guys are spectacularly bad. Stephen Lang in this makes Billy Zane from Titantic seem like a complicated character. And like Titanic, I think Avatar, despite how cussing amazing it looks, will age poorly.

3 comments:

  1. Agreed. The story was weak, and the rest of the visual world will catch up sooner or later. That said, I can't remember the last time I was so in awe of a movie's beauty... shockingly, it felt like my $16.95 (!!!) was well spent. I'm planning to see it again on IMAX, but can't imagine wanting to see it on my TV in two years.

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  2. I'm interested...but these days it seems I think in $$ terms. You know, X amount of money to see it, X amount to eat before, and since the movie is sooo long you have to pay a babysitter x amount longer.

    Did you really want to know all that? Now I'm too tired to delete it.

    Well, at least Titanic has comedic value. every time I see Rose say "I won't let go," and then drop him as soon as she hears the whistle we roll on the ground.

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  3. Amy, the only thing about Avatar is that if you plan on seeing it, you have to see it in the theater. It's going to be terrible on DVD. If only we all lived closer Charlene and I could babysit the little rugrats.

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