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[StoOgE]

Just got back, I'm going to try and keep this brief as possible:

It basically is Dances with Wolves IN SPACE! Last Samurai IN SPACE! Etc.

I.E. the plot is pretty much been done to death and very well in the past. It has no real surprises it throws at you. About 20 minutes into the movie I knew exactly who was going to do what.

Spoiler

Michelle Rodriguez aided escape was about as obvious as can be

That said, they really succeeded in making me care about the Navi during the movie and really about most of the human characters as well. So I wanted to see them triumph and I gave a shit when things got really harry.

My real complaint with the movie was what I thought my real complaint would be. The 'bad guys' were way to much of an stereotype. It would have been great if they had better motivation for what they were doing other than "I'm evil and I don't give a fuck". I guess Cameron was trying to paint an allegory for our current stripping of the Earth for profits.. but look, at least explain *why* we need this mineral on pandora. Like, make it the cure for cancer or some shit so we can at least see the baddies point of view. In the movie they are just evil because Cameron needed someone to foil.

Spoilertime

Spoiler

the planet rounding up all of the animals to help fight was really awesome "fuck yeah" kind of stuff on the first viewing. That may turn into cringe worthy hokieness on repeat viewings. It also was pretty much stolen from the Final Fantasy movie.

The very end/spirit transfer thing was kind of a copout, but they sort of set it up beforehand with the whole planet being a network more complicated than the human mind thing and Sigorney Weavers character trying to do it.

I'll give them a pass for that.

The action scenes were awesome, the pivotal scenes all carried emotional weight, the special effects were insane and the 3d was done tastefully to give the film depth and not in a retarded "oh look, shit is popping of the screen" kind of way.

8/10

 

[StoOgE]

If the arrows are faster than bullets then why don't they fly straight through humans? Why do they get stuck on our gooey innards? I have to imagine we are decidedly less resilient than the bulletproof shielding on a cockpit.

The arrows bounced off of the glass at one point. They only broke the glass when they were fired from the back of the horse-dragon things during a high-speed dive or some shit. I also think you are thinking a little too hard here.

 

[Revelations]

The arrows bounced off of the glass at one point. They only broke the glass when they were fired from the back of the horse-dragon things during a high-speed dive or some shit. I also think you are thinking a little too hard here.

He has a point. The arrow tips were bigger and they had the advantage of momentum and gravity from a downward spiral.

 

[ToxicAdam]

Maybe if you better understand the humans (or aliens) motivations you feel less empathy for the Na'vi. Which defeats the purpose of the movie.


Look at the Alien movies. Did they have a motivation for attacking humans? Did they need one?

 

[gdt]

I'm thinking we'll spend some more time with the humans in sequel. Should be a total ESB situation.

 

[Keylime]

Watching this again in RealD to find out for sure if IMAX or RealD is better for visuals...I suspect RealD is going to be based on previous experience...but we'll see.

Either way, can't wait to get back to Pandora.

 

[Kaako]

Just got back from Imax 3D. Pure entertainment cinema at its finest imo. I'll be re-watching it as well again with friends and family.
I've never watched a movie in theaters twice btw, but will easily dish out the $$ for a second ride on Pandora.

 

[StoOgE]

Maybe if you better understand the humans (or aliens) motivations you feel less empathy for the Na'vi. Which defeats the purpose of the movie.


Look at the Alien movies. Did they have a motivation for attacking humans? Did they need one?

Yeah, but the Aliens were basically just animals and we were given no insight into their world.

In Avatar we spend a good deal of time in the human world and the characters were all so over the top that I simply saw them as generic baddies. I would have preferred a little more subtlety between good and bad.

I think those sorts of stereotypical characterizations are fine for fun action movies, but not if you are trying to make your opus the way Cameron has been selling this one. It's a fine action movie and it gets it's point across pretty effectively.

 

[border]

My point is/was that a high speed dive doesn't get you anywhere near close to a bullet's velocity. Throwing a rock off the Empire State building does not make it shatter bulletproof glass - gravity's contribution is negligible considering that arrows do not have that far to fall and would only accelerate at 9.8 m/s^2.

 

[Pachimari]

I don't know what to think of this. I came in with no expectations, haven't followed the progress over the months. I think the 3D effects in Monsters vs. Aliens (a movie i disliked) was much more entertaining, though those in Avatar had more depth. It was a first, that i got headache toward the last 20 minutes, and I felt like leaving the theater as I were simply bored. It felt too long for my tastes. I absolutely adored and loved Pandora, Neytiri, the relationship with Jake, the CGI graphics, the pace and the camerawork. Absolutely breathtaking. I wish it was just an adventure movie, without the war and humans - that's how much i liked the Na'vis, though they really reminded me of the filipinos (i'm half that nation myself). An okay movie overall, i don't hate it at all. =)

 

[BotoxAgent]

Just got back from Imax 3D. Pure entertainment cinema at its finest imo. I'll be re-watching it as well again with friends and family.
I've never watched a movie in theaters twice btw, but will easily dish out the $$ for a second ride on Pandora.

so Imax 3d was good?

heading to see the show in 3 hours.

 

[Kaako]

so Imax 3d was good?

heading to see the show in 3 hours.

Imax 3D experience was awesome. As long as you go keep your expectations in check from a story standpoint. Pretty generic but I really don't care. The CG, 3D and sound was worth the price of admission alone. Good luck and hope you enjoy the movie as much as I did.

Everyone was clapping at the end of my viewing as well. Also, for me it felt like an hour...I wanted to see more of Pandora, way more. :/

 

[Docpan]

So I went ahead and pre-purchased tickets for a 3d showing tomorrow evening, because the theater I frequent just opened up a brand new, state of the art IMAX screen and I am fully expecting every screening of it to be sold out the film starts buzzing.

To my surprise, it cost nearly 30 fucking dollars for two tickets. What??? Now don't get me wrong, I'm sure it looks nice, but is it really worth an extra 10 bucks ?

My main interest with the IMAX version is the aspect ratio. I hear it was filmed in this format, with standard 2d showings being cropped. The 3d effects are merely a gimmick, as far as I'm concerned (though i am opened to having my mind changed, provided they do it better than other 3d films I've had the displeasure of enduring.)

 

[CassidyIzABeast]

felt like they cut out about 30 minutes of the beginning of the movie

 

[Revelations]

So I went ahead and pre-purchased tickets for a 3d showing tomorrow evening, because the theater I frequent just opened up a brand new, state of the art IMAX screen and I am fully expecting every screening of it to be sold out the film starts buzzing.

To my surprise, it cost nearly 30 fucking dollars for two tickets. What??? Now don't get me wrong, I'm sure it looks nice, but is it really worth an extra 10 bucks ?

My main interest with the IMAX version is the aspect ratio. I hear it was filmed in this format, with standard 2d showings being cropped. The 3d effects are merely a gimmick, as far as I'm concerned (though i am opened to having my mind changed, provided they do it better than other 3d films I've had the displeasure of enduring.)

Well in my opinion after seeing Avatar on Imax3d screen. It is not worth the $30. As you can still be able to see a great movie on a normal screen and it won't make it any less great!

 

[C.Dark.DN]

RealDin it up in 6 hours.

 

[PBY]

Just saw it in Liemax 3D.. and

Note: I went on a media blackout for this movie, besides the 2 trailers, so I really had no Idea what to expect besides the obvious story.

In short, I reaaally liked it, but its definitely not one of my favorite movies ever. The CGI was AMAZING- the only issues were some animations maaybe were slightly stiff, but these are very nitpicky issues- the CGI was the best I've ever seen.... That being said, I found myself sort of "looking at" the movie, and was never "engrossed"?? Its really hard to put into words what I felt- I guess the movie never really had any emotional beats that really connected with me, but again, thats sort of a personal thing. The story, I'm sorry- was pure garbage- I was shocked by how "SciFi Pocahontas" this movie really is- there are zero surprises in this film. The writing just gets the job done, but its nothing special, and generally beats you over the head with "humans = bad" "Navi= good"... The acting was very good, though, and SW was fantastic. Jake was solid, but unfortunately none of the characters really get any time to be developed, which is sort of a bummer- Pandora clearly is the star, and is the most developed "character" of the film. Action was solid, spectacular, etc....
Wow, just reread the above and its just rambling- I just saw the film though, and its very overwhelming, alot to take in.
I dunno 8/10 for me- I don't think it will hold up as well on second/third viewings, thus the score- everyone should DEFINITELY go see this film, however.

Spoiler

Oh another thing: I loved the humans mech/ship designs, but I HATED the Navi religious hokum- It literally was ripped from Pocahontas, and pissed me off every time they mentioned their stupid spirit god... The end was fucking stupid as well with all the animals coming in to save their asses b/c of the spirit god... bleh, I should have known to expect some sickly sweetness from Cameron however. Just like I cringe sometimes during T2, I expect to cringe during some parts of this film in the future

 

[CassidyIzABeast]

my theater was surprisingly pretty full. Might have underestimated avatar's opening week a little bit

 

[AlternativeUlster]

It is on track to make like 80 million. The 3.5 million for midnight showings is pretty good for a film that isn't a franchise film.

 

[TransTrender]

I'm going to see the movie tonight in 3d.

Right now I'm wearing my glasses.
Before the movie, should I go home and switch in my contacts?

 

[AlternativeUlster]

I'm going to see the movie tonight in 3d.

Right now I'm wearing my glasses.
Before the movie, should I go home and switch in my contacts?

Man, that would be awesome if you went on a date with a girl named Alice Donut tonight Killdozer. But yeah, wear your contacts.

 

[Zeliard]

I'm gonna see the 10:45 PM showing tonight. Since our showing is so late, my friends and I are strongly considering catching Up In The Air before Avatar starts, but we don't know if that might be too much theater sitting for one night - if it might be too draining, especially with Avatar being so visually overwhelming.

Decisions decisions!

 

[shintoki]

My opinion is going to side on the "meh".

I get there about 20-30minutes early. Start letting in fools and me being alone. I scored a seat pretty much dead center. I forgot they partition off the very top row. Which makes it comfortable for me to sit up there and also have a walk way. Plenty of air room so I don't get that cramp feel like I do in the normal ones.

And lets just say, there is no other way to enjoy it. Absolutely amazing. It gave this sense of depth without feeling really gimmicky. And lets just say...absolutely gorgeous. It took a bit of getting use to. The humans felt small in the beginning. Like squished down. But after time it all worked out.

But outside of the "graphics"...it was just a bit too shallow and generic. I didn't find the characters to be a problem outside of the marines. Oh dear god...they are ripped out of Starship Troopers. It felt exactly like the first squad Rico was in....Hell...it was Starship Troopers through and through.
But the characters I were supposed to care about, like, and dislike. I did. The plot was way too damn generic with some really stiff dialog. The talent was definitely there. But he really needs some help on this shit. It didn't even attempt to do something original. It ended up hurting allot of the actions scenes for me.

I have more to say, but I'll end it as 2/4. I'm definitely a bit tired after it

 

[PBY]

I'm gonna see the 10:45 PM showing tonight. Since our showing is so late, my friends and I are strongly considering catching Up In The Air before Avatar starts, but we don't know if that might be too much theater sitting for one night - if it might be too draining, especially with Avatar being so visually overwhelming.

Decisions decisions!

do it man, up in the air is fucking fantastic... and its a completely different "pace" than AVATAR, so you should be fine

 

[chubigans]

It felt exactly like the first squad Rico was in....Hell...it was Starship Troopers through and through.

Just when I think this movie couldn't sound any more amazing, I read this. Holy crap that sounds FANTASTIC.

Gonna see it in two hours!

 

[Zeliard]

do it man, up in the air is fucking fantastic... and its a completely different "pace" than AVATAR, so you should be fine

Yep looks like we're doing it. We'll have about an hour break before Avatar starts after UITA is done.

And wow I just noticed my theater's also having a 1 AM showing of Avatar. That thing's gonna be ending pretty late.

 

[Piggus]

Went to the midnight 3D showing last night and loved it. On a technical level, it's the most amazing thing I think I've ever seen. :/

 

[ruxtpin]

I'm going to agree with some others here and just say this this movie was just a shit-ton of awesome. Yes, the story is sci-fi Pocahontas, but you know what? It works. The film is probably one of the, if not the most, beautiful film I've ever seen, aesthetically speaking. I can't wait to see it again.

 

[CassidyIzABeast]

massive kudos to Weta for the

Spoiler

scene when neytiri jumps into the window of the mobile link station and saves jake. That scene could have looked like utter shit but it blended perfectly

 

[Kaako]

Kinda offtrack but man, that Hubble 3D preview had me glued to the seat. I love love love anything and everything space related and Hubble in 3d...I said yes please. Cannot freaking wait for that one either.

Back to avatar, the OST is really good.

 

[chubigans]

3D newb here: are all the previews going to be 3D as well? Going to a regular theater in RealD.

 

[Oozer3993]

Just got back, I'm going to try and keep this brief as possible:

It basically is Dances with Wolves IN SPACE! Last Samurai IN SPACE! Etc.

I.E. the plot is pretty much been done to death and very well in the past. It has no real surprises it throws at you. About 20 minutes into the movie I knew exactly who was going to do what.

Spoiler

Michelle Rodriguez aided escape was about as obvious as can be

That said, they really succeeded in making me care about the Navi during the movie and really about most of the human characters as well. So I wanted to see them triumph and I gave a shit when things got really harry.

My real complaint with the movie was what I thought my real complaint would be. The 'bad guys' were way to much of an stereotype. It would have been great if they had better motivation for what they were doing other than "I'm evil and I don't give a fuck". I guess Cameron was trying to paint an allegory for our current stripping of the Earth for profits.. but look, at least explain *why* we need this mineral on pandora. Like, make it the cure for cancer or some shit so we can at least see the baddies point of view. In the movie they are just evil because Cameron needed someone to foil.

Spoilertime

Spoiler

the planet rounding up all of the animals to help fight was really awesome "fuck yeah" kind of stuff on the first viewing. That may turn into cringe worthy hokieness on repeat viewings. It also was pretty much stolen from the Final Fantasy movie.

The very end/spirit transfer thing was kind of a copout, but they sort of set it up beforehand with the whole planet being a network more complicated than the human mind thing and Sigorney Weavers character trying to do it.

I'll give them a pass for that.

The action scenes were awesome, the pivotal scenes all carried emotional weight, the special effects were insane and the 3d was done tastefully to give the film depth and not in a retarded "oh look, shit is popping of the screen" kind of way.

8/10

I come into the thread and low and behold, some one has typed up my thoughts perfectly already. This is exactly what I thought upon leaving the theater.

On a technical level, this film won't be matched for years. The 3D was excellent and the CG was incredible. Not a single thing ever seemed to be "off" or "not right." Like I've seen mentioned from several places, I completely forgot that Pandora and Na'vi were computer generated within about 10 minutes. And the actors did a pretty damn good job for having to act against green screen and generic props for most of the time. Kudos especially to Zoe Saldana. She was fantastic.

3D newb here: are all the previews going to be 3D as well? Going to a regular theater in RealD.

Some of them will be. I saw it in RealD and saw 3D previews for Despicable Me, Alice in Wonderland and Shrek 4. There were a couple previews before that in 2D as well.

 

[Enosh]

I am going to see it on monday, but from everything i read about it (which isn't much) it sounds just like a very expensive version of "Battle for Terra"

on related note, gotta love it how all the bad guys are cast by white actors, while all the good guys are minorities, oh well the "acceptable targets" list is fucking short in this day and age

 

[FortunateSon]

Hey guys, I am watching this tonight. I got a couple of questions.

1) I have glasses on, so does it really matter if I watched in 3d? Is it umcomfortable or what?

2) The difference between, digital 3d (reald) and imax3d?

 

[Kaako]

3D newb here: are all the previews going to be 3D as well? Going to a regular theater in RealD.

For my viewing (Imax 3D), the first one was not but the ones after that (4-6) were all 3D. The Alice in Wonderland one looks AMAZING as well. Definitely watching @ Imax.

 

[Chao]

All I could think through the whole movie was:

3D vindicated.

I wasn't impressed by Up, Monsters VS Aliens or Coraline, but this movie made me a 3D believer.
I really hope this where gaming is heading for, hell, the movie was practically a pretty expensive video game cg.

Plot was meh, I agree on that.

 

[Particle Physicist]

Opinions seem to be varying. I've experienced all formats a fair few times and to me it goes

True IMAX > IMAX Digital (LieMAX) > Real D > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Dolby 3D

http://www.hollywood.com/movies/theater_showtimes.aspx?id=

Sunset Place..

so IMAX should be better? The other one is Real3D even though it doesn't say it.

 

[DrForester]

Just got back and here's my take. Without going into spoiler territory.

It wasn't original and it didn't break any new grounds in film making. But that doesn't matter, it was still a great film. It's a story we've heard before, with character's we've seen before (just with tails and a different color pallet). The story was told well, though it did seem to drag a bit in the middle.

As for the CGI, it was excellent, I thought some of the animals looked fake, but it was not to a level of being a distraction like say the stupid looking animals in Star Wars prequels. Saw it in IMAX 3D, and loved it, but did not think it broke new grounds in 3D. I already have a few 3D animated films that I think used 3D very well (Coraline, Up).

Really the only negative things about the story was that it seemed to drag in the middle. I also thought Jake's change was too abrupt. Just BAM, now I want to fight with the Navi. But again, the story was nothing new, everyone knew going in he will fight with the Navi, so maybe Cameron just figured he wouldn't waste his time.



Final Score: 9/10 (7/10 if there's a sequel. There is no need for one)

 

[CassidyIzABeast]

I don't believe the big battle was 20 minutes. It seriously felt like 5

 

[PBY]

http://www.hollywood.com/movies/theater_showtimes.aspx?id=

Sunset Place..

so IMAX should be better? The other one is Real3D even though it doesn't say it.

haha I saw it at sunset place's liemax... looked pretty damn good to me, but im not a videophile

 

[Veidt]

Just came back from watching this. I have no words. Amazing.

 

[Lostconfused]

Just because the plot is generic doesn't mean it makes the movie less enjoyable. The visuals alone are worth seeing it in theaters. Really the 3d is the one and only reason to see this movie. Also the projector stopped working 3/4 of the way through the movie so me and my friend got free tickets. Which will be used next friday to see Sherlock Holmes.

As for the ending

Spoiler

The Navi obviously had to win this. But I would think its reasonable to assume that if humanity really needed that mineral no matter what the cost then they could nuke the whole planet from orbit (which leads to multiple end of the world scenarios like burning the atmosphere and nuclear winter). After which they would be able to set up a remote controlled mining operation in peace

 

[SCULLIBUNDO]

Okay, for those quoting my

IMAX > LieMAX > Real D >>>>Dolby

That is the rating I give in how I think you should see AVATAR. If its all about the how picture-perfect the 3Dness is to you, then I suggest this rating:

LieMAX > Real D > IMAX >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Dolby

That said, having seen the film in both IMAX and Liemax (which has the best 3d), there is really only a very slight difference. Most people wouldn't even notice it and you only notice if you're looking for it. The IMAX print for this was very good and the nature in which the film has been shot meant that I found pretty much the entire movie crystal fucking clear in IMAX.

I think you should see it in IMAX because the difference in screen size and sound is night and day between the others, where as the 3D effect is barely noticable - but it is still there. It looks GREAT in IMAX and is the most immersive means through which to see it.

But if its purely about the crispness of the 3D, then see it in LieMAX.

 

[Truant]

Saw it an hour ago. Dolby was fine, I don't know what you guys are whining about.

Film was OK. Score sucked.

 

[Kai Dracon]

Spoilertime

Spoiler

the planet rounding up all of the animals to help fight was really awesome "fuck yeah" kind of stuff on the first viewing. That may turn into cringe worthy hokieness on repeat viewings. It also was pretty much stolen from the Final Fantasy movie.

The very end/spirit transfer thing was kind of a copout, but they sort of set it up beforehand with the whole planet being a network more complicated than the human mind thing and Sigorney Weavers character trying to do it.

I'll give them a pass for that.

You know, here's an interesting thing I just realized. This is in itself mild spoilers for a series of sci-fi novels but I won't name characters.

Spoiler

In the Alastair Reynolds' Revelation Space books, there is actually a plot point almost identical to Jake's mind transfer where one character is insinuated to be resurrected by dying while connected to a sentient planet-organism and later having himself respawn out of the planetary network. The way this is presented in the book is freakin' weird, creepy, and actually kind of clever. Also the twist was set up across several novels in which the operation of the planetary organism is well-explained. So the plot device itself can be done well. I suppose the issue in Avatar for many folks may a lack of preparation aside from a few brief scenes and the fact that Jake's saving throw roll results in him getting a perfect, if rather blue, body and the girl. So it's big American movie in that regard. Personally, I don't really have a core beef with the idea.

 

[BuckRobotron]

Planning on seeing this sometime next week after group plans shifted to something else today. The expected messy weekend up here in the Northeast might be an issue for the regional box office, however.

 

[Costanza]

This movie was amazing <3

 

[Animator]

Movie was fucking AMAZING. I am going to see it at least two more times in theatres.

 

[Deleted member 22576]

w00t on my to san francisco to see this tomorrow!

 

[Azrael]

I loved it. It is IMO the first great 3-D film. Unlike, say, Up, which was a great film too, but where the 3-D didn't add much to the experience, Avatar just wouldn't be the same experience in 2-D, the way the 3-D effects suck you into the alien world.