Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Avatar in 3-D


We just got home from seeing James Cameron's Avatar movie with a "freshness" rating from Rotten Tomatoes of 82% (meaning most of the reviewers liked it). (The link takes you to all the reviews at the site.)

Briefly stated, I loved it. The 3-D is so much better than any I've ever seen before, and I soon forgot I was watching anything other than real life. Of course, the world of Pandora, a planet far, far away in Alpha Centauri, is so beautiful and exquisite that anybody would love to be there rather than here.

My favorite review of the movie comes from the New York Times, Manolha Dargis, because the reviewer agrees with me that we were both transported into a new world that really seems to exist, if only on the screen. There are all the parts of a hero's journey that Joseph Campbell spoke of, along with a love story between species, and a world that can exist in peace and harmony with all its inhabitants, if you have the right mindset. The hero, Jake Sully, is a marine who has become a paraplegic and is set free when he inhabits his "avatar" body which looks like the natives who live on Pandora. Dargis echoes my sentiments here:
If the story of a paradise found and potentially lost feels resonant, it’s because “Avatar” is as much about our Earth as the universe that Mr. Cameron has invented. But the movie’s truer meaning is in the audacity of its filmmaking. Few films return us to the lost world of our first cinematic experiences, to that magical moment when movies really were bigger than life, if only because we were children. . . What’s often missing is awe, something Mr. Cameron has, after an absence from Hollywood, returned to the screen with a vengeance. He hasn’t changed cinema, but with blue people and pink blooms he has confirmed its wonder. 
 I think the movie would  be good even in 2-D, but I absolutely loved it, and now I'm thinking about going to see it again before it leaves the area. Now that I know the ending, I think I can relax a little bit more into the story line.
:-)

14 comments:

  1. Hmm I just commented on that film on the other blog that I follow, and I think it is kind of a good movie. Maybe I go see the movie. If you enjoyed it then maybe I will!

    AL

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  2. I have heard nothing but good things about this film!

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  3. I might have to fork out the dough for this one. I've only seen a 3-D once and it was awesome! Thanks for the review.

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  4. I have heard that not all theaters can show 3D..which probably is the case here in the boonies. I am glad you enjoyed it:)

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  5. What a great review! I'm so glad you liked it as much as we did. My husband said he was exhausted by the end of the movie. I am in total agreement with it returning us to the awe of our childhood. As for the message - could it be more timely?

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  6. We saw it in 2D and it was still beautiful. I, however, must be the curmudgeon here. I could have left after the first two-thirds of the movie. I felt it just fell apart at the end. We always have to have our "shoot-em-ups" and violence or no one will like it. I realize this was a fantasy movie, but it still stretched the credibility too much for me at the end. I was insulted by the ending. The only thing missing was a flaming car crash...

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  7. Yes, Norma Jean, there was a LOT of shoot-em-up violence in the struggle between the humans and the indigenous people. But I must be inured to the violence; it didn't seem relevant in the review except that it portrays a mindset that exists as surely as my own different one. If I had any criticism of the movie, it is that the bad guys were very one-dimensional, with no redeeming qualities.

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  8. You are one movie going lady lately! We don't often go to the movies, but perhaps this one is worth checking out. I typically wait until they come out on video, but I'm sure this one packs a real punch in the theater.
    My sister recently went to see 'The Blind Side.' She said it was amazing, and it made her want to go out and help people more. I wonder what you would think of this one...I'm being cheap and waiting until it hits the dollar theater.

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  9. How ironic..we are going to see it in about an hour....my hubby was in the shower so I went online to read a few blogposts before leaving to go...Everybody I know that has gone to it has loved it so far....
    We went to the Christmas Carol in 3-D and the effects were stunning, so I am sure this will be magnificent. Thanks for the movie review, it couldn't have been more timely!

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  10. Wow! Thanks for reviewing this. It's not something I would have spent money on, but now we will!

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  11. I am a fan of most anything James Cameron does and I'm sure Avatar is well worth seeing. I haven't had a chance to see it yet but I will before it leaves the area. Great review DJan.

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  12. Did you have to wear 3d glasses? This sounds like something my husband and I would love to go see!!

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  13. The political message and all of the fighting (not to mention the obligatory and one-dimensional Hollywood style of presenting those things) was quite tedious, especially on the second viewing, but I'm a sucker for this kind of love story (until the 4th or 5th viewing, that is; I now wish Titanic contained only the ship scenes without any of the love story).

    I saw Avatar twice, though, because of the unbelievable visual impact. (I saw it in 3D both times.) The second time allowed me to focus more on details. I found those flying creatures [that they ride] to be totally convincing. I could have done without the floating mountains, which pulled me out of the movie a little (by making it harder to keep my disbelief suspended).

    I would like to see it once more -- perhaps in IMAX 3D this time -- before it leaves the theaters. It definitely returned me to the awe of my childhood, and that is such a rare thing for us old people.

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  14. I simply adored this! But so much of the love lies in the magic of Pandora, I'm worried how it will play on dvd... the story and characters are pretty basic after all...

    I went to see this on Christmas Day and then on New Year's Day! First with my dad here in Alicante in Spanish. Second time with friends in Barcelona, including a girl who worked on some of the special effects! Was even more mesmerising the second time! I'd go see it again if it were playing in English here in Alicante, but once I've seen a movie in VO, I don't go back to watching a dubbed version...

    My take on Avatar:
    http://crazycrishereandthere.blogspot.com/2010/01/monthly-movies-december09.html

    From what I've seen while browsing through your files, we seem to have a similarly good taste in movies! ;o)

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