Avatar (the James Cameron fim, not the "last airbender")

Glitch

Glitch

New Member
So I saw this movie on imax 3d last night...
ummm....
before i share my thoughts about it, Has anyone else seen the film. any thoughts?
 
If the movie is decent or better, then whoever put together the trailers should be fired immediately, rehired, then fired again.

The trailers make the movie look like more anti-military, pro-ecoterrorist, Pagan/nature worship, Hollywood schlock. You know--Ferngully but not animated by Don Bluth, with a $200 million (or whatever it was) budget, and not aimed at indoctrinating 8-year olds with thinly veiled propaganda.

Exhibit A.

Exhibit B.

I paid money to see Star Wars Episode III (a great example of a film with a lousy script but fantastic special effects), knowing full well the story would be trash--but Episode III had lightsaber duels. Unless those blue-skinned humanoid "aliens" (why are they always humanoid?) start fencing with Glowing Mother Nature Energy Sticks(TM), I think I may just wait until this one hits Redbox, rent it for a buck, then just watch for the eye candy.

</rant>
 
I can't remember if it was Michael Savage or Andy Levintz that pointed this out when I was working one night listening to the radio. Whichever it was they did a real good job tearing this movie apart and showing it for what it really is... An Inconvient Truth: For us stupid folk with big guns....However I still like big guns so I will probably rent it or see it at the drive in for $2's LOL.
 
There's no denying that the political messages are indeed heavy handed, that said though, I think I'd have to say that it was still a pretty good film, and certainly a spectacle.

I can't really decide what to think of it overall, I enjoyed it, but it also made me mad. I have never experienced this phenomenon of "white guilt" and I really dislike having entertainment media try to foist it upon me.
 
I really enjoyed it. I didn't mind the whole enviromentalist crap because unlike 99% of the rest of the movies that use it, it makes sense given the setting. And again, unlike the others that have come out, this is an actual 'hard' SF movie. Most things follow logically -I say most, because it isn't perfect or even close, but it has come a ton closer in regards to plot holes than the vast majority of the movies released lately.

In fact, I contend that the whole environmentalist issue could have been averted if the main character had said 'but we didn't know this planet was different' instead of 'we destroyed our mother'. One sentence changed is all it would have taken.

Really, the whole 'white guilt trip' got to me worse. Mostly because it is so blatant. Seriously, most movies would normally be sued into the ground for not letting anyone of non-Caucasian heritage play a large roll. And that's the very reason I noticed it. Hollywood has so ingrained the equal rights for everyone that having a politically correct cast is default, so not having it was diiing red flag...
 
see.... i decided before the movie that i wasnt going to pick apart the movie for the new age, for any poltical views and honestly... i thoroughly enjoyed myself and in reflection, the things that could be picked apart, really werent anything big.

new age - wasnt anything worse than any final fantasy game
political - not really an issue unless your being a scrooge
enviro - the storyline had enough justification that it didt matter
 
I tremendously liked the movie. I love the characters, and the images are absolutely breathtaking. The story, granted, has a lot of fantasy influenced elements in it; but so do the games we play. The movie, in my opinion, is just spectacular, and I admire the director's creativity in making such vibrant and interactive environments as well as the adventurous aspect of those environments and how the characters live in them.
 
I enjoyed the movie tremendously. Saw it in 3D and it was near perfect. The 3D was subtle yet noticeable. Its not one of those movies that try and always get the crowd jumping with yo-yos flying into the audience, but rather use the 3D to enhance the graphics, which I thought was done excellently. For the political agenda, its obvious it has environmentalist/anti-war themes. Look at the names: Unobtainum.. Pandora.. it was kinda funny when I first heard it. However even with all the agendas, it was still a great movie and was perfect for Pandora (the world) not necessarily relating to Earth. Just like reading a book, if you're looking for entertainment, get an entertainment book, if you're looking for something meaningful then go out and get Invisible Man or something. Its easy to take meaning from Avatar, and you should in my opinion, yet if you can look past that its a fantastic movie.. albeit long ;)
 
Atown said:
see.... i decided before the movie that i wasnt going to pick apart the movie for the new age, for any poltical views and honestly... i thoroughly enjoyed myself and in reflection, the things that could be picked apart, really werent anything big.

new age - wasnt anything worse than any final fantasy game
political - not really an issue unless your being a scrooge
enviro - the storyline had enough justification that it didt matter
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you said it just as I would, but probably better diction.
Everything Atown said applies to me (we think alike buddy :D )

My extra sense...
Visually stunning (everyone already said that), really enjoyable epic action film (my favorite), and all around entertainning storyline.

Now, personally, I really enjoyed one of the messages which the movie portrayed. District 9 and Avatar both did this... I really enjoy how these two movies took a sci-fi "futuristic" look at past historical events. District 9 illustrating apartied in South Africa. Avatar illustrating native american extermination.
I liked the message, but I'm not saying that we should feel all guilty about it. I just liked it 'cause it illustrated history in sci-fi. I think that is interesting.

I really enjoyed the film, but for those who get too wrapped up political messages in films, just don't go to this.

EDIT: If you look really hard, you can find dumb messages, but if you look really hard into The Passion of the Christ you can find a message of "antisemitism towards bigoted jews" . or if you watch Brave Heart one will find messages of the evil English oppression and of fighting the government.
Does that make sense? I'm just saying if you look too close at anything, one will find some kind of message. Thus is the practice of Reductio absurdum (which is not always the correct thing to do
 
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This post is rated M for mature and S for spoilers :(

Overall I liked it, but I chew out virtually every movie I see.

The florescence were overdone a bit toward the end. When he was first in the forest alone it was pitch black then someone suddenly remembered to flip on the light switch... Contrast between light and dark > ZOMG TONS OF LIGHTS!

The only thing IMO that is annoying is the scenes where they chant/dance. Seriously it looked like they were humping the ground... If they had kept it more of the "way of life" instead of chanting then it would have been less annoying. If it had only been one time then it might have flied, but it was too often imo.

Also they tossed aside good characters. The helicopter pilot could have kamikazed into one of the vehicles for a much more dramatic battle. The other navi-humans were practically useless. ZOMG mother nature saved us!!!1!one
 
Glitch said:
EDIT: If you look really hard, you can find dumb messages, but if you look really hard into The Passion of the Christ you can find a message of "antisemitism towards bigoted jews" . or if you watch Brave Heart one will find messages of the evil English oppression and of fighting the government.
Does that make sense? I'm just saying if you look too close at anything, one will find some kind of message. Thus is the practice of Reductio absurdum (which is not always the correct thing to do
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The problem with Avatar is that you needn't try at all to see the political message, you simply need to sit back and let it repeatedly bash you over the head with it.

Still, purely as a movie it is very good, and I certainly enjoyed it - enough to see it a second time, something I haven't done in years - I just wish they would have shown more moderation in the political undertones.
 
shadetaker said:
The problem with Avatar is that you needn't try at all to see the political message, you simply need to sit back and let it repeatedly bash you over the head with it.

Still, purely as a movie it is very good, and I certainly enjoyed it - enough to see it a second time, something I haven't done in years - I just wish they would have shown more moderation in the political undertones.
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Agree, what I would add is that it didn't merely have one message, they fit many messages in.

1)Anti-Colonialism/America
2)Ancestral worship
3)Spiritism
4)Environmentalism
5)Anti-corporation(which incidentally I agree with wholeheartedly)
6)Pantheism

And somehow they managed to hit all these very hard. Still, great movie if you can get past this stuff, to their credit they "fit it in" without it seeming heavy as far as the plot went. These messages worked within the story because the story was about them.

As Christians, we are so used to tolerating this kind of stuff. What I wouldn't give to be able to see movies of this quality without the messages, this goes for games too.
 
I saw the movie in 3D and it is quite possibly the most visually amazing movie ever created. The landscape is truly awe inspiring and worth the money to go and see and absorb and experience in 3D.
 
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