Abadoss Posted December 19, 2009 Share Posted December 19, 2009 I got to see a pre-screening of it in 3D on Thursday. It's freaking amazing. I wasn't even going to go to the movie, but the owner of a video games store that I frequent - Video Game Wizards, for Portland people - gave me a free pass to the screening. I'm really glad I got to go. I appreciated that they didn't make gratuitous use of the 3D, but rather used it tastefully. I rather liked the story and the characters - the plot was kind of predictable, but still good. The art and the world that they created was pretty amazing. It's going on my list for sure... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poke'G Posted December 19, 2009 Share Posted December 19, 2009 I feel let down. This has nothing to do with air bending...I do feel a bit confused though, is this movie based off something well known? I watched the trailer but didn't see anything special about it. Nope, this is all James Cameron. What's special is that James Cameron hasn't made a real fictional narrative in 12 years. The guy gave us new age CGI and science fictional creations that paved the way for computer effects that are now commonplace in the media blockbuster. The alien probe in Abyss and T-1000 from Terminator 2: Judgement Day floored audiences at the time as he was the first to use computers to create photo realistic images. He wrote Avatar shortly after Titanic but felt technology couldn't convey the narrative vision he had for the story, so he sat back and did documentaries on underwater life, waiting. I've followed this project (what I could) since mid high school about six years ago. At the time, I thought it was nuts that he wanted to make a 3D movie, the resurgence in the industry hadn't happened yet. Now I'm really excited, as he is the first big name director who's come up with an idea specifically conceived for 3D. He even commissioned new 3D cameras just for the movie (part of its epic cost). Up until this point, 3D film has really been just a gimmick, thus why it has faded from use two times already, the 1950s and 1980s. Most 3D films made in this new resurgence are no different. The effect is a gimmick meant to wow audiences, and the gimmick over time wears then. But now Cameron is taking the challenge of showing that 3D can be a part of a film's narrative, rather than a cheezy effect that won't really matter once the film has a home release. I hope he can pull it off (it might fail terribly), but I won't find out for another week until I can make it out to Osaka. I'm glad OCR is giving good feedback. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kroze Posted December 19, 2009 Share Posted December 19, 2009 Prepare for Kroze's spoiler free, mind blown away review... Ready? You sure? Okay... HO-LY FUCKING SHIT OH MY GOD THAT WAS FUCKING AMAZING. Now first off with the story being very "traditional" and even heavy handed at times, I think its story was AMAZINGLY well done and tasteful despite it being tried and true. What Cameron does with it brings it to new levels. And I don't think calling it a Disney-esc plot is a bad thing in this case... its just HIGHLY accessible to a huge population. It's characters were REAL... like I felt for them. The story WAS Dances With Wolves + The Last Samurai IN SPACE! But it was also so much more then just that. Just because it was predictable and done before doesn't mean the plot is immedately BAD... its what you do with it and James Cameron does a FUCK TON with it. Also, what James Cameron movie DOESN'T have those cheesy one liners? The one liners we keep quoting from 20 years ago! "I'll be back!" "Esta la vista baby!" I don't think it would have been a James Cameron movie without them being there and they helped make the movie feel a lot more easy going. This is a sci-fi movie for the masses keep in mind. We are getting our hardcore Sci-Fi James Cameron movie in 4 years with Battle Angel which he has even admitted to being a much more niche film with how its gonna be. Ignoring all the special effects and AMAZING AMAZING CGI (I haven't even seen the movie in IMAX 3D yet and I was STILL squealing like a fat kid in Willy Wonka's candy factory), It still is a great movie just from the way the story was handled, the characters and the acting... especially from Sam Worthington who I hated with a passion back in Terminator Salvation. he really shows off his acting chops here. Michelle Rodriguez also deserves a mention due to I DIDN'T HATE HER FOR ONCE IN A MOVIE. For once I didn't want her to die horribly in a fire (Still not gonna stop calling her Ana-Lucia though... EVER). The standout actor out of the entire cast was totally Stephen Lang and his portrayal of Quaritch as a military man who will NOT give up, even to the last breath. He went far above and beyond a lot of other movie villains I think because he felt REAL, there was no real point where he went over the top evil at all that made me go "Okay, he is now a larger than life, over the top villain". They gave him weight and depth that Lang was able to portray amazingly well and gave us a guy we love to hate despite being all badass. Now the effects and the CGI... or as I like to call it as I was doing so all through the movie OH MY FUCKING GOD THE WATER! THE WATER IS REAL! THE WAY IT REACTS HOLY FUCK! DID YOU SEE THAT FIRE AND THE REALISTIC SHADOWS ITS CASTING ON ITS ENVIROMENT! OH MY GOD THE WATER ON THEIR FACES AND HOW IT REACTS WTF??!?!? WIND ALSO REALISTIC!!??!?! *splooge* And that was only in the first 10 minutes of the movie.. and yet it didn't stop at ALL for the entire rest of the movie. I now believe Pandora IS a real place... its where James Cameron has been for the past 10 years, laughing at George Lucas who is most likely in the bathtub right now singing Linkin Park songs to himself while crying and posting on his live journal "WHERE DID I GO WRONG?!?!? HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN TO MEEEEEE?!??!?!" For a lot of the movie, my brain just couldn't believe that it was mostly CGI. It all looked REAL. And the Navi are the most realistic CGI aliens... no wait... no.. the most realistic aliens, CGI or not, I have ever seen on film EVER. Their emotions, the way they moved... I was losing myself throughout the entire movie. I do not wanna imagine how long it took this movie to render the CGI. I really don't. All in all, possibly one of the greatest movies I have ever seen and that is even with ignoring the groundbreaking special effects and CGI usage. My biggest complaint was the pacing of the movie was sometimes a bit... well... off... And the thing that happens half way through the movie with Michelle Rodriguez's character feels somewhat out of left field. James Cameron, known for being a merciless editor and cutting 20 minutes of plot oriented stuff from several of his movies out obviously cut a few scenes which I think should not have been cut even though the movie was running long already. The nice thing is this isn't an action film... this film takes its time to build up all its MANY many characters and plot threads and the world we NEED to believe in and care about to make the epic final battle all the more worth it. And once the movie really gets going you best hold on to your pants because it is gonna be one wild ride. This will definitely define a LOT of filmmaking over the course of the next decade. James Cameron accomplished his goal and then some with this masterpiece of a movie and EVERYONE needs to see this film at LEAST once in their lives. I hope to god they are able to make back the estimated $300 to $400 MILLION spent making this endavour of blood, sweat and tears. The amount of love and quality put into this project really shows and I plan on going back as soon as possible to see it in IMAX 3D when I get the chance.... like in an hour... I give this movie 9.5 out of 10. Simply amazing... a true epic cinematic masterpiece of film. Why the fuck are you STILL reading this?? GO OUT AND SEE IT NOW!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prophetik music Posted December 19, 2009 Share Posted December 19, 2009 the visual effects truly blew me away. the mountains, floating on air? there was an 'ahhhh' literally being blown around the room at that point. just stunning. i really enjoyed it. i'm looking forward to seeing it in 3D again soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JH Sounds Posted December 19, 2009 Share Posted December 19, 2009 the mountains, floating on air? Heh, even those looked real, even though they were floating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schwaltzvald Posted December 19, 2009 Share Posted December 19, 2009 So technically this is CGI done right. awesome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hum4n After All Posted December 19, 2009 Share Posted December 19, 2009 Such an amazing movie. Completely blew my mind away. Saw it in 3D midnight showing. Got a free Avatar shirt. I was literally the first one in the theater. Now I want to see it in 2D. Felt like there was just too much to see in 3D. I wanted to see everything! So watch the movie both in 2D and 3D. Shit. I'm not even surprised the movie was nominated for awards before it was released on the 18th. At least a full week before its release. And James Horner did an incredible job with the soundtrack. Definitely buying it on iTunes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thin Crust Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 I just got back from watching it. It is definately the greatest movie ever made, but it didn't wow me. I think I have been too spoiled with watching a lot of beautiful CGI sequences from gametrailers. (Battle and nonbattle) I want to like it, but I just wasn't blown away. I feel like I've seen the movie before. Many times I thought "well this is going to happen next." and it did. So overall, the best visuals ever created. Story was excelent. Characters were likeable and I was pulling for the good guys, but at the end, I just wish I was blown away. You know what? there were plot devices that hugely reminded me of FF7 and the spirits within. Anyone agree? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malaki-LEGEND.sys Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 I guess the real experience is watching it in 3D, 'cause I'm not sure what's supposed to be groundbreaking about it. It was pretty good-looking and yeah, it was basically Dances with Wolves mixed with Ferngully with a futuristic spin on it, but I still don't see why people and the media are going nuts over it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Polo Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 Hmm. I must admit I never was really too excited about seeing this, but now I dunno; reading some of these reviews/testimonials (cough*Kroze*cough) have made me reconsider... This visual awesomeness sounds verrrrry intriguing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jabberbox Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 Speaking of this film, (spoilers! hilight to view) Did anyone think the part where Jake stabbed the big bayonet through the canopy of Colonel Quaritch's mech looked kinda similar to the animation used in The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, when Link stabbed Ganondorf in the forehead with the master sword? Because to me, it looked almost exactly the same as far as the way it was coreographed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poke'G Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 I guess the real experience is watching it in 3D, 'cause I'm not sure what's supposed to be groundbreaking about it. It was pretty good-looking and yeah, it was basically Dances with Wolves mixed with Ferngully with a futuristic spin on it, but I still don't see why people and the media are going nuts over it. I'm really glad to see this discrepancy; it sounds like Avatar has achieved the impact for highlighting 3D that Cameron was going for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jabberbox Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 I'm really glad to see this discrepancy; it sounds like Avatar has achieved the impact for highlighting 3D that Cameron was going for. yeah, I was pretty underwhelmed by the graphics in 2D... everything was too smooth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LuketheXjesse Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 I saw this movie today. It was awesome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toadofsky Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 I really, really wanted to see this in 3D. But the last movie I saw in 3D, UP, started to give me a headache, so I went 2D on this one, not to mention, that my brother-in-law who went with me, would have probably gotten a little nausiated by it. Potential Spoilers, AVERT YOUR EYES IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN IT!!!! Speaking of the film, I have to admit, it was just so, jarring, watching Sigourney Weaver as a Naavi, or the main guy as one, but as it went on, I got used to it, and enjoyed it. Not to mention just how realistic it was, Cameron has definitely raised the bar for special effects. The way the faces were animated especially made it all the better. The scenery was absolutely stunning. So much of it really felt real. Those floating mountains were especially beautiful. I have to admit, although this was familiar ground in terms of story, it was still very enjoyable. Someone mentioned some of the cheesy lines, and I agree, some of Cameron's films have had them, after all, who could forget "Game Over Man! Game Over!" from Aliens, or countless others like from Terminator? Speaking of Aliens, I felt like I was watching some of it, especially with some of the military weaponry, and the way that Michelle Rodriguez played that soldier reminded me of Vasquez from Aliens (the tough military chick). END SPOILERS I guess I'll have to take one of my friends to go see it in 3D this week, from the comments, it sounds like it's worth it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prophetik music Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 fyi toad, you can turn the spoiler text to white so that people can't see it unless they highlight it. that'll prevent people from seeing what they don't want to see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JH Sounds Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 fyi toad, you can turn the spoiler text to white so that people can't see it unless they highlight it. that'll prevent people from seeing what they don't want to see. Yeah, but what if the background isn't white? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LuketheXjesse Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 the way that Michelle Rodriguez played that soldier reminded me of Vasquez from Aliens (the tough military chick). man that was hot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prophetik music Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 i will watch any movie with michelle rodriguez in it, regardless of how bad the movie is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BardicKnowledge Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 i will watch any movie with michelle rodriguez in it, regardless of how bad the movie is. Oh really? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoffrey Taucer Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 Just got back from seeing it in 3d. Takes awhile to get used to, but once you're used to the 3d.... holy fucking shit. It's beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strike911 Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 No spoilers here... The story wasn't as original as I was hoping for. I've seen similar variations of the fundamental story in other pieces of science fiction. I still enjoyed it A LOT though! The visuals and art style were amazing. The 3D visuals were like nothing I had ever seen on screen before. And some of the creatures really reminded me of creature art back in the old Phantasy Star Online days. I had a blast with this movie, and the world really did seem alive. I was skeptical about the hype that the world would draw its viewers in, but it really did. I loved this movie. The characters were really memorable, and... hell, there are guys piloting robots. Come on. What's not to love? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prophetik music Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 Oh really? i even saw that horrible surfing movie she was in. movie was bad. she was good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Mage Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 Just got back from the theater...holy mother of baby zombie Jesus! As previously stated, not the most original plot, but still loved it. Kinda like FernGully, but with mechs and aliens (define who the aliens are how you will). This was my first 3D movie and I gotta say I was impressed. I've watched stuff on YouTube using those stupid-ass red/blue glasses and always hated it, so I was happy to see they give you a pair of plastic (not paper) glasses with the diffraction grating. It took a minutes to get my eyes used to it, though. Especially when you try and focus on something in the foreground and you can't. So I guess I had a tiny learning curve to just focus on what the camera focuses on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prophetik music Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 i just went and saw it again in 3D with my wife. we both were still just as awestruck as i was the first time. awesome movie. just awesome. the scene by the water with all the ikran flying off the cliff...just breathtaking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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