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Rottenwatch: AVATAR (82%)
- Thread starter SCULLIBUNDO
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Count Dookkake
Member
Solo said:
Closer to 5 by my estimate.
The gist is this...
It is okay to be surprised by the success of the first one, but it is foolish to be surprised by the success of the second one. It's like people were intentionally ignoring the evidence.
Al-ibn Kermit
Junior Member
Because human actors don't have navi facial proportions so it doesn't translate perfectly. With mo-cap, you capture every nuance of the facial expressions and that doesn't make sense when you're talking about putting those animations on a different species. A radical example is putting a horse's running animation on a CGI dog. If you pay attention, it just doesn't work.JGS said:
Looking at Zoe Saldana/netiry comparison:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CeHsc2ioexs&feature=related
It looks like they were trying to intentionally over-act, maybe to make the facial movements more apparent to the animators when they had to do some touch up? I don't know, but something about the navi faces just doesn't feel right.
So I watched it again yesterday with another friend. It was okay, nothing more to add, in fact I was really tired and it was a kinda a late show so I took a short nap in the middle of the movie to skip the love scene. The world's still great though, and I don't think I'll every get tired of the major set pieces in the show. I was pretty surprised that the cinema was like 3/4 full for a 3D screening of a a several week old movie on a weekday evening. It's definitely not common for that to happen around here.
D
Deleted member 22576
Unconfirmed Member
Jtwo said:
Wow! I don't even remember saying this!
TacticalFox88
Banned
Guys, need a catchy thread title for crow thread. Any ideas? Collecting posts as I type this.
D
Deleted member 22576
Unconfirmed Member
You should do a riff on the original "YEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS" thread title.
Count Dookkake
Member
TacticalFox88 said:
ThunderSmurf's All-U-Can-Eat Crow Cafe... Get some!
SCULLIBUNDO
Banned
If you want another thread full of gold to go through, check out the official COMIC-CON thread that had first impressions reactions as well as reactions and predictions after the initial teaser.
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=368960
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=368960
D
Deleted member 22576
Unconfirmed Member
Ahhh... so many memories.
It's so weird to read that thread now that movie is out.
It's so weird to read that thread now that movie is out.
i_am_ben
running_here_and_there
So i watched this today and it was pretty good. except for
As for the 3D:
For the first half hour it was very uncomfortable on my eyes. dark parts on screen would often turn to splodges of black and unfocused backgrounds were incredibly distracting*
*Should be noted that this is my first 3D film. So it probably isn't related to the directing and cinematography.
nature attacking all the humans and the big wolf thing letting the girl 'bond' with it. Made me roll my eyes
As for the 3D:
For the first half hour it was very uncomfortable on my eyes. dark parts on screen would often turn to splodges of black and unfocused backgrounds were incredibly distracting*
*Should be noted that this is my first 3D film. So it probably isn't related to the directing and cinematography.
I watched it again yesterday. Twice in two days. I never do that. Ever.
Avatar is awesome and spectacular in the old-school definitions of the words. I haven't seen a movie that so captivated me since The Fellowship of the Ring, but even that didn't convey the pure sense of wonder that Avatar did. It's clear how much Cameron revels in the idea of Pandora, from each individual plant and animal to the Na'vi culture to the sheer landscape of the place. It's as if he came up with Pandora as its own entity and ended up writing a movie as his way of sharing his planet with the rest of us. At its best, Avatar is a movie about sheer joy; the joy of nature and the joy of discovery. The moments where Jake, our surrogate, gets to see or experience something only Pandora could offer, whether it be the Na'vi coming-of-age rituals, awkward helicopter lizards, retractable plants, or the rainforest at night, are the best parts of the movie, bar none. It's a culmination of Cameron's vivid imagination, his innate sense of direction (ha), and the sheer visual effects talent of Richard Taylor and his Kiwi Krew, and I'd be content just watching these scenes into perpetuity. They're that good.
My inner screenwriter cringed at some of the exposition (Sigourney's "Your brother the eminent biologist who trained three years for this assignment?" was particularly horrendous), but story-wise, I was consistently impressed with the simplicity of it all. For the most part, Cameron paints his story in broad strokes, never getting bogged down with the nitty-gritty details of his world or his characters. That's not to say they aren't there, or that they're meaningless in the context of the film, but only that they're not the focus. We don't need to know the technical details of what Unobtanium actually does, or the geological explanation for why the mountains float, or exactly why Jake's brother was murdered, or what made Giovanni Ribisi such an insufferable prick. They're there if you want to find them, whether they're in the Survival Guide (or whatever it's called) or in the promotional materials or in the umpteen books and guides yet to be released, but they're just not the focus.
It's hard to write simply. As a writer myself, it's incredibly hard to know all this detail about something you're writing and not stuff it all in there just because it's cool. Or because you're trying to cover your bases to make sure everyone understands what you're writing. Or because you feel the need to flesh out every single character in whatever it is you're writing. To pull this story back to just its main themes, to take something that could have been sprawling and plodding and turn it into an 160 minute film that felt like 85, all of this just proves what an expert Cameron is when it comes to this stuff. A great writer can trim the fat off a story, set it aside, and create something compelling without it. A great writer will make you want to seek out more... anything about whatever you just read/watched. That's where all the backstory goes. That's where you put it. And that's what Cameron did. And my god, did he do it well.
Avatar is awesome and spectacular in the old-school definitions of the words. I haven't seen a movie that so captivated me since The Fellowship of the Ring, but even that didn't convey the pure sense of wonder that Avatar did. It's clear how much Cameron revels in the idea of Pandora, from each individual plant and animal to the Na'vi culture to the sheer landscape of the place. It's as if he came up with Pandora as its own entity and ended up writing a movie as his way of sharing his planet with the rest of us. At its best, Avatar is a movie about sheer joy; the joy of nature and the joy of discovery. The moments where Jake, our surrogate, gets to see or experience something only Pandora could offer, whether it be the Na'vi coming-of-age rituals, awkward helicopter lizards, retractable plants, or the rainforest at night, are the best parts of the movie, bar none. It's a culmination of Cameron's vivid imagination, his innate sense of direction (ha), and the sheer visual effects talent of Richard Taylor and his Kiwi Krew, and I'd be content just watching these scenes into perpetuity. They're that good.
My inner screenwriter cringed at some of the exposition (Sigourney's "Your brother the eminent biologist who trained three years for this assignment?" was particularly horrendous), but story-wise, I was consistently impressed with the simplicity of it all. For the most part, Cameron paints his story in broad strokes, never getting bogged down with the nitty-gritty details of his world or his characters. That's not to say they aren't there, or that they're meaningless in the context of the film, but only that they're not the focus. We don't need to know the technical details of what Unobtanium actually does, or the geological explanation for why the mountains float, or exactly why Jake's brother was murdered, or what made Giovanni Ribisi such an insufferable prick. They're there if you want to find them, whether they're in the Survival Guide (or whatever it's called) or in the promotional materials or in the umpteen books and guides yet to be released, but they're just not the focus.
It's hard to write simply. As a writer myself, it's incredibly hard to know all this detail about something you're writing and not stuff it all in there just because it's cool. Or because you're trying to cover your bases to make sure everyone understands what you're writing. Or because you feel the need to flesh out every single character in whatever it is you're writing. To pull this story back to just its main themes, to take something that could have been sprawling and plodding and turn it into an 160 minute film that felt like 85, all of this just proves what an expert Cameron is when it comes to this stuff. A great writer can trim the fat off a story, set it aside, and create something compelling without it. A great writer will make you want to seek out more... anything about whatever you just read/watched. That's where all the backstory goes. That's where you put it. And that's what Cameron did. And my god, did he do it well.
D
Deleted member 22576
Unconfirmed Member
I like this one a lot.koam said:
It made me think "James Cameron: 2,000,000,000 | OT:0"
SCULLIBUNDO
Banned
Just booked tickets for the weekend with a friend who hasn't seen it yet. Will be my 5th time.
H.Cornerstone
Member
Am I the only one who didn't think the movie was "amazing?"
I saw it in 3D (which I think is overblown) and yes the CGI is amazing, but everything else about the movie is just ok.
I mean the story was incredibly predictable and nothing new. Yeah the idea of Avatars are cool but not enough to really enthrall me in the story.
I saw it in 3D (which I think is overblown) and yes the CGI is amazing, but everything else about the movie is just ok.
I mean the story was incredibly predictable and nothing new. Yeah the idea of Avatars are cool but not enough to really enthrall me in the story.
ryutaro's mama
Member
As far as those posts from those AVATAR threads go, I just read them at the time with amusement. I won't say I knew it would have this kind of success but I knew it wasn't gonna bomb.
I love seeing haters fall flat.
"Bu-bu-bu-but 3D tickets prices are...."
STFU
I love seeing haters fall flat.
"Bu-bu-bu-but 3D tickets prices are...."
STFU
SCULLIBUNDO
Banned
Yes you are the only one. Marvel at your uniqueness. Publish books of your experience so that other sheep who wish to experience an alternate world view might live vicariously through you.
No.
H.Cornerstone
Member
Scullibundo said:
Just ask because I have heard nothing but universal praise for this movie and I am wondering If I just didn't get it......
ryutaro's mama
Member
"Bu-bu-bu-but adjusting for inflation...."
STFU
STFU
CajoleJuice
Member
It technically has "universal praise" on Metacritic.GhaleonEB said:
ryutaro's mama
Member
"Bu-bu-bu-but the amount of tickets sold..."
STFU
STFU
Ninja Scooter
Member
"The tickets cost $20!" is the new "People only watched it cause Heath Ledger died!"
CajoleJuice
Member
:lolNinja Scooter said:
ryutaro's mama
Member
"Bu-bu-bu-but it has a predictable story and it's just a Pocahontas rip-off..."
STFU
STFU
CajoleJuice
Member
I think 100% on RT for a 25-year-old movie is also shit.GhaleonEB said:
Count Dookkake
Member
Bu-bu-bu-but girls won't want to watch it!
STFU!
edit: forgot the best part.
STFU!
edit: forgot the best part.
CajoleJuice
Member
I'm saying that there's no way there wasn't a critical review for the movie back in 1984. It's not accurate.GhaleonEB said:
Count Dookkake
Member
CajoleJuice said:
Yeah, there were many negative reviews.
TacticalFox88
Banned
Sony to...interupt but how many crow posts would be considered 'epic'. 30? 40?
ryutaro's mama
Member
"Bu-bu-bu-but the LOL blue alien designs..."
STFU
STFU
CajoleJuice
Member
I really don't know how to take this post. :lolCount Dookkake said:
We have now digressed so far from my initial flippant comment that I think steering it back to the initial point is difficult.CajoleJuice said:
My point being, nothing appeals to everyone, regardless of the level of praise it receives generally. Why are we arguing about such a stupidly obvious statement again?
CajoleJuice
Member
We just need some more people to quote Ninja Scooter's post and put an :lol under it.GhaleonEB said:
Count Dookkake
Member
CajoleJuice said:
100% serious. I remember reading many negative reviews and synopses in tv listing magazines over the years, decrying the violence, Arnie and allegedly silly concept.
ryutaro's mama
Member
"Bu-bu-bu-but the CG for Gollum and POTC is way better..."
STFU
STFU
I am reading a news from a Chinese forum. The advance ordering is so through to roof in the few IMAX theaters they are considering raise the IMAX price from 150 to 180 RMB.
In one theater the projector malfunctioned and ran audio out of sync. People almost torn the theater manager to pieces.
In one theater the projector malfunctioned and ran audio out of sync. People almost torn the theater manager to pieces.
Ollie Pooch
In a perfect world, we'd all be homersexual
calm down sweet cheeks!ryutaro's mama said:
Reading through the old Avatar threads really is quite amusing.
Some of the early news that trickled out such as:
...had me wondering, have any of the principles given interviews since the movie came out? I've seen the interview/media circuit stuff they all did for the premier, but nothing since. It's got to be just incredibly gratifying to see Avatar take off like this.
Wes said:
So much gold in there.OuterWorldVoice said:
Some of the early news that trickled out such as:
...had me wondering, have any of the principles given interviews since the movie came out? I've seen the interview/media circuit stuff they all did for the premier, but nothing since. It's got to be just incredibly gratifying to see Avatar take off like this.
Rentahamster
Rodent Whores
Heh, yeah, when my copy came in the mail, I went to the human tech section and that was the first entry that caught my interest.Combine said:
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