What is the significance of a Horse creature burning while it is still running? Is that a reference to something? I seen that type of imagery in Animatrix as well? Does it symbolize something of importance? Or does it convey a poem?
Not intended at all. There is no context between the creation of adam and the shot. However, Cameron "might" have been inspired by the framing of such a painting. As said by many others already, Cameron knows how his shit when it comes to camera angles and frame composition.
The way he directed the Quatrich vs. Jake fight, shows how shitty action directors of this decade have been.
Let me talk to you about details. One of the little things I appreciated in this film was Cameron's attention to the environment the character was acting within.
In any other film, Quaritch would get straight into his mech at the start and show it off for the camera asap. In Cameron's film, before starting it up, he yells behind him 'CLEAR!' and off-screen you hear mechanic or something shout 'Clear' back. Just little things like safety precautions in a factory environment make me happy.
Edit: Jibril has great timing, showing the scene I'm talking about.
good point. also the exhaust covers they removed on the helicopter/plane thing when they were escaping near the end... everything felt so real because of those details.
i'd like to repeat that the 3D was amazing. we had to sit in one of the first few rows so there were honestly times when things appeared to be directly in front of me. in all, when i think about the movie, i imagine the world itself and i feel like it's far more real than it would be if i'd seen it in 2D. cameron brought pandora to life, an incredible accomplishment.
i was pretty skeptical going in, too. it helped that my 3 friends were all equally impressed
+ when the colonel calmly goes outside to shoot at them, holding his breath the entire time. BAD. ASS.
with the "just wanting to the sleep" thing...he had to sleep while back in his original form because he's been up all day long in his Avatar body. He also probably spent more and more time in his Navii body because he found love and was actually being accepted and not being picked at because of his handicap. He could also actually walk. I would be addicted to that too if I could gain back something that I lost.
Now that I think about it, this is kind of like District 9 but in reverse...which is pretty cool.
good point. also the exhaust covers they removed on the helicopter/plane thing when they were escaping near the end... everything felt so real because of those details.
They kept it very BELIEVABLE but only on the surface. They acted as if you already knew what was going on and didnt spend too much time explaining every single small detail and trying to make everything make sense to the point where ppl cant find loopholes. I appreciated that. Because they didnt try TOO hard, it made me believe it more and just take it for what it was. Really appreciated that.
wow i never thought of that before, your comparison is witty and original and it just goes to show how shitty avatar is because its exactly like ferngully and that movie sucked so that means avatar by extension has to suck i can see clearly now
What is the significance of a Horse creature burning while it is still running? Is that a reference to something? I seen that type of imagery in Animatrix as well? Does it symbolize something of importance? Or does it convey a poem?
Not intended at all. There is no context between the creation of adam and the shot. However, Cameron "might" have been inspired by the framing of such a painting. As said by many others already, Cameron knows how his shit when it comes to camera angles and frame composition.
The way he directed the Quatrich vs. Jake fight, shows how shitty action directors of this decade have been.
He's so badass. He emptied 2 guns on them. It came to me that..."hey, isn't he supposed to be wearing a mask, everyone else is grabbing for one..." Then it hit me, the badass was holding his breath the entire time . :lol
:lol That does seem similar. Caught the late night showing, was there 30 mins early this time but there was already a line that stretched round the theatre. There was a smattering of applause at the end but one of the people in my group fell asleep. I'd say the reception was positive.
My comments on the movie here are trite, just like the movie itself. White guy swoops in, wins heart of foreigner princess, outlclass the foreigner's top guy and saves the day. Wohoo. The nods to the Venezuela (every 'clever' future movie invasion reference uses them these dayS) and Nigeria got a chuckle out of me. The white guy also didn't immediately take charge but deferred to his foreign rival (who wasn't made completely bitter) so that's new, I guess. The playing down of the sex angle, as always violence is great but intimacy is a no-no, irritated me more than usual. I was waiting to see if they'd do something interesting with the linking of the synapse/hair thing, like Sleep Dealer tried on a much lower budget. But no literally mind-blowing orgasms, compounded with the santized dress code and sterotypical monogamous pairings, was a bigger downer.
I went to see th film not for the plot or CGI but to check outb the 3D. That made it completely worth it and I'm a believe in the tech now. I like that they didn't try to toss stuff at the audience a( 3d film without a boulder rolling straight at you. Who knew). Instead you got the feeling you were peering into their world. Like looking a diorama
I can't just leave it at that Evilore, I take issue with your analogy comapring the Jake's experiences to WoW. His reaction is kinda realistic, have you never met an amputee who cared more about the prostethic than the dead flesh around it. Plus I've seem programers get into worse shape when dwelt involves in work (which is what the hero was doing, working not playing).
My comments on the movie here are trite, just like the movie itself. White guy swoops in, wins heart of foreigner princess, outlclass the foreigner's top guy and saves the day. Wohoo. The nods to the Venezuela (every 'clever' future movie invasion reference uses them these dayS) and Nigeria got a chuckle out of me. The white guy also didn't immediately take charge but deferred to his foreign rival (who wasn't made completely bitter) so that's new, I guess. The playing down of the sex angle, as always violence is great but intimacy is a no-no, irritated me more than usual. I was waiting to see if they'd do something interesting with the linking of the synapse/hair thing, like Sleep Dealer tried on a much lower budget. But no literally mind-blowing orgasms, compounded with the santized dress code and sterotypical monogamous pairings, was a bigger downer.
oh please. that other reviewer guy said the same shit, but it doesn't even work in this context since he wasn't technically white when he was with the navi. and the movie pushed pretty hard to show that the humans were the foreigners (aliens).. not the other way around.
also every relationship on the planet was monogamous... between the navi and all the animals.. it's not a stretch to have the same thing between each other.
Loved when her mother tells her that she has to teach Jake and she gives off this massive groan. <3
Zeliard said:
I wish there was more of the love story as well. It was shockingly brief, and every scene between Jake and Neytiri was fantastic, especially those scenes towards the beginning when he's doing his initiation thing. Their relationship hit a chord with me and I really wish it would've been developed much further and been a more significant part the core of the storyline and character motivations.
Enjoyed the outing as an experience. But the film was pretty so-so. Laughed at so many cheesy moments. The early dog creatures were a real letdown in terms of CG but the actual Avatars were flawless.
I don't want the industry to go this way. When getting a ride home I thought that
Saw it in 3d two days ago, first 3d movie. Awesome movie.
I actually quite liked the love story and while it may seem the same generic story there are things that set it vastly apart from the rest.
The Navi themselves don't seem like just the stand in for a "primitive" race that we have destroyed in the past. The way i see it, humans evolved while focussing on tech and that was pretty cool, in the movie we got all sorts of awesome shit. Battleships,mechs,interstellar travel,ect. Bad part about that is we fucked up our planet and we need huge resources to keep all our equipment going.
If you went back all the way to the beginning, the Mayans or Native-Americans, if they had been allowed to evolve in their ways they might have become more like the Navi. I don't mean 7 to 8 feet giants with blue skin. Just that their way of life,ideology might be similear. Work with nature instead of always trying to dominate it.
That's what i think the Navi are, a much more evolved humaniod race similar to the primitive tribes of old on earth that are extinct now. They just chose a different path.
Now that Ive slept on it, many things are rising up as things I really loved. Grace Augustine was awesome. Signourney really gave her a lot of texture and flavour that probably didnt exist on paper. Michelle Rodriguez, who I have never liked in anything, also really won me over here. And yeah, as many have said, Zoe Saldana was really the star here.
I think the best thing I can say about the movie is that its the first event movie in at least 5 years that actually delivers, 200%, on the EVENT portion of the title. Miss this movie in theatres in 3D at your own peril. Its really the lush world of Pandora that will be seared into my brain for ages.
that's awesome. i wish i liked it more. my friend and i were ready to leave after an hour and a half.
still, a neat exercise is to imagine in your head that instead of some blue alien race, the navi are a race of talking dogs, and see how different the movie would be. particularly
the sex scene, and the moment at the end where she rescues his human body and they finally realize that they'll overcome their species difference to find twoo luv.
Now that Ive slept on it, many things are rising up as things I really loved. Grace Augustine was awesome. Signourney really gave her a lot of texture and flavour that probably didnt exist on paper. Michelle Rodriguez, who I have never liked in anything, also really won me over here. And yeah, as many have said, Zoe Saldana was really the star here.
I think the best thing I can say about the movie is that its the first event movie in at least 5 years that actually delivers, 200%, on the EVENT portion of the title. Miss this movie in theatres in 3D at your own peril. Its really the lush world of Pandora that will be seared into my brain for ages.
Do we have another viewer inclined to go back for seconds? I haven't spoken to one person who has liked it that HASN'T decided they're going back for another viewing. I found it even more enjoyable on the second viewing. It's definitely something that requires a rewatch. I'm going to get a third viewing in sometime in the next week.
Also, after my first viewing I couldn't sleep for ages. Was thinking too much about what I had seen.
that's awesome. i wish i liked it more. my friend and i were ready to leave after an hour and a half.
still, a neat exercise is to imagine in your head that instead of some blue alien race, the navi are a race of talking dogs, and see how different the movie would be. particularly
the sex scene, and the moment at the end where she rescues his human body and they finally realize that they'll overcome their species difference to find twoo luv.
the sex scene from. Its IMPLIED that they had sex that night. You don't actually see them having sex. You see them cradle each other and rub their cheeks up against one another affectionately before it fades to black. There was no sex scene people.
the sex scene from. Its IMPLIED that they had sex that night. You don't actually see them having sex. You see them cradle each other and rub their cheeks up against one another affectionately before it fades to black. There was no sex scene people.
even implied, two dogs cradling one another with romantic music and the standard "tribal things are happening so someone grab a flute and play it" sounds would still be amusing.
Seriously. The word of mouth on this film is insane. From everybody and anybody. I've also seen so many facebook status' attempting to spread word of this film.
Do we have another viewer inclined to go back for seconds? I haven't spoken to one person who has liked it that HASN'T decided they're going back for another viewing. I found it even more enjoyable on the second viewing. It's definitely something that requires a rewatch. I'm going to get a third viewing in sometime in the next week.
Also, after my first viewing I couldn't sleep for ages. Was thinking too much about what I had seen.
Yes!!! :lol I love this movie. Watched it at the London IMAX (Thursday 3:40 am) and I was blown away; everyone in our group thought this was the best movie we've seen in a while and we're about to buy tickets to see it again at our local LieMAX.
The Bad: Nothing to do with the movie but the cinema itself - The movie was too dark and it got blurry during panning scenes. It really did not feel like a high resolution movie but the screen was massive. The glasses were very uncomfortable:
I had to adjust them every time and they hurt my nose so I had to balance them on my forehead :lol
Yes!!! :lol I love this movie. Watched it at the London IMAX (Thursday 3:40 am) and I was blown away; everyone in our group thought this was the best movie we've seen in a while and we're about to buy tickets to see it again at our local LieMAX.
The Bad: Nothing to do with the movie but the cinema itself - The movie was too dark and it got blurry during panning scenes. It really did not feel like a high resolution movie but the screen was massive. The glasses were very uncomfortable:
I had to adjust them every time and they hurt my nose so I had to balance them on my forehead :lol
Do we have another viewer inclined to go back for seconds? I haven't spoken to one person who has liked it that HASN'T decided they're going back for another viewing. I found it even more enjoyable on the second viewing. It's definitely something that requires a rewatch. I'm going to get a third viewing in sometime in the next week.
Also, after my first viewing I couldn't sleep for ages. Was thinking too much about what I had seen.
i was going to watch it a second time last night but it was really messy out and i just didn't feel like getting ready. i'm regretting that now. i just woke up; buying a ticket for late Christmas Eve on IMAX now. i might watch it again on RealD 3D early next week since that theater is far closer than the IMAX.
Where can i get my own RealD 3D glasses? Look 3D's site has some, but unless i'm completely blind, there seems to be no way to buy them.
Edit: They let us keep our glasses or recycle them. i kept them as a momento but they're honestly some of the cheapest, most ill-fitting glasses i've worn. Worse than those cheap neon glasses that were popular in the 80s.
i was going to watch it a second time last night but it was really messy out and i just didn't feel like getting ready. i'm regretting that now. i just woke up; buying a ticket for late Christmas Eve on IMAX now. i might watch it again on RealD 3D early next week since that theater is far closer than the IMAX.
Where can i get my own RealD 3D glasses? Look 3D's site has some, but unless i'm completely blind, there seems to be no way to buy them.
Ok, so I'm back from a Friday night 9pm showing in the London (Waterloo) IMAX. Went with my nephew and 5 of my friends. Cut to the end - As we all walked out, I asked my nephew what he thought. He tried to say something, but it came out as a bit of a mumble. So I asked him if he didn't think it was amazing? As he shook his head, his response was "grrrufghhgpp, that's not even the right word, from the bit at the beginning with the
water droplet
to the very end... it was just... wow!"
Now, I wasn't as amazed as that, but...
Special Effects: Like my nephew, I can't think of a word right now, but it is something far and away beyond 'incredible'. The best way I can describe how I felt about the CGI is that I wasn't even thinking about it most of the time. It was that believable. With some movies I'd look at the special effects and think how good it looks, or wonder how long it took to animate this monster, or that robot. But with Avatar, this was so far above any recent CGI ceiling, that it passed the point in my head where I would normally be impressed. Like (as has been said) the bit when
Neytiri is holding Jake at the end
. It really was the perfect mix of live action and CGI. But it was so good that I forgot to applaud it. I guess what I'm trying to say is - "I believe".
Story: I understand the 'predictable' statements that have been going around but it didn't bother me in the slightest. I didn't need to see any huge plot twists, or Memento-style direction. It was fine as it was. Just like how I knew the Titanic would sink but was still sucked into the story, I felt the same with Avatar. Plus, I'm a sucker for the old
outsider becoming a significant insider
scenario. And for Cameron to wrap that all up in this fantastic world was just fine for me. I also have to say that I became BIG SPOILER
emotional during a few scenes. Most notably when Neytiri's father dies, and Jake tries to comfort her
. Flippin' 'ell, that bit really got to me. So much emotion.
Music: I am a massive movie score fan, but have never really been a James Horner fan. Admittedly, I have the Braveheart soundtrack, as well as Titanic. But since Bicentennial Man, Horner hasn't produced any cues that have grabbed me. And unfortunately, I found nothing memorable about the music in Avatar. No, actually, I 'remember' when the music came in at the point when the
group of hammerheads began attacking the marines in the forest
. And I 'remember' thinking to myself "eaaarrgghh, that's cheesy". Now, maybe that cue was exactly what Cameron wanted at that point, but for me, it just made a cool scene sound childish.
3D: I remember Sculli talking about some blurriness associated with certain types of projectd 3D, and I think I may have been in that one. Or maybe it was just me, or I was sat too close to the screen, but there were many times when things were a little blurred for me. One of my friends said that he wanted the cliche of having things flying at the screen, so he was a little disappointed by the subtle 3D in Avatar. To the point where he said he'd probably enjoy the 2D blu-ray version more than this 3D. Not sure about that, but I know what he means.
Final thoughts - I wish I hadn't scene one single frame of this movie beforehand. No teaser, no trailer. Nothing! If I had done that, then this movie would have left me totally speechless.
Seriously. The word of mouth on this film is insane. From everybody and anybody. I've also seen so many facebook status' attempting to spread word of this film.
Christ, this Rottenwatch thread is bigger than TDK one.
I really feel like this is one of those movies that make you want to talk about how it made you feel. Like those feelings are something that need to be heard by others. That is the best type of thing to fuel WOM too.
I honestly haven't enjoyed myself this much at a film screening since Fellowship of the Ring. Towards the end of the movie, my wife laughed at me for being such a cry-baby, but then it occurred to me that I hadn't blinked for most of the second half of the film.
I have nothing but admiration for James Cameron. Even though I boycotted Titanic, the man is acutely aware of every aspect of the medium he is working with, right down to making jokes in the dialogue about obvious plot holes.
He hasn't renewed my faith in Hollywood so much as he has demonstrated how Lucas, Spielberg, Bay and Abrams have become a bunch of giant pussies.
I honestly haven't enjoyed myself this much at a film screening since Fellowship of the Ring. Towards the end of the movie, my wife laughed at me for being such a cry-baby, but then it occurred to me that I hadn't blinked for most of the second half of the film.
I have nothing but admiration for James Cameron. Even though I boycotted Titanic, the man is acutely aware of every aspect of the medium he is working with, right down to making jokes in the dialogue about obvious plot holes.
He hasn't renewed my faith in Hollywood so much as he has demonstrated how Lucas, Spielberg, Bay and Abrams have become a bunch of giant pussies.
I grew up on movies like Terminator, Aliens and True Lies. I couldn't rationalize that the most expensive film of all time would be wasted on a romance in which everyone already knows the ending. The least they could've done was throw a few aliens on board. Plus, I fucking hate Di Caprio.
Anyway... that was ten years ago. The only lasting effect of that movie seems to be Celine Dion and that fucking song.
I agree with those that said the first half was so-so...but then the movie ramps up pretty quickly. I think I will see it again in 2D, was not satisfied at all with the digital image quality. Fucking piece of shit 2K resolution.
I grew up on movies like Terminator, Aliens and True Lies. I couldn't rationalize that the most expensive film of all time would be wasted on a romance in which everyone already knows the ending. The least they could've done was throw a few aliens on board. Plus, I fucking hate Di Caprio.
Anyway... that was ten years ago. The only lasting effect of that movie seems to be Celine Dion and that fucking song.
I think I will see it again in 2D, was not satisfied at all with the digital image quality. Fucking piece of shit 2K resolution.