Avatar – in 3D
Avatar
Directed by: James Cameron
Cast: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana, Stephen Lang, Giovanni Ribisi
Running Time: 2 hrs 30 mins
Rating: PG-13
Release Date: December 18, 2009
Click Here to read … The Many Questions of ‘Avatar’
PLOT: In 2154, A marine (Worthington) who is now a paraplegic, goes to the distant planet of Pandora. It’s inhabited by the Na’vi, a humanoid race with their own language and culture. The marine and scientists must gain their trust, otherwise it could mean war.
WHO’S IT FOR? Teenage boys, and those who love where 3D technology is going. This isn’t a film for old folks.
EXPECTATIONS: I knew a little, and only saw a little of the previews heading into this film. Expectations are an odd thing here because I’ve been told this should be jaw-dropping and a huge advancement on 3D technology. So if it doesn’t accomplish that goal, is it a failure no matter what?
SCORECARD (0-10)
ACTORS:
Sam Worthington as Jake Sully: It’s good we don’t know Worthington extremely well, because it allows us to see him as the avatar. His desire to walk again is the only interesting thing this character has going for him, but that’s just a blip on this movie’s radar. At some point, suddenly I can’t think of him as Worthington and he’s channeled his inner Mel Gibson. This takes place even before the Braveheart speech.
Score: 5
Sigourney Weaver as Grace: Grace is the head scientist, who has attempted to get in the good graces of the Na’vi. A while ago she attempted to teach them English and more. Her motivations seem to be strictly compassionate and for research, which is odd that she doesn’t see the other human’s true reason for being there. Her avatar is just creepy looking. It’s unsettling to see Weaver depicted as a Na’vi because of how familiar she is to us.
Score: 3
Zoe Saldana as Neytiri: As my friend Eric says, they all kind of look like monkey cats. Neytiri is the tough princess who has already been told she’s set to marry another. Yup, you can see where this is going. Perhaps it wasn’t a good idea to have Neytiri show Jakesully (what they call him) the ways of the Na’vi.
Score: 4
Stephen Lang as Colonel Miles Quaritch: Cliche. Over the top. And it’s hard to kill him. I wish it wasn’t.
Score: 3
Giovanni Ribisi as Parker Selfridge: He’s a business man after unobtainium who couldn’t possibly understand the Na’vi have anything to offer. It’s another one-dimensional character.
Score: 3
Michelle Rodriguez as Trudy Chacon: As a pilot, at one point Trudy says, “I didn’t sign up for this.” Really? Are you sure, because it’s odd that everyone else seemed to sign up for this, but you didn’t. I guess suddenly a little tribal war paint makes you understand everything.
Score: 4
TALKING: By the book. There really isn’t one surprise in the story. Cameron tries to throw in some timely events like the economy being poor (Jake can’t fix his spine on a military salary). The Na’vi have an interesting way of communicating with all living things by attaching their tentacles. There just isn’t anything interesting about what is actually being said.
Score: 3
SIGHTS: Glorious. It’s one of the best looking, most overly dynamic films I have ever seen. Once we enter the Na’vi world, it’s like a Jurassic Park adventure with more guns … and dragons. It’s a great looking alien world. There is one fault, which is the 3D feels uncomfortable in the live action form, but we’re rarely there.
Score: 9
SOUNDS: It’s a poor-man’s Jurassic Park. I’ll stop with those Park comparisons now. Some of the notes get a little repetitive, but it’s big and swoons when needed.
Score: 6
PLOT SPOILERS
BEST SCENE: Because there is some actual joy attached to it, when Jake finally gets his into his avatar Na’vi body, he goes for a run. Something that couldn’t be done in his human condition.
ENDING: The final fight will remind you of Aliens, and thanks to a special tree, it’s very predictable where this tale ends.
QUESTIONS: So many. In fact, here’s a full article on the questions.
REWATCHABILITY: It’s 2.5 hours long, and that’s just too much for this film. Plus, I don’t know how interesting the Na’vi world will be without 3D. I’m one and done on this one.
OVERALL
There are more reasons to skip Avatar than to see it. But seeing it is the thing. It’s great looking.
This movie feels exactly like watching your friend play the new exciting video game. At first you love it. You’re excited to learn what weapons he’ll have, what the levels will look like. Eventually, you get a little bored, and wish you would have gotten to make some of the decisions. The film is far too long since they don’t make the case for us to care about any of these characters, and there isn’t one interesting twist. Never have I been so visually impressed and thematically disappointed.
See this in 3D or don’t see it in the theater at all.
FINAL SCORE: 7/10
Last 5 posts by Jeff Bayer
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20 Comments
Maybe some people should take a step backwards , I was not able to see it in 3D and I have not ever been in to SCI FI . Take both of these aspects and look at Avatar for what is . It is just a simple story with American hype to back it up . The special effects are undoubtedly superb but even so unless you can bury yourself in fantasy (like so many SCI Fi addicts do), Avatar is just plain boring, as frankly it did not do anything but highlight what can be achieved with CGI and what America does best with the ability to sell hype . UNOBTAINIUM .. that is just having a laugh on the general public .. GIVE ME A REST.
Great even handed review. I felt the exact same way. My wife and I both liked the film a great deal but being gamers both, it was agreed that the film was stepping into gaming territory with themes and designs explored many times already; and even felt like an extended, non-interactive video game or MMORPG: Warcraft Night Elves protecting their forest and their world tree. Tabula Rasa-similar environs and creature designs. Some Warhammer 40k etc… Had it been released in 2005 it would have blown everyone away; but at this date, it’s merely “fantasic visual movie-making” with a very banal plot that should have had far more to it. Plot aside, the only thing keeping this from being a sci-fi (at least visually) classic is lack of a perpetual antagonist (rather than a hard-to-kill) throwaway bad-guy. Wile the message is good, it’s only really worth watching for the visual treat.
Just got back from seeing it. Visually stunning, as I expected. BUT – if you spend a quarter of a billion dollars making a movie aren’t we entitled to more that cardboard cut-out characterization? I mean, thant marine commander is straight out of a comic book and as for calling a new mineral ”Unobtainium” … unbelievium. It was an endless parade of impressive visual trickery but scratch below the veneer of the wizardry and you’ll find, well nothing really. Cameron’s apologism for American foreign policy is palpable and I swear at one point I heard strains of the theme from Titanic! Someone should send James Horner to another planet and soon. Hollywood cinema has become a competition to provide the movie with the most special effects and to hell with a good script. Doesn’t anyone think it should be the other way around?
Fair review. It did feel too much like a video game without any depth and as for the 3D…well there is a reason that 3D went away decades ago. It was cheesy quality then and it still is. All that said, I still say it was entertaining. It seems kind of ironic to me that this modern day version of the classic struggle between technology and advancement vs. nature and tradition comes down clearly on the side of nature in its plot, but relies on the latest computer animation technology to sell and make the film.
I agree with this review for the most part, but I think I liked it a bit more. I thought Sam Worthington was a better actor than this guy gives him credit for, but yeah, Sigourney Weaver should be embarassed and all the characters were fairly one-dimensional.
So much dialogue was immature, cheesy and just plain bad. He pretty much gave the speech from Braveheart short of talking about ‘freedom’. Lots of cliches, but it was still amazing and great to look at.
Anyway, go see it in IMAX 3D if you can because it will blow you away. GREAT spectacle, but the story is the definition of derivative and in no way original.
this movie is great.. but its ultimately for teenagers, CG effects are good but not super-fluid and the story line – hahaha.. reminds me of Dances with the Wolves or Pocahontas, in other words theres no originality at all in the plot, dialog etc, on any levels. Life on Pandora is just like on Earth, which is not very believable, and in general alien live forms lack originality, more like mammals and dinos living side by side . But anyway, i still liked the movie, as a guy i like good firepower and butt-kicking.
I thought this review was ludicrous. You obviously have no appreciation for the hard work that was put into this spectacular film. It was a 10/10. Here are my reasons: 1. If you had an imagination you would appreciate the story. 2. Finding similarities from “video games” is ridiculous, there are hardly any “new” ideas in this world and the fact that this movie is juggling many,many story lines for the fact that one of them to be similair to something should not have caught you off guard. 3. This movie was imagined about 15 years ago LONG before stupid VIDEO GAMES. Although, because the movie was not FINISHED,COPYRIGHTED,DONE yet it seems as though James Cameron was copying and getting ideas from all thease video games but he wasnt. It had all been done up in his mind. 4. This movie might not be “REALISTIC” but it is a SCI-FI movie what the hell did you expect????? It is an amazing new,believable world that can capture audiences and maybe 2 hours and 45 minutes was TOOOO LOOONNGGG for your childish ways. It is in ONE way like Pocahontas or Dancing with wolves, but to say that it is EXACTLY or STOLEN from those movies is AN OUTRAGE!!!! Since when the hell was there a friggin home tree in pocahantas. It was not stolen Pocahontas is about Jon Smith who we know is true. It is his imagination and if it resembles history well, so help me god!!! AND tomaete it is NOT JUST LIKE LIFE ON EARTH. How many bi-luminescent forests have you strolled amongst??!!?!?! And OH NO!!! there are animals!!! well we cannot have that,now can we?? You people are a joke go watch friggin “NEW MOON”
Read my comment below. It is original just thought if you might read it you would see my reasons.
Let me hear you say fire it up “fire it up”
Say fire it up “fire it up”
Sorry Alisha, just figured that Busta Rhymes song went so well with your rant. By the way, I love long movies (Inglourious Basterds). I love Sci-Fi. And while you think it’s brilliant to give all the animals in this world six legs, I just wanted some twist or turn that wasn’t telegraphed 30 mins prior. And because I didn’t get it, it got a little boring. Still pretty, but boring. Again … I like the film! And this is the best part of your argument … somehow you think because I liked (but didn’t love Avatar) then that means I love New Moon? I’m glad your passion bucket is full for Avatar, but I made my case, and nothing you just ranted about changed my mind.
It didn’t have to. Did you even read my “rant” and yes i still think new moon is more suited to your vile taste
have a nice day.
Yes, I read it. Here’s three thoughts for you …
1. Everyone works hard.
2. Video games have been around a little bit longer than 15 years… I’m starting to suspect you haven’t though. And for the record …
3. New Moon 5/10. Avatar 7/10.
go home and enjoy your visual effects every day…..
I hate a movie without any deep meaning,
and such crazy fans
i know how long video games have been around. but they were video games like pac man. and Im so sure pac man was a big inspiration. Halo, whatever the hell else was not.
Oh but it does have a deep meaning. you kinda need intelligence to see it though. soo….. get my point??
Alright then, i am NOT obsessed with avatar i just feel that all his hard work has not been seen by some people. Ok i don’t wan’t an argument but its too late so whatever, this just isn’t enough appreciation for this film in my eyes. obviously you are a very fair, good movie critic and i’m sure that i might be 10 years younger than you. (if you were 20 that is not my real age then) but i did appreciate this movie and just i really do think what you said about Trudy was completely not true. She signed up for killing the navi people just like she would have if she were in Iraq, Afghanistan or Iran. But she did not sign up for mass destruction of something that is the only place the people have to go. And especially killing the luminescent tree of souls who would want to do that? its something sacred and special to the navi people. And just as i think while im writing this if that does not sound super cool or something then what does you know? maybe i was ‘fired up’ maybe at some other comments not just your review so im sorry. but i still stick to the fact that i think this movie deserves a little more credit.
I really liked the visual effects, and I honestly can’t wait for the attraction that is sure to follow in some theme park, but honestly, the story was TERRIBLE. I was bored to the extreme, except when all the ridiculous plots (like the dinosaur hipogryph, and the chanting around the “magic tree”) kiched in and I laughed to tears.
Honestly, great effects, really bad story.
well done mate, you said it all, bloody hell the cinema is about letting yourself go and having some imagination. if those guys cant respect camerons attempt to give them a 3 hour release from the real world ( which is much needed) then for gods sake stay at home.
by the way i was replying to AvatarFanandyeahimPissed
@kuroki: I think you should see the movie for yourself instead of listening to the hype OR critics demeaning the script. I have watched cringe-worthy cinema, the entire script of Transformers 2 was absolutely terrible and juvenile with jokes about balls and humping legs like every 10 seconds. Avatar had no such moments, the lines that weren’t friggin’ Shakespearean-quality were at least acted out well enough so that you weren’t like “really?”. If your choice is to stay home and watch reruns of the Office or go to the movies and see a movie that had a lot of effort put into it for once, there is a clear choice. Avatar was a great movie. It’s good to be cynical, but only to prevent yourself from having wasted money or time. As for the critic whose page I am commenting on, your review is like 80% negative, but you give the movie a 7/10. For this reason, I think you are a very poor critic indeed, because your reviews do not reflect what you truly think of the movie. You wrote a negative review to get readership.
I just returned from seeing Avatar in 3D and although I am close to Sigorney Weaver’s age, I was blown away by this film. You’re right, the story was a bit cheezy, but the images were stunning and carried me into another world. Loved it!