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[Truant]

We can't we have a kickass moon like that, Cameron?

 

[Leatherface]

Someone said the music was forgettable in this movie. That blows my mind because I thought the soundtrack was incredible. Different strokes I suppose. Anyway, I'll definitely be picking up the OST.

As for the movie itself, the story line is nothing new obviously, but it was done very well IMO. I really connected with the characters and the amazing world that Cameron created. I felt like all my senses were alive and stimulated. I was completely immersed!! People can argue about the story line or nitpick about little things, but to me, AVATAR is movie bliss.

If there is any movie ever that I'd recommend all GAFFER's to see, it would be this one. If you can, see it in IMAX 3D.

 

[StuBurns]

can anyone answer those questions please?

The avatar program is so they can make friends with the Na'vi then take their minerals.

The humans have been there quite a while, Grace's avatar is 18 years old, that's the oldest I know of.

(not relating to that, this featurette is cool for people who want to know a little more about Pandora http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bf2_2iIX3Zo )

 

[Dead]

can anyone answer those questions please?

I think Humans have been on Pandora for at least 20 years

Avatar program was initially started to make contact with the Na'vi and try to make an easy and peaceful way for them to get access to what the Humans wanted. However over time, relations got worse and worse as violent incidents went up

 

[Veidt]

What do you guys think of the beginning? The first 20 minutes were just mind numbing for me. I actually prefered it over the last 3rd ( story wise). Though that was "OMGWTFAMISEEINGRIGHTNOW!!" all the way.

 

[StuBurns]

What do you guys think of the beginning? The first 20 minutes were just mind numbing for me. I actually prefered it over the last 3rd ( story wise). Though that was "OMGWTFAMISEEINGRIGHTNOW!!" all the way.

I thought it should have started with him recording a log, not made us wait to know why there is a lame voice over. Other than that, I think it's okay, but by far the weakest part of the film.

 

[SpeedingUptoStop]

What do you guys think of the beginning? The first 20 minutes were just mind numbing for me. I actually prefered it over the last 3rd ( story wise). Though that was "OMGWTFAMISEEINGRIGHTNOW!!" all the way.

I was really impressed with how well edited together the intro was. Kinda reminded me of Speed Racer, but far less complicated.

 

[JGS]

can anyone answer those questions please?

The corporation would rather have the Na'vi move voluntarily and on friendly terms. It's cheaper and it's also a publicity nightmare to force people out of the way. The movie is taking place at the end of friendly negotiations. Rememeber, it takes years to get there and during that time, they may have been lovey-dovey, then someone got shot, and then things went badly. I may have missed otherwise, but something tells me Jake (or the other guy) was indeed the last Avatar made.

No matter how much the Na'vi avatars cost to make, war is always the most expensive option as you have to pay the military, pay the widows/families of one's killed (This would be especially expensive for a private military operation), replace equipment lost, protesters back home as well as on Pandora, & it would require you to work in a hostile environment until every last Na'vi was eradicated.

War was still a stupid option. It would have been better for them to do a horizontal drilling and start from the bottom and work up to get the minerals.

 

[Veidt]

I thought it should have started with him recording a log, not made us wait to know why there is a lame voice over. Other than that, I think it's okay, but by far the weakest part of the film.

Spoiler

The moment Jake wakes up in the space station. Where you see them floating around, or how he gets out of the hangar and this huge bulldozer with giant arrows embedded into its wheels passes right before you eyes.Or when they tell him "you'll be making a difference" the camera work was ASTOUNDING. I felt like I was watching a film from 40 years from now.

 

[Pctx]

Caught this last night....

Opening 20 minutes was amazing... story progress was smooth for the most part...

Spoiler

could've done without the retarded Na'vi chanting scenes... The one part of the movie that I would slap Cameron in the face and say "WTF were you thinking?"

Other than... the story being what it is... the movie really stands out due to the characters and the scenery. After seeing this... I wish Cameron would come back to the Alien franchise and do a proper sequel because boy.... the space scenes (limited of course) he just threw out the awesomeness in.

Will probably see this again... maybe even in 3-D. Did see it in Super HD though and it was quite the ride.

 

[Keylime]

Did see it in HD though...

...what does this mean? :lol

 

[cartoon_soldier]

I thought it should have started with him recording a log, not made us wait to know why there is a lame voice over. Other than that, I think it's okay, but by far the weakest part of the film.

Worthington's narration was one of the weakest parts of the movie for me. Arguably, his finest moment is when he gets to control his Avatar for the first time and runs outside. After that it was all down hill.

Opening 20 minutes was amazing... story progress was smooth for the most part...

Spoiler

could've done without the retarded Na'vi chanting scenes... The one part of the movie that I would slap Cameron in the face and say "WTF were you thinking?"

The depiction of Na'vi is stereotypical Native American. This is, in the end, a re-telling of the Colonists vs Natives story. "Dances with the Aliens" as someone called it.

 

[Zeliard]

I thought the opening was probably the weakest part of the film also, but I think those first few scenes were mostly meant to get you used to the 3D.

 

[AnkitT]

If all he wanted to do was kill aliens, why bother with the avatar's? Also if he was lying to Grace's face, why didn't she call him out on it?

The avatar scheme was a last option before going in guns blazing, the latter being bad PR for "the company". Grace knew it from the beginning, and thats the reason why they shift to the hallelujah mountains, to avoid "micromanagement" as she called it.

Also, gonna see it in 3D again in an hour. Probably missed a few finer details the first time around.

 

[Pctx]

...what does this mean? :lol

what's to laugh about? High Def vs. non-High Def?

 

[StuBurns]

...what does this mean? :lol

Some crazy SD cinemas knocking around apparently, scary.

what's to laugh about? High Def vs. non-High Def?

All cinemas are HD aren't they?

 

[Truant]

Is it explained anywhere how the Avatars actually work?

 

[Veidt]

Is it explained anywhere how the Avatars actually work?

Yes. This film is simple to understand really.

 

[Tobor]

Someone said the music was forgettable in this movie. That blows my mind because I thought the soundtrack was incredible. Different strokes I suppose. Anyway, I'll definitely be picking up the OST.

As for the movie itself, the story line is nothing new obviously, but it was done very well IMO. I really connected with the characters and the amazing world that Cameron created. I felt like all my senses were alive and stimulated. I was completely immersed!! People can argue about the story line or nitpick about little things, but to me, AVATAR is movie bliss.

If there is any movie ever that I'd recommend all GAFFER's to see, it would be this one. If you can, see it in IMAX 3D.

It's incredibly mediocre music. Parts of it sounded like the Lion King. I was waiting for the Navi to break out into Hakuna Matata and the circle of life.

Horner needs to retire, pronto.

 

[ShinAmano]

So...side note, but the movie was so good I was considering picking up the game for the 360....just to get more from the world...is it worth it...is it even playable?

 

[polyh3dron]

Some crazy SD cinemas knocking around apparently, scary.


All cinemas are HD aren't they?

Cept for that one in an attic with a framed picture of iwata next to the screen

 

[Struct09]

So...side note, but the movie was so good I was considering picking up the game for the 360....just to get more from the world...is it worth it...is it even playable?

A lot of reviews I've read say that it's terribly average. I would wait for the inevitable price plummet.

 

[Veidt]

I'm having a real problem.I can't watch this film in anything other than 3D now.
Blu-ray is the lowest I'll ever go. If anyone I know buys this on DvD, they'll get a harsh toned letter sent to them.

 

[The Librarian]

It's incredibly mediocre music. Parts of it sounded like the Lion King. I was waiting for the Navi to break out into Hakuna Matata and the circle of life.

Horner needs to retire, pronto.

:lol :lol :lol

 

[StuBurns]

So...side note, but the movie was so good I was considering picking up the game for the 360....just to get more from the world...is it worth it...is it even playable?

It's playable, if it's worth it depends how much you can buy it for I guess. It's pretty bad.

 

[Tobor]

I'm having a real problem.I can't watch this film in anything other than 3D now.
Blu-ray is the lowest I'll ever go. If anyone I know buys this on DvD, they'll get a harsh toned letter sent to them.

You're going to be writing a lot of letters.

 

[TacticalFox88]

I think Cameron should do another movie with the technology before jumping on a sequel.

 

[Veidt]

You're going to be writing a lot of letters.

Here's the catch. I don't know a lot of people.

 

[Leatherface]

It's incredibly mediocre music. Parts of it sounded like the Lion King. I was waiting for the Navi to break out into Hakuna Matata and the circle of life.

Horner needs to retire, pronto.

I totally disagree. The music was amazing to me but you did just make me lol at work. Thanks. :lol

 

[StuBurns]

I think Cameron should do another movie with the technology before jumping on a sequel.

If he does The Dive next, which seems likely, I think he'll do Avatar 2 directly after it. So no crazy motion capture CG stuff before A2. But we can hope for 42fps next time.

 

[Dead]

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/12/19/tech/cnettechnews/main5998956.shtml

About a year ago, with James Cameron's science-fiction epic "Avatar" well under way, it became clear that Weta Digital, the visual effects studio doing much of the computer generated imagery (or CGI) on the project, was a bit in over its head.

At that point, the movie, which opened Friday, was about 40 minutes longer than it ended up being, and what was needed to finish the project was another company that could come in and lend a helping hand - and do so at the same, very high level, that Weta was working at.

Damn, it was 200 minutes at some point!

 

[CassidyIzABeast]

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/12/19/tech/cnettechnews/main5998956.shtml


Damn, it was 200 minutes at some point!

bluray extended cut or die

 

[Veidt]

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/12/19/tech/cnettechnews/main5998956.shtml


Damn, it was 200 minutes at some point!

Dear GOD, please please please put ALL of that on the Blu-ray.

 

[StuBurns]

Damn, it was 200 minutes at some point!

Sounds about right, you can tell there's a lot missing, Grace's backstory especially.

 

[ShinAmano]

bluray extended cut or die

Pretty much.

 

[ianp622]

I want to see it again not because I thought the story or characters were particularly great, but rather because I want to get immersed in the world again. Usually I'm not impressed much by special effects in movies, but 3D Avatar was different in that I almost felt like I was there the entire time. It was almost like a dream for me.

The lack of immersion has always been one of the main factors that keeps me from really delving into the movie world, but if other movies start to become like Avatar, that might change for me.

I'm going to see it again in (real) IMAX 3d, and I'm hoping it will be even better.

 

[mckmas8808]

I think Humans have been on Pandora for at least 20 years

Avatar program was initially started to make contact with the Na'vi and try to make an easy and peaceful way for them to get access to what the Humans wanted. However over time, relations got worse and worse as violent incidents went up

And people need to remember that the humans were getting the mineral for other parts of Pandora.

Spoiler

It was just that the most abundance of it was under the tree.

 

[jonnybryce]

So...side note, but the movie was so good I was considering picking up the game for the 360....just to get more from the world...is it worth it...is it even playable?[/qoute]

http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/xbox360/jamescameronsavatarthegame

It's very mixed, basically means it's ok but nothing amazing, if you're looking for more Avatar goodness then give it a rent and you'll most likely have fun with it.

I picked up the iPhone game, it's very good...but that's not surprising, Gameloft makes pretty fun games (most of the time.)

 

[Ferrio]

An epic retelling of Shina's quest for Mako energy against the Night Elves at the World Tree.

 

[Tobor]

Ok guys, it's time for some REAL TALK(TM Tobor Inc.) about how bad the Mech designs were, specifically the weapons.

If anyone remembers Short Circuit, that film had an advanced military robot that after falling off a cliff, had to physically press a button on it's chest in order To deploy a parachute. A robot... that had to press a button. The lack of common sense in that design was impossible to top, or so I thought.

Why would you so poorly design a mech that it needs to hold a rifle? Forcing the operator to play air guitar with his weapon is inefficient. He can't line of sight the rifle, and if auto targeting is required anyway, then mounting the weapons on chassis makes better sense. You free up the operators hands and have a deadlier machine.

I know why it makes sense in Camerons view, it's how he jams the symmetry between the two cultures down our throats in the last battle, and makes it a fair fight. But I defy anyone to practically explain such a lack of foresight in design. The humans deserved to lose out of sheer stupidity.

 

[Trevelyon]

Saw it again locally in Dolbly3D on a really dimly lit screen. Just gotta say, I'm so, so, SO happy I made the trip to see it in REALD digital, albeit Liemax. The two experiences were worlds apart, night and day.

Felt the story still held together rather well without having the visual impact of IMAX. Felt good to just relax and admire all the little nuances of Pandora, the Na'vi, Jake's avatar and especially Neytiri's facial movements and gestures, there seems to be a near infinite amount of visual layers to Avatar. Years from now, I'll probably still be picking up numerous things I missed in previous viewings.

 

[StuBurns]

Ok guys, it's time for some REAL TALK(TM Tobor Inc.) about how bad the Mech designs were, specifically the weapons.

If anyone remembers Short Circuit, that film had an advanced military robot that after falling off a cliff, had to physically press a button on it's chest in order To deploy a parachute. A robot... that had to press a button. The lack of common sense in that design was impossible to top, or so I thought.

Why would you so poorly design a mech that it needs to hold a rifle? Forcing the operator to play air guitar with his weapon is inefficient. He can't line of sight the rifle, and if auto targeting is required anyway, then mounting the weapons on chassis makes better sense. You free up the operators hands and have a deadlier machine.

I know why it makes sense in Camerons view, it's how he jams the symmetry between the two cultures down our throats in the last battle, and makes it a fair fight. But I defy anyone to practically explain such a lack of foresight in design. The humans deserved to lose out of sheer stupidity.

The AMP suit amplifies the movement of the operator, exactly like the loader in Aliens.

 

[Leatherface]

Ok guys, it's time for some REAL TALK(TM Tobor Inc.) about how bad the Mech designs were, specifically the weapons.

If anyone remembers Short Circuit, that film had an advanced military robot that after falling off a cliff, had to physically press a button on it's chest in order To deploy a parachute. A robot... that had to press a button. The lack of common sense in that design was impossible to top, or so I thought.

Why would you so poorly design a mech that it needs to hold a rifle? Forcing the operator to play air guitar with his weapon is inefficient. He can't line of sight the rifle, and if auto targeting is required anyway, then mounting the weapons on chassis makes better sense. You free up the operators hands and have a deadlier machine.

I know why it makes sense in Camerons view, it's how he jams the symmetry between the two cultures down our throats in the last battle, and makes it a fair fight. But I defy anyone to practically explain such a lack of foresight in design. The humans deserved to lose out of sheer stupidity.

Ok. So until we're all walking around in mechs and physically testing this for ourselves, I think I can safely say you are totally over analyzing this WAY too much. Jesus Christ! LOL

 

[Lathentar]

Seems like the biggest feature of the mech was the full mimicking of the user's actions. All of the rider's fingers were used to control the fingers of the mech, how would he press a button? I figured not having a mounted gun allowed for a much more versatile machine. The mechs weren't intended for complete military usage and thus need the ability to manipulate complex objects in the most natural way possible.

 

[Keylime]

Ok guys, it's time for some REAL TALK(TM Tobor Inc.) about how bad the Mech designs were, specifically the weapons.

If anyone remembers Short Circuit, that film had an advanced military robot that after falling off a cliff, had to physically press a button on it's chest in order To deploy a parachute. A robot... that had to press a button. The lack of common sense in that design was impossible to top, or so I thought.

Why would you so poorly design a mech that it needs to hold a rifle? Forcing the operator to play air guitar with his weapon is inefficient. He can't line of sight the rifle, and if auto targeting is required anyway, then mounting the weapons on chassis makes better sense. You free up the operators hands and have a deadlier machine.

I know why it makes sense in Camerons view, it's how he jams the symmetry between the two cultures down our throats in the last battle, and makes it a fair fight. But I defy anyone to practically explain such a lack of foresight in design. The humans deserved to lose out of sheer stupidity.

You're right...and really my only justification of it would come down to a story-telling mechanism.

I'm assuming that Cameron wanted the suits to basically be a personification of the person. If we see some guy in a vehicle pressing buttons, it's not very engaging and really doesn't show the emotion of the user. If we see a guy moving around within the suit and physically jabbing a knife into someone, it's much more visceral and engaging to watch, as well as showing us a bit more about the character.

...I'm sure you could accomplish this with the guy in the chair pressing buttons scenario, but it's much easier to convey with the suit.

Again, though, tech-wise, you're totally right as far as I can tell :lol

 

[JGS]

Ok guys, it's time for some REAL TALK(TM Tobor Inc.) about how bad the Mech designs were, specifically the weapons.

If anyone remembers Short Circuit, that film had an advanced military robot that after falling off a cliff, had to physically press a button on it's chest in order To deploy a parachute. A robot... that had to press a button. The lack of common sense in that design was impossible to top, or so I thought.

Why would you so poorly design a mech that it needs to hold a rifle? Forcing the operator to play air guitar with his weapon is inefficient. He can't line of sight the rifle, and if auto targeting is required anyway, then mounting the weapons on chassis makes better sense. You free up the operators hands and have a deadlier machine.

I know why it makes sense in Camerons view, it's how he jams the symmetry between the two cultures down our throats in the last battle, and makes it a fair fight. But I defy anyone to practically explain such a lack of foresight in design. The humans deserved to lose out of sheer stupidity.

The mechs were used for more than weaponry and seemed to be built primarily for mobility which is why they had hands in the first place. I always thought they had knives equipped to get through the jungle but i could be wrong about that. If you strap a a gun plus it's ammo onto the chassis, you lose that and the machine gets bulkier, heavier, and thus slower.

Being a Mechwarrior player from years gone by taught me something about them. Weapons generate heat which causes damage to the mech itself. Duh!

Spoiler

Just kidding. In fact, it's sad I would know this.

 

[StuBurns]

Seems like the biggest feature of the mech was the full mimicking of the user's actions. All of the rider's fingers were used to control the fingers of the mech, how would he press a button? I figured not having a mounted gun allowed for a much more versatile machine. The mechs weren't intended for complete military usage and thus need the ability to manipulate complex objects in the most natural way possible.

Exactly. The amp suits are not purely for military use. This is a mining colony, I assumed they were for things pertaining to the mining operation of the base.

 

[Tobor]

The AMP suit amplifies the movement of the operator, exactly like the loader in Aliens.

That was a utility design, with joystiq controls. Not even close to the same thing. It's ludicrous to expect a mechanized unit to literally hold a weapon when you could mount weapons and still have the arms available.

 

[CassidyIzABeast]

Exactly. The amp suits are not purely for military use. This is a mining colony, I assumed they were for things pertaining to the mining operation of the base.

we even see one of those uses in the movie when the AMP suit

Spoiler

pushes the explosives into the Valkyrie

its basically the Power Loader 9000

 

[Lathentar]

That was a utility design, with joystiq controls. Not even close to the same thing. It's ludicrous to expect a mechanized unit to literally hold a weapon when you could mount weapons and still have the arms available.

How would you fire the weapon with the current design?