Last night I went to see Avatar. I purposely prevented myself from seeing any previews or reviews so I could draw my own conclusion on this movie. We choose to see the IMAX 3D version. The theater was quite crowded, but we were able to secure front-row seating of the main part of the theater.
If you have not seen an IMAX movie before, it’s nice to not have previews or commercials and the movie starts on time.
The movie required us to wear extremely uncomfortable glasses that left an indent in our nose for almost a day. This will be the last 3D movie I watch, specifically because of the quality of the glasses and the uncomfortable experience. My eyes started watering almost immediately because of the material the lenses are made of (a very cheap plastic material). In IMAX, it was impossible to see the whole screen with the glasses on and only the part of the screen in front of us was in 3D. The region outside the area was blurry and impossible to see. I give the movie kudos for not stooping to the cheesy 3D tricks (except in two scenes).
It was about 15 minutes into the movie that I realized this story appears to be familiar. My first observation was the re-worked mechs from the movie Aliens (another Cameron movie). The minute I saw that, I started comparing everything I saw to Cameron’s other movies I saw. This was disappointing because I could never get to the point where I just sat back and let the movie happen. I was anticipating what would happen next. The movie was the most predictable movie I have ever seen. I knew what would happen in every scene.
The movie story line, while unique in its setting was just a retelling of several stories as well as smacking the viewer in the face with anti-mercenary and anti-war (specifically IRAQ) messages. The destruction of the “HOME TREE” was a representation of every deforestation battle played out in the news.
Anyone who thinks this story is unique or groundbreaking has not seen “Dances with Wolves”, “Enemy Mine” or “At Play in the Fields of Lords”. I can not believe that this movie won a Golden Globe for Best Drama. It shows that the foreign press doesn’t have a clue. Several other film’s previews were better than this movie.
I found several parts of this movie enjoyable, but I kept getting frustrated with knowing what was going to happened. The effects are amazing and the beauty of the world sucks you in. So, I am torn between giving this movie a D (and ask for your money back) and a B-. It’s definitely worth seeing, but I would avoid the 3D-IMAX. I am not sure I will pay again to see it as a regular IMAX or a 3D standard screen.
The critics were slamming Sigourney Weaver for smoking in just about every scene. It’s quite clear that Cameron was showing an homage to Ellen Ripley. The bad-ass version of her from the second+ movies. Even the air-fighter pilot was a similar character from the second movie. There were several parts of the movie that I was remembering quotes from Aliens:
When the Na’vi attack the aircraft: “They’re coming outta the walls. They’re coming outta the goddamn walls. Let’s book!”
When the Na’vi Avatar starts shooting the weapon: “Remember: short, controlled bursts.”
When they pull the plug on the Avatar tanks: “That’s it man, game over man, game over! What the fuck are we gonna do now? What are we gonna do?”
When Jake is about to take a hit and Neytiri attacks: “Get away from her, you *bitch!*”
What’s really sad is I remembered these quotes while I was watching the wrong movie 😉
So, go see this movie, don’t pay full price and think seriously about wanting to see it in IMAX-3D, you might enjoy it better in another format. Don’t expect an original story, but be prepared to be blown away by the effect and landscape.