Avatar

[Han Shot First]

Godawful story, but visually it can't be beat.

[Guy Kilmore]

I thought the movie was fairly incredible. Not groundbreaking in the story department and possessing a few cliches, but damn it if it didn't make me feel something.

Visually it is indescribable, and I didn't even see it in 3D. I can totally see how Roger Ebert compared it with the first time he saw Star Wars.

I simply for the life of me can't see how you can leave the theater after seeing Avatar and not feel like you just had an amazing time.

My thoughts exactly, oh and you really must see it again in 3d.

[Angeleyes]

As a young gun who isn't quite as well versed in movie lore as all of you, or certainly not nearly as critical, I couldn't help but love every moment.

The plot was fairly predictable from the beginning, but what plot isn't? The movie IMO did a great job of taking most of the cliches and covering them up with epic visuals or great bad-assery.

Topic Cases being:

Spoiler

1. When the giant Pallet of Bombs is wheeled to the lip of the gunship... but luckily falls back into the the cargo bay. Turned awesome by: Crunching a soldier between another pallet of bombs.

2. Tribal peoples defeating technologically superior foe through 'Knowledge of the Terrain'. Made Epic When: You finally see the scale of the Flying Beasts compared to the airships and realize that oh yeah, the Na'Vi are 10 foot tall monsters, their mounts must be HUGE.

I still really enjoyed it, and even recommend it as a mild date movie. Certainly had quite a few touching star crossed lover scenes, even though the entire love story is at best overdone.

Final review: R+L = J P+SS=A *

Pocahontas + Small Soldiers = Avatar

[Shaun Snow]

I liked it well enough. Its quite predictable and the characters and pretty much cliches, but what it does it does well.

There are some facepalm inducing things though, like the complete lack of advanced military tactics displayed by the former marine main character in the battles. Seriously, Magua knew better back in the 1700s.

On the plus side it demonstrates once again what a boon having an actual competant bad guy is. The Colonel was pretty bad-ass. This was especially nice in the, albiet not immediate, aftermath of the latest Wheel of Time book.

Also, its beautiful to look at. Very beautiful.

[Xalinor]

I liked Sam Worthington in the lead role.

[Whiskeyjack]

I thought the movie was fairly incredible. Not groundbreaking in the story department and possessing a few cliches, but damn it if it didn't make me feel something.

Visually it is indescribable, and I didn't even see it in 3D. I can totally see how Roger Ebert compared it with the first time he saw Star Wars.

I simply for the life of me can't see how you can leave the theater after seeing Avatar and not feel like you just had an amazing time.

Completely agree.

Awesome movie. Absolutely beautiful, and I also enjoyed the story.

[Ser_not_appearing_yet]

I thought the story was a pile of cliched rubbish myself. Average acting. Pretty visuals, but i'm rarely interested in that department. Besides, I miss muppets.

[Biter]

I thought the movie was fairly incredible. Not groundbreaking in the story department and possessing a few cliches, but damn it if it didn't make me feel something.

Visually it is indescribable, and I didn't even see it in 3D. I can totally see how Roger Ebert compared it with the first time he saw Star Wars.

I simply for the life of me can't see how you can leave the theater after seeing Avatar and not feel like you just had an amazing time.

Ditto. I though it was a great experience to watch it at the cinema.

[darum]

I liked Sam Worthington in the lead role.

I heard he still has problems with keeping an american accent during the movie. That was a MAJOR turnoff while watching terminator. I am fairly surprised that people still actually cast him in these major roles considering this. Are there really no competent actors around that directors have to resort using him? =/

[Maltaran]

I thought the plot was mediocre, but that's not really the point of the film, is it? The reason to go is because of the visuals, which are stunning, incredible, and various other superlatives.

[Antonius Pius]

From everything I have read, the message of Avatar is a rant against unchecked consumption

It seems to me that to spend several hundred million dollars on a movie to give a warning against unchecked consumption is a wee bit hypocritical.

[Ser Scot A Ellison]

Saw it. Really liked it. However, a biological nitpick, every lifeform but the Na'Vi had six appendages. Why are the Na'Vi, so much a part of the environment, so different?

[Max the Mostly Mediocre]

As a movie it's pretty good. As Tsavong said, damned if it didn't make me feel. As an effects-laden spectacle, it's fucking great. Go see it in IMAX.

[Liffguard]

Saw it. Really liked it. However, a biological nitpick, every lifeform but the Na'Vi had six appendages. Why are the Na'Vi, so much a part of the environment, so different?

[geek hat on]The Na'vi evolved from a common ancestor with the monkey-like creatures we see early on, who rather than having six distinct limbs instead have a single fore-limb that splits at the elbow into two. As the Na'vi evolved, one of the extra limbs rejoined with the other, remaining as a vestigial internal structure. [/geek hat off]

[polishgenius]

I thought it was poor. Stunning visuals (I went for the 2D because of dodgy eyesight and not wanting to sit through three hours of blur if it didn't work for me like with Coraline) but after a decent first third the story was pathetic. I literaly facepalmed when the

forest friends turned up to save the day. But the whole Na'vi battle plan was so stupid that the planet should have just gone 'fuck it, these people are so retarded they deserve to die'.

[elmis]

I liked it. It's a pretty movie, no really big twists and turns, but it didn't need it. The good old story works wonders when it's told in a good way.

However if there is a follow up movie, I hope it is:

Avatar 2: Return of the Sky People

This time they nuke the Na'vi from orbit.

[Mentat]

I thought it was poor. Stunning visuals (I went for the 2D because of dodgy eyesight and not wanting to sit through three hours of blur if it didn't work for me like with Coraline) but after a decent first third the story was pathetic.

I agree. It was the first movie I've seen in 3D, and it was a cool experience, but the story was godawful. The CGI was extremely gratuituos. The floating mountains with cascades of endless water are a perfect example (there was no purpose for them being floating except to boast CGI, they could have been normal mountains and nothing would have changed). The characters were extremely mediocre, and just seeing Sigourney Weaver and that Vasquez wannabe latin pilot made me remember Aliens and how much better it was. The taming of the giant flying creature which was so significant to the plot seemed so easy you were left wondering why no one had done it before. The story ended with one big Deus ex Machina, and I agree that the Na'Vi tactic was so awful it didn't even beat the Marine's likewise moronic 'Let's just overrun them with our superior technology and basic strategy be damned'. It was a pocahontas ripoff. Every step of it was completely predictable...

Pretty to look at, but I don't think I'd pay money to see it again. Didn't work for me at all.

[Ser Scot A Ellison]

pg, Mentat,

I thought it was poor. Stunning visuals (I went for the 2D because of dodgy eyesight and not wanting to sit through three hours of blur if it didn't work for me like with Coraline) but after a decent first third the story was pathetic. I literaly facepalmed when the

forest friends turned up to save the day. But the whole Na'vi battle plan was so stupid that the planet should have just gone 'fuck it, these people are so retarded they deserve to die'.

Why? It's established early on that there is a biological connection between the Na'vi and the "racial memory" in the biosphere. The Na'vi link with each of the animals they ride. They link with their ancestors via the trees the bulldozers were destroying. Why is it unbelievable some sort of rudementary conciousness was able to perceive the danger and link to the animals and push them to aid the Na'vi in their attack?

I will agree the frontal assualt on the Marine firing line was particularly stupid. My big beef with the arial assault was waiting so long to hit the attacking forces. I'd have hit them as soon as they came into the flux. Letting them get close to the "well of souls" was incredibly dangerous.

Elmis,

With regard to your spoiler. That option occured to me as well. I heard an interview with Cameron on NPR on Friday afternoon. He said that if "Avatar" does well he has two sequals in mind.

[Ser Scot A Ellison]

Double post.

[Mentat]

Scott:

It's not unbelievable, it's just a Deus ex Machina plot device. When Sully prays to the god, the Na'Vi even say that it doesn't take sides. Eventually it does, proving Sully new their God better than the Na'Vi themselves... I found it to be poor story telling. The humans only wanted to mine some ore anyway, so they probably wouldn't have wantonly attacked the rhino-like creatures or devastated the whole planet. Their conflict was with a very specific tribe of Na'Vi.