Avatar

[Kaonohi]

SEE it.

SEE it in 3-D!

SEE it in IMAX, if you can.

I am AWED!

I'm going tomorrow to see it AGAIN!

Details to follow.

K!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[cyleet99]

OOOHH!! I just KNEW it would be good!

A new kind of Star Wars? The Nextgen of Epics?

Gotta go this week.

[Kaonohi]

Just saw it the second time, this time in IMAX. I didn't feel much difference between IMAX and plain 3-D....

I can't (won't) include spoilers. This is a movie you just have to see. There is no description to do it justice.

It is a tale of inter-species conflict, exploitation, a lack of understanding between cultures, cutting-edge unknowns, love (both people and environments), and the energy required to right wrongs.

The 3-D is cutting edge, the spec-FX are awesomely believable.
The story is complex in many ways, but reverts to the simple dark-light conflict we expect in the end.

You may be dissapointed (if you're jaded), but I think it unlikely.

James Cameron's masterpiece.

KFWIW

[Konaguy]

I was absolutely awestruck by the stunning visuals in Avatar. It is definitely a must see movie !

[Mililani]

I was debating on whether to watch it or not because no one wanted to watch it (sniff sniff). I guess I'll go check it out myself! LOL

Thanks for the review!

[pzarquon]

I'm finding the reviews entertaining enough. I really dislike the non-refundable surcharge for uncomfortable and hazy 3-D glasses, so may wait for this to pop up on Netflix streaming. The interesting thing is, I see this film as nothing but the epitome of a popcorn blockbuster, no thought required. But some folks are obviously thinking about it a lot.

Decoding the Racial, Religious Messages in Avatar

They're finding the science fiction epic is about much more than blue aliens and 22nd-century warfare. Racial and religious undertones, they say, permeate the film. What is Avatar really about?

When Will White People Stop Making Movies Like "Avatar"?

Sure, Avatar goes a little bit beyond the basic colonizing story. We are told in no uncertain terms that it's wrong to colonize the lands of native people. Our hero chooses to join the Na'vi rather than abide the racist culture of his own people. But it is nevertheless a story that revisits the same old tropes of colonization. Whites still get to be leaders of the natives - just in a kinder, gentler way than they would have in an old Flash Gordon flick or in Edgar Rice Burroughs' Mars novels.

[Honoruru]

Saw it over the weekend. This movie is a visual feast. It transports you into another world, literally. The details are amazing, even down to the insects in the forest. And I only saw the regular version. I think 3D is the way to go with this.

There's nothing subtle about the story/dialog, however. In fact, its rather heavy-hand. But the visual world Cameron creates more than makes up for that.

[LikaNui]

Interesting reviews. I almost never go to the movies, but your reviews are tempting me.
And I've gotta say, Avatar was filmed on a budget of $400 million, so it darned well better be good.

[Nords]

When I want thoughtful, introspective, sophisticated themes I immediately think of the auteur who brought us the subtle plots and keen philosophical insights of works like "Terminator" and "Titanic"...

Which movie would you rather finance: a $400M monolith that makes a couple billion dollars setting worldwide records, or a "little" $25M indie that brings in a couple hundred million?

[LikaNui]

When I want thoughtful, introspective, sophisticated themes I immediately think of the auteur who brought us the subtle plots and keen philosophical insights of works like "Terminator" and "Titanic".

And for thoughtful, introspective and sophisticated themes I immediately think of Monty Python, who brought us the subtle plots and keen philosophical insights of works like "In Search Of The Holy Grail" and "Life Of Brian."



.

[LocalMotion]

I'm finding the reviews entertaining enough. I really dislike the non-refundable surcharge for uncomfortable and hazy 3-D glasses, so may wait for this to pop up on Netflix streaming. The interesting thing is, I see this film as nothing but the epitome of a popcorn blockbuster, no thought required. But some folks are obviously thinking about it a lot.

Decoding the Racial, Religious Messages in Avatar


When Will White People Stop Making Movies Like "Avatar"?

I couldn't disagree more with those reviews. First they weren't colonizing the land, they were just taking the metals/resources from it, and there was nothing racist about it... it equates to tearing down the rainforest and having to kick out some people to do it. wrong? yes.. racist? no

[helen]

Albert, another friend and I attempted to watch the noon showing on the 3-D version of Avatar at the Ward Theater today but it was sold out. We then opted to watch another movie and get tickets for the 3:30 pm showing of Avatar.

The movie has a lot of imagery and action but I felt it left out some parts, mostly as to why the sky people needed the mineral.

I don't mind watching this movie a second time, but I would go for the 2-d version instead.

[Albert]

I find it difficult to write about this one. Visually stunning, no doubt about it.

[Konaguy]

The movie has a lot of imagery and action but I felt it left out some parts, mostly as to why the sky people needed the mineral.

I think they left out the need for the mineral because it was not a critical part of the story. It is likely they'll expand on that if they make a sequel though.

[Kaonohi]

The movie has a lot of imagery and action but I felt it left out some parts, mostly as to why the sky people needed the mineral.

I guess for us SciFi nuts such things are obvious: The mineral they sophomorically called "unobtanium,' (barf) was essentially an anti-gravity radiant. This is why the sample would spin above the sample cup. This is how the 'floating mountains' of the Na`vi are possible.

Think of the commercial, and 'green' applications of a mineral that causes a reversal of gravity.

Mufi would LOVE it...., no, I take that back, it would decrease his commercial re-election contributions.

I'd love to have some, though!

K!

[Albert]

I do want to see it again but, unlike Helen, I'll opt for 3-D IMAX. It deserves to be seen in the most advanced technological way.

About that anti-gravity mineral. If there was such a concentration under the Mother Tree, why didn't that area become another floating mountain?

But overall, irrelevant question.

[Kaonohi]

I do want to see it again but, unlike Helen, I'll opt for 3-D IMAX. It deserves to be seen in the most advanced technological way.

About that anti-gravity mineral. If there was such a concentration under the Mother Tree, why didn't that area become another floating mountain?

But overall, irrelevant question.

No irrelevant questions.

I suppose that firmly rooted areas are less likely to levitate, but I don't know, FWIW.

Evidently this is something we will learn in the two planned sequels (if AVATAR is a success) - (which it already is), that JC will be sending us.

Get your 3-D glasses ready! (Unless our technology had since progressed....)

K!=========*

[helen]

The mineral sample only levatied in the black holder in Parker's office. And it only went up a few inches above the holder and not any higher.

Granted the mineral was important to the Earth people but not to the Pandoran people. Parker didn't say what the mineral was used for, only that it cost a lot to obtain.

[Albert]

I saw it again, this time on tv, via a bootleg DVD from Germany.

I think it is the best film of the year, perhaps even of the decade. Maybe it's best to see it without the razzle-dazzle of 3-D etc.

[craigwatanabe]

I saw Avatar today. WoW is pretty much the feeling watching it. Predictable in all sense but still the visuals was outstanding. Ironically though it has a slight resemblance to the animated movie, Fern Gully.

The graphics was so good it was hard to distinguish real video from graphics. So good was the graphics I kinds squirmed at the fact that my 11-year old was sitting next to me watching bare-breasted female Na'vi. It was that good.

I can't wait for it to come out on DVD. This movie rocks!!!

[salmoned]

[Helen - "The movie has a lot of imagery and action but I felt it left out some parts, mostly as to why the sky people needed the mineral."]

They didn't 'leave out' why they needed it - it was clearly stated (for the profit - unobtainium is worth $20 million a kilo).

This show was just another cowboys & injuns rehash. Noble savage and all that jazz. I couldn't stop laughing at all the ridiculous stereotypes and bad puns. For instance, why would the bipedal mechanical bodysuit have a huge knife to pull out as a backup weapon? [Answer - because a marine's best friend is his k-bar, yuk yuk]

The storyline ran like a video game. First you learn how to use your avatar, then you go on an adventure to relieve the boredom of your ho hum existence. This movie was made for video gamers.

Every single character was nothing more than a stereotype. Where was the businessman interested in something other than profit, the military man interested in something other than fighting, the scientist interested in something other than specimen collecting, the cripple interested in something other than being healed, the noble savage interested in something other than preserving their noble lifestyle, etc.

As for FX, I've seen better 20 years ago at Disney World (Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, among others). Terminator and Titanic were better pictures. I can only hope it takes this guy at least another 12 years before his next 'vision' is realized.

Aside - It's comforting to know we won't have decent health care and we'll still be carrying cash for the benefit of muggers in the distant future represented in the movie.

[helen]

They didn't 'leave out' why they needed it - it was clearly stated (for the profit - unobtainium is worth $20 million a kilo).

Of course it cost a lot to get. Here is a society that has the capability to travel to another star system, create lifeforms that were originally from another world, and have these lifeforms be controlled by humans remotely. So the question is what is so special about unobtainium that they couldn't synthensis back home?

Part of me says that it might be a source of power, considering that ground and trees tended to light up at night. However it was kind of risky for the humans to deploy exploding weapons on the Home Tree which could have detonated the ore below the tree.

Another part of me says that the unobtainium makes for a very light and strong metal but you figure that the Na'vi would have used the mineral as well but they don't.

[craigwatanabe]

As the name implies, it's unobtainable to get unobtainium. Like gold we can't synthesize it.

There are some things even the most advanced civilizations cannot replicate, that's why there is this perceived notion that advanced aliens will try to colonize our own planet.

Which brings me to a subject totally off topic but related to my last statement. My theory that advanced life forms cannot exist to the point where they will be excessively advanced than us.

Look at our own species on Earth. As advanced as we got our own natural resources are being depleted by our population growth. As we advance technologically we deplete our resources. There is also the fact that as a planet, Earth goes thru geological changes that have been proven to have wiped out entire species at least once or maybe several times over.

So if we can see it happening here on Earth, chances are it has happened to other civilizations elsewhere in the Universe. Look at our own deserts that have covered ancient civilizations completely under sand for thousands of years only to be found now! If a few thousand years can obliterate from view an entire civilization from our modern technology, can you imagine a million years on let's say Mars or Venus? There could be an entire Los Angeles buried under miles and miles of sand on Mars that we cannot see.

Timelines to me seem to limit how far a civilization can advance before it's wiped out by something unavoidable like a huge meteor or an unusually strong solar flare that cooks everything in it's path. You can only advance so far before something ends it.

It's forcasted here on Earth to happen, it could have happen already to some civilization on another world that has developed technologies that we can only dream of, like an iPhone that has decent coverage!

[zff]

So the question is what is so special about unobtainium that they couldn't synthensis back home?

I was thinking the same thing. Well, more specifically, I was wondering what could unobtanium possibly be used for that makes it cost-effective to pay $20M/kilo for it. Another thing about the movie that bugged me was that they never explained how the mountains float.

So I came up with the theory that unobtanium has anti-gravity properties that aren't completely understood. That could explain why it's so valuable and why the mountains float.

[helen]

If that was the case then why not mine it from the floating mountains where none of the Na'vi are at?

It would have been interesting to find out how long humans were on Pandora, I would hazard to guess maybe at least 10 to 50 years.