Thank you James Cameron...

Darth Mandarb · Sun 20/12/2009 14:41:53

WARNING - POSSIBLE AVATAR SPOILERS - READ AT YOUR OWN RISK

Last night movies changed forever for me. I saw Avatar. James Cameron may not have made a movie since Titanic but a 12 year gap had no effect on the man's movie-making talents. I dare say he's better than ever. This movie is fantastic.

I want to start with the 3D technology before getting into the movie itself. The first few previews were traditional (non-3D) and then the screen said "Please put on your 3D glasses now". Now... I have been reading about the 3D tech for Avatar for years and was really anticipating seeing what it had to offer. The next two previews were in 3D and I must admit, I was very underwhelmed and disappointed.

Then Avatar began...

The previews were, I'm guessing, "dumbed" down a bit because it wasn't thrilling. But the 3D in the actual feature was mind-blowing. This new 3D technology cannot be adequately explained in words. You have to have your ass in the seat with those [dorky] glasses on to truly appreciate it. James Cameron has (in typical James Cameron fashion) truly revolutionized the industry. This is the new way to make movies. I can honestly say that I will put on those glasses for every movie I see if they look/feel like this! I will admit that when there was a lot of camera motion coupled with fast action on the screen the 3D gets a little lost, but if the camera motion was more steady, and the action on the screen mid to slow it was simply amazing. There was a part, in the Pandora jungle, where there were bugs flying around. The focus was not on the bugs, they were just adding to the immersion. I actually, entirely sub-consciously, swatted at one of the bugs in my peripheral vision. I then promptly realized what I had done and looked around to see if anybody had noticed, and saw 4 other people swatting at nothing.

It's that good.

Now I want to talk about the CGI. James Cameron said he had written this script in 1995, but knew back then the tech wasn't available to allow him to make this movie and he wanted to wait until it was. Well ... he waited long enough. The CGI has finally reached a point (and this is truly the first time I can say this) that I was unable to distinguish the live-action and the CG. It was so seamlessly integrated. Being a technophile I spent a good portion of my time in the seat studying the special effects that I probably missed out on the great story (more on that in a bit). There is a scene where Jake Sully and Ney'tiri have a kiss ... this CG was simply, mind-blowingly, amazing. Most of the movie-goers probably just thought it was a kiss. But the CG characters; their lips, teeth, eyes, cheeks ... it was almost not CG.

It's that good.

Now ... the movie. Almost three hours in length (and I could tell he had far more material that was removed to get the movie under 3 hours; perhaps he learned his lesson with Titanic) you don't notice the length. Now, I have to admit, I'm still in a bit of awe of the over-all experience so eventually I might find some things to complain about (as I always do with most movies) but at this point. I'm in love.

Sam Worthington is Jake Sully, the lead. Sam, at this point, would be a virtually unknown actor had it not been for his role in Terminator: Salvation (which was shot long after Avatar's production; meaning Jim picked Sam before seeing him in Terminator). I was nervous about him in the lead role as I just wasn't sure he had the chops to carry the film. I was wrong. He has the chops. I felt the same thing about Leonardo DiCaprio when learning he was cast as the lead in Titanic. I knew the kid had talent (Gilbert Grape) but wasn't sure he could carry a lead. James Cameron proved, again, that he knows what he's doing and I wouldn't be surprised if Sam's career sky-rockets (his next role as Persius in the retelling of Clash of the Titans) after this role.

Having said that; Zoe Saldana, as Ney'tiri was incredible. I had a crush on her because of her role as Uhura in the new Star Trek. I am now in love with her. Now, normally, this wouldn't be much cause for surprise from an actress in a lead role in a movie. The reason it's remarkable (and surprising to me) is because Zoe Saldana is not in this movie. Her Avatar is. Totally motion-capped and computer animated. It was outstanding. She breathed so much life into the character. This was the first time that I actually had an emotional connection to non-real characters on the screen. I wasn't sure it was possible with CG human characters ... but this was CG aliens and still, the performances coupled with the technology ... it's hard to describe, but I was involved. I thought this connection and emotional involvement with CG was impossible. I was wrong.

I want to make a prediction here; I'm going to predict that Ms. Saldana will be nominated for an Oscar (yes, an Oscar) for this role. And I dare say, she deserves it.

Plot Spoilers Ahead...

The movie was paced perfectly. Three precisely sectioned acts seamlessly sewn together. Now I will say that it bordered on being a little preachy at parts (but wasn't, just came close) about environmental issues ("their world is green, ours is no longer") but it works perfectly in the context of the film. Jake's conversion to the Na'vi way of life and his eventual betrayal of his own people is done so perfectly that you don't realize until you're sitting around later talking about it that you supported his decision to fight the humans. It's done that well. You want him to fight them (granted the humans aren't painted in an appealing light, they are painted as corporate greedy pigs and military tyrants but still). This goes back to my comment about how the CG characters have reached a point where you get involved with them.

The world of Pandora is breath-taking. There was no part of it that made me think, "stupid CG backdrops" (and I am very picky about such things). There is almost nothing on Pandora that looks like earth. It's a bio-luminescent planet that is so full and realized in a way that has never been equaled in sci-fi before. James Cameron has not set the bar, he has shattered it. This movie will change Hollywood.

The battle sequences are simply amazing. I have said for years that James Cameron has an amazing ability to put together action sequences that are so perfectly constructed that you don't get lost in them but lose none of the intensity. Hacks like Michael Bay rely on large explosions and hectic camera moves to confuse you into a sense of action but you're most often left with that, "what just happened" feeling. Cameron delivers all that intensity, but you don't wonder what just happened, you are part of the action.

I posted it on my facebook (so some of you have read it) but, as the title of the this thread suggests, I want to personally thank James Cameron. It is movies like this that make me realize why I love movies. It's story-telling at it's best, production at it's best, design at it's best, acting at it's best, pushing technology at it's best... it is, in short, what movie-making should be about.

It's that good.

Thank you, Mr. Cameron, for reminding me that magic does still exist.

Vince Twelve · Sun 20/12/2009 15:04:07

I'm taking my father to Avatar in IMAX 3D tonight. Can't wait!

SSH · Sun 20/12/2009 15:16:03

People seem to love to hate Titanic but I love it. Apart from Piranha II: The Spawning, he hasn't made a bad movie (and that he had to take over half way through). Going to see Avatar tomorrow.

Ghost · Sun 20/12/2009 15:40:30

Now I'm really looking forward to that movie *even more*.

Nikolas · Sun 20/12/2009 16:10:59

I agree 100% with Darth and only wish to comment that I was immensly annoyed by the music (James Horner

). Music was awful, repetative to a great point, and was 'just working with a film', only because one shouldn't want anything more.

The rest of the movie was simply PERFECT! A stunning movie!

jetxl · Sun 20/12/2009 16:53:03

The latest 3D movie I saw was Up. I was not impressed.
I think this whole 3D rage is just a hype to lure people into the theatres instead of ~~downloading it from pirate bay~~ buying the DVD release.
From what I've seen the movie looks like that chase scene from the latest Indie 4, so Avatar better have some suprizing and deep story if it want to leave an awe impression on me.
Does it?

veryweirdguy · Sun 20/12/2009 17:08:22

I'd like to preface this by saying: I really liked Avatar! It's a 5/5 from me! Excellent movie!

That said, it's not the revolution it was hyped up to be. This is the third 3D movie I have seen (and the only one at the Imax) and I am completely underwhelmed by 3D technology. I think it is unnecessary and adds nothing to the experience - there is never a point where I thought "that's pretty" specifically because of the 3D element (with the possible exception of some of the transparent screen thingys in the control rooms.*)

That's not to say it wasn't a beautiful film! The environments and characters were gorgeously rendered and expertly "shot", it's constantly a visual treat, especially during action sequences.

The animator in me had a couple of issues. 98% of the time, the characters were perfect, they way they moved was natural. But there were a couple of points (one that stood out was when Jake's avatar first runs through the camp) where I wasn't convinced - the characters moved in a way that looked like what an animator had been taught humans moved like, rather than a natural thing. It's a common thing I notice these days, when characters move in a very textbook way and look a bit too perfect, it's jarring and unnatural. Like I said, it's a very rare occurance, and this movie is a huge leap forward in that respect, but to be convincing you have to convince 100% of the time.

In some ways it seems redundant talking about the film on normal terms - any focus is on the technological aspect - but the acting and direction in "regular film" terms are excellent. The plot is predictable, but not in a bad way - it's clear early on what issues will be explored, and for the most part how, but that's okay. It's not the story, it's how it's told, and it is told very well. I was worried it would feel long and have a drawn out battle scene near the end, but as Darth says it's paced very well.

On the whole: recommended!

* sidenote - when are we actually going to get those transparent screen things where you move stuff by hand to smaller handheld screens. Hollywood has been teasing us with them for years! Get it sorted, technology.

Zyargeikunn · Sun 20/12/2009 20:02:26

I have to agree, the 3D-effects were amazing and the CGI was great (as in I had to realize those were not people running around). And I say this a CGI hater, I hated the new Star Wars trilogy merely for the crappy effects, Indy 4 was nice but the CG: lame etc etc. This was awesome. The forest scenes at the beginning were just awesome, I was actually smiling all of the time (the last time that happened was Kill Bill). I even suffered through German dubbing (you have to drive quite a long way to find a cinema which has both 3D AND original language...).

And while the story was kinda straight and with absolutely no single surprise it was well fitting and not dumbed down. They actually kill people without anyone telling the audience that that's not the right thing to do (like in Transformers - okay movie, but the Autobots telling they won't harm any human - urgh!).

But while 3D was great and sometimes even awesome, I don't need it in each and every movie. I still hate 3D for delaying the new Joss Whedon movie A WHOLE YEAR (it was not shot in 3D but now they think it would make more money if they post-processed it to 3D. lame).

veryweirdguy · Sun 20/12/2009 20:24:44

Oh oh oh I just remembered the worst thing about Avatar: The Papyrus.

Paper Carnival · Sun 20/12/2009 22:15:52

I liked it a lot. Sure, the story is predictable, but it's told very well and it doesn't try to force a message-of-the-day down your throat. The whole thing progresses very smoothly, and there are no filler scenes or unnecessary humor.

Domino · Mon 21/12/2009 00:15:41

They also made a video game about the movie.

I believe it is on the Xbox360 and PS3, if you are interested Darth.

Just wanted to let you know,

Shawn

Paper Carnival · Mon 21/12/2009 01:36:12

Yes, there is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rge9Z0JMNJI

Anian · Mon 21/12/2009 01:55:12

Now I haven't watched it but read and heard about it but this rant is very much intiated by this movie.

I heard that the story is the same as Dances with wolves and then a friend described the movie and I have to agree with that. For a story that was announced to be so epic and not being able to be made with the old technology and bla bla bla...this all sounds (and even you were talking mostly about it) like it's another movie where the main thing is 3d and animations and the story and the characters are just some old recycled stuff (note: I think Dances with wolves is a godd movie, although not my kind of genre, but copying the plot almost exactly doesn't make the story better).

Maybe he should've waited with Terminator 2 or Abyss...no you say? Why not? Because they're great movies and they have great and original plot and the effects should not be a selling point they should add to the immersiveness and not so the whole movie is based around it, does a CGI background need floating mountains to tell an interesting story?!

Probably gonna watch it for the 3d but I'm not going overly enthusiastic.

auriond · Mon 21/12/2009 02:10:53

It's true, the story is nothing new. Still, it's interesting to see it done in a different way. I watched the movie yesterday (not the 3D version) and came away feeling very much satisfied with the whole thing. I was much less impressed with the CGI than Darth was, but it was good enough for the audience to get immersed easily.

It's a familiar story but retold in a new way for a generation brought up on Final Fantasy and Halo. I think the best part of the movie was the attention to detail. I was especially impressed with how they managed to make Jake Sully's legs look withered.

Some parts were cheesy, yes, but I see this movie as targeted not only at adults but kids as well, unlike Terminator and Titanic which were not exactly kid-friendly shows.

Nacho · Mon 21/12/2009 08:16:10

The story is just another DUNE. But the movie is amazing...

I have seen it in 2-d, and I am thinking in watching it 3-D. I really loved it. *Nacho runs to buy the videogame.

Darth Mandarb · Mon 21/12/2009 15:19:03

Vince, SSH and Ghost - please let me know what you think/thought of the movie!

Nic - really?? I love James Horner's music. Granted I'm no expert on music but one of my favorite things about movie music is if it sets the mood, but you almost don't hear it. And Horner does that for me. One of my favorite of his scores was from a oft-forgotten movie called Deep Impact.

Jet - the story isn't too original, but it's still a great (enjoyable) story!

I would say the story has similarities to Dances with Wolves but it's not "the same" as it or "copy" it. This argument has always bothered me a bit as all [good] stories follow a similar vein (not going to go into it). I don't think similarities to another great story take away from this movie though.

Quote from: anian on Mon 21/12/2009 01:55:12Maybe he should've waited with Terminator 2 or Abyss...no you say? Why not? Because they're great movies and they have great and original plot and the effects should not be a selling point they should add to the immersiveness and not so the whole movie is based around it, does a CGI background need floating mountains to tell an interesting story?!

Terminator 2 was basically a recycling of the plot of The Terminator with a few twists thrown in (and some new technology). Not exactly "original" there. The Abyss has original elements but is still a recycling of an age-old story telling method. He waited to make Avatar] until technology caught up to his vision. I applaud his willingness to wait.

I would be curious to hear your thoughts on the movie after seeing it though!

VWG - I'm a little surprised to hear your thoughts on the tech! I was blown away by it. I read somewhere that some people have ... something ... about their eyes that keep this 3D technology from working for their vision. They don't have bad eye sight or anything it's just some kind of thing with their eyes where the 3D illusion isn't maintained. Perhaps this is the case because I was blown away!

Shawn - I had heard about the game but deliberately ignored it 'cause I wanted to avoid spoilers! I intend to check it out but I don't like buying things for myself around Christmas time

Thanks for the heads-up!

Nacho - go see it in 3D. You will not be disappointed!

I'm going to go see it again on Thursday.

Peace out.

Privateer Puddin' · Mon 21/12/2009 17:53:42

I liked it. Some of the 3d worked better than the rest, and yes, I did half swipe at something before realising it was just 3d magic.

Oh yes, this was my first 3d movie, the only other thing I've really seen is the Terminator 'ride' at Universal Studios.

passer-by · Mon 21/12/2009 18:11:13

I couldn't decide if I watch Avatar or not, because I asked 20 people and they had 20 different opinions, mostly bad...but none of those people is related to graphics in any way.
I still can't decide, but I notice that people who say bad things about avatar are mostly the amaters of teh classic cinema, with flesh and all.

I guess I'm going to see it around Christmas.

Vince Twelve · Mon 21/12/2009 18:37:51

Short ass post: I really fricking liked it.

Long ass post with potential spoilers: The imagery is rich and lush and beautiful. The world (moon?) of Pandora was as real as any alien planet has ever been. It feels like a real place, populated with real people and with the 3d, you really do feel like you're there.

I have seen one other movie in 3d, Coraline, and I thought it was used to great effect there, but in Avatar, it's a whole new level of immersion. The bugs that Darth mentioned really do feel like they're buzzing around your head. It feels like the leaves of the jungle should be brushing against your face as the camera moves through the jungle. In fact, it's so impressive that it actually feels like it's breaking immersion when the leaves don't brush your cheeks!

Another effect that just blew me away and was super subtle: looking through windows. There were lots of shots through windows looking out onto Pandora, or through canopies of helicopters or big mechas and the glass would have finger (or whatever) smudges on it. And they just made it feel like the glass was right there in front of you. It felt like you could move your head slightly to see the details slightly obscured by these smudges. Pretty cool.

I saw it on an IMAX screen and it was pretty nuts. The screen takes up almost your entire peripheral vision, so there's nothing between you and the bad guy breathing down your neck! I actually felt the same sense of vertigo that the character on screen does at one point (in the director-intended way, not in the 3d-makes-you-nauseous way) when the character runs out onto a log and sees the beautiful world all around below him. The character gets dizzy for a second and you feel it. I thought for a sec that I was slipping over the edge off the log and moved a foot to catch myself.

And the CG is fantastic. As has been said, the aliens look amazingly life like. You do forget that you're watching a character made up of polygons. The Na'vi become real to you. Especially Uhura, who is gorgeous and finely acted to boot. The other alien animals are similarly believable and life-like.

As for the story, yeah, it's essentially Dances With Wolves/Pocahontas, but it's told in such a way that it feels fresh. (And isn't that how story telling works? Aren't there only really nine stories told again and again?) Moreover, Cameron does a great job at making you deeply care for the characters, and not just the characters, the entire civilization he has built. When you see the bad humans mercilessly crushing the poor innocent Na'vi, you feel gutted. And you really do worry about the characters making it through this.

And more importantly, it's fun. It's fun to watch the coming of age tests as Sully becomes a Na'vi man. It's fun to watch the big battle and action scenes. And it's even fun to learn how the different flora and fauna of Pandora work together. The ending is very cool, and I'm looking forward to the inevitable sequels that Cameron is already planning (and promising won't take so long to make).

On the 3D, though, I was getting a bit of a headache throughout the whole movie. I didn't have a problem with Coraline, so I suspect it was because I watched this in IMAX. Here's my big problem with 3D movies:

When you look around in real life, you focus your eyes on whatever you're looking on without even thinking about it. Anything substantially closer or further away than what you're focused on becomes blurred in your peripheral vision.

When a director makes a movie, he choses what to focus on and what will remain blurred in the foreground/background. Your eyes don't mind because they only have to focus on the screen and don't have to change focus.

But when you watch a movie in 3D, your eyes think they can focus on the different things at different depths (and you can! Changing the focal distance of your eyes brings certain parts of the stereoscopic image into line.) however, even if you do that, the part of the image that you're focusing on may not be in focus because the director may be focused on something else. So if you try to focus on, say, a background piece of jungle (which is hard not to do, since you want to soak up all the details of this world) you wind up just focusing a blurred image, which makes your eyes think that they're still not focused even though they are.

And you couple that with the movie changing between a closeup of a characters face and a wide shot of some action, your eyes no longer have to just move across the screen to look at the portion of the image that the director has focused on like in a regular 2D movie, you have to also find the right focal distance for your eyes to view the new scene. And it could change each time there's a cut between shots. It takes a while to adjust to, and then gets tiring and gave me a bit of a headache. (Though again, it may not have been such a problem on a non-imax screen)

Luckily the film was so enjoyable it distracted me from the slight throbbing beneath my right eye.

All in all, I can't wait to see this movie again, and I'm really sad that it will be very unlikely that I'll find the time to get out to see in in a theater again because it really is a film that should be seen in the theater. So, instead, I need to save my money for a sweet HDTV and bluray player! 'Cause damn!

Fine film. Loved it. Would recommend.

Gregjazz · Mon 21/12/2009 19:25:01

Quote from: Nikolas on Sun 20/12/2009 16:10:59
I agree 100% with Darth and only wish to comment that I was immensly annoyed by the music (James Horner ). Music was awful, repetative to a great point, and was 'just working with a film', only because one shouldn't want anything more.

The rest of the movie was simply PERFECT! A stunning movie!

I agree! And what was with the music during the credits?!