Halx

The reviews are coming in and they are pointing to this being a badass movie. Roger Ebert, who is a great Sci-fi fan, absolutely loved it. I am officially excited to go see it.

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Seaver

I'll see it during a Matinée, but wont pay full price.

Honestly I'm worried it'll be Dances With Wolves only with really tall Smurfs and an over-riding No Blood for Oil message.

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Lucifer

It opens here in IMAX 3D!!!! I'm so totally stoked!

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- Job 30:29

1123, 6536, 5321

Baraka_Guru

Upon first hearing about this project many months ago, I've been pretty excited about it.

But I've been wary about this for a long time. I've been praying that this didn't suck.

It looks like my prayers have been answered.

Which is weird, because I'm non-religious.

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Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön

Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot

Jove

Avatar has been advertised and hyped up way too much that I have a bad feeling about this movie. I think I will go in with low expectations just so I am not disappointed with the movie.

LoganSnake

I'll watch it at IMAX 3D after Christmas. It's impossible to get good seats for the next two weeks.

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levite

I think I am okay with this.

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Dull sublunary lovers love,
Whose soul is sense, cannot admit
Absence, because it doth remove
That thing which elemented it.

(From "A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning" by John Donne)

Frosstbyte

Dances with Thundercats in Waterworld the Last Rainforest?

Look, I have no doubt that this film is going to be visually astonishing. If the movie doesn't look amazing (assuming you see it in a theater capable of showing it off), then Mr. Cameron's going to have wasted untold millions of dollars. But everything I've seen and/or read about the plot makes me literally want to go drown in a big bathtub full of movie cliches filled with piranhas or electric eels.

Cameron has made some great movies, but what has really kept them above trash action has been the heart at their core. I've not seen a shred of that with this movie. I'll be seeing it, but my hopes are not great. And the hype has done nothing to assuage that.

Reese

James Cameron has never disappointed me. I don't think he'll start now. The movie looks amazing. Hopefully it avoids the uncanny valley.

Seriously, Stop comparing James Cameron films to Kevin Costner films, wtf..

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ratbastid

The Wired article on Avatar this month describes this film as a decades-long vision and labor of love for Cameron. I think it's worth seeing. Early reviews are glowing too hot to print because they burn the paper.

telekinetic

control-f sucks, no results found...sweeet! I will be seeing this post haste!

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Redlemon

I know almost nothing about this movie, only that (a) it's supposed to be something amazing and (b) the trailer looks like robots fighting dragons. What else should I know about this?

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fresnelly

I've been looking forward to seeing it because of James Cameron's track record.

Hey Baraka, when do you think you'd like to see it? Wanna go together? What about Aberkok?

And you know what? I hope it's wildly successful and lives up to the hype, purely as an FU to the pre-emptive fanboy bitching that has become the standard for film criticism on the internet. I'm so tired of rabid, negative speculation about upcoming films based solely on scraps of concept art or casting. It's juvenile and self-aggrendizing.

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Baraka_Guru

It will have to be after the 28th, as I'll be in Vancouver for a week. Plus I need to drop into Kingston to visit the fam, so I'll let you know what's going on around that time.

When are you available?

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Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön

Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot

Halx

I'm sorta shielded from the hype so far. I mean, I've seen it mentioned, but not to the degree that others have been claiming. My exposure to this movie has been through trailers mostly. At first it looked like a lame CGI orgy, but then the idea started to sink in and I warmed up to it. All it really takes is an endorsement from Roger Ebert to get me interested and that it has.

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Lasereth

I had no idea what this movie was until about a week ago. Then Ebert's review comes out and he says it's like seeing Star Wars for the first time in 1977 and gives it 4 stars. A sci-fi movie being described this way from Ebert = me seeing it in the theater.

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Baraka_Guru

Wow, Ebert said that?

I'm totally seeing it for sure now. Yeah, in the theatre.

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Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön

Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot

Redlemon

Avatar :: rogerebert.com :: Reviews. Somewhat spoilerish towards the middle of the review, it seems.

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highthief

Yeah, I have no idea what this is about so thus far, I have no big desire to see it.

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Halx

Nothing more than previews have told me already.

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little_tippler

Well, though it looks visually spectacular upon seeing the trailer, there is a little too much CGI and quirky creatures that are not quite believable to me. I don't know why but fantastical creatures never sit quite right with me, for the most part. But, after that I read the story also on the official site and that made it sound a lot more interesting. I just wish there was finally a film with supposed aliens that didn't look either slimy and gruesome (not the case here) or like their face was as smooth as a baby's bottom (check).

Guess I'll have to watch it to decide.

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Whether we write or speak or do but look
We are ever unapparent. What we are
Cannot be transfused into word or book.
Our soul from us is infinitely far.
However much we give our thoughts the will
To be our soul and gesture it abroad,
Our hearts are incommunicable still.
In what we show ourselves we are ignored.
The abyss from soul to soul cannot be bridged
By any skill of thought or trick of seeming.
Unto our very selves we are abridged
When we would utter to our thought our being.
We are our dreams of ourselves, souls by gleams,
And each to each other dreams of others' dreams.

Fernando Pessoa, 1918

Frosstbyte

Having read that review, I maintain that "Dances with Thundercats in Waterworld the Last Rainforest" is a perfectly descriptive title for this movie. His review confirms precisely what I expected it to be. I'll look forward to the spectacle and remember to keep my brain firmly turned off.

Baraka_Guru

That was the best way to go into Titanic.

__________________
Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön

Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot

fresnelly

Pretty much any evening. I may need to see it sooner but I'll try to hold on.

I should say that I'm definitely keeping my expectations in check and not reading any reviews. It's the only way to approach a blockbuster these days.

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Lasereth

Ebert spoils the shit out of movies in his reviews and even admits it so be careful if you don't wanna know anything about it. I still haven't read past the first paragraph in his review on purpose.

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new man

My 71 year old stepmother has already specifically requested seeing this movie in 3D when she is here for Christmas break. None of her friends back in Charleston, SC want to see it.

raptor9k

deleted

onodrim

I am expecting a really fun and great looking action movie, and not a whole lot more. I would love for it to exceed my expectations and have wonderful dialogue and be meaningful or moving in some way, but I doubt it. I'm fine with that, I'll go to have good time, and I'm sure that will happen! (Assuming that my new prescription works and I can actually see in 3D! )

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-Carl Sagan

Willravel

Fantastic movie, horrible headache.

Wyodiver33

I used to really trust Roger Ebert's reviews but more and more I think he's being paid off by Hollywood. I'm really quite sick of CGI-Suckfests like Transformers and Watchmen. I don't have high expectations for Avatar. I hope I'm wrong, trust me.

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ratbastid

I think the main thing people are entranced by is the worldbuilding and the epic scope of the thing. I haven't heard much of the plot.

I'll see it. For sure.

Vaultboy

Went to see it in 2-D, and I'm glad I did. The world is so well built and intricately layered, that I can imagine 3 hours of 3-D would have given me a stroke.

Plot = predictable, but still an excellently paced exposition, and action-filled climax. I sat there thinking that the plot plays out like an RPG, which I suppose is the idea. Not quite a Bioware RPG, but a solid one nonetheless (Ubisoft or Bethesda). That's my review, folks: 4.5/5.

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Willravel

It's like 10 hours later and I still feel odd. Maybe some folks just aren't built to watch 3D.

onodrim

Like me I only have one "good" eye, and so my depth perception is bad and I can't see 3D. I finally have a new and better prescription though, so I'm excited to go and see if it works!

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"The world is so exquisite with so much love and moral depth, that there is no reason to deceive ourselves with pretty stories for which there’s little good evidence. Far better it seems to me, in our vulnerability, is to look death in the eye and to be grateful every day for the brief but magnificent opportunity that life provides"
-Carl Sagan

Grasshopper Green

We just got back from seeing it in 3D. Wow is all I can say.

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noodle

I have terrible issues with traditional 3D. Horrid, can't see it for anything. The stuff that looks like it's "coming out" of the screen always looks blurry and purple-green. THIS however, was spectacular. Instead of looking like the movie is coming at you, most of the time, you're more acutely aware of the depth. LOVED IT. And the 3D glasses actually fit over my glasses for once... score!
The story is such an old one, folklore-wise, and Cameron chose exactly the right story to draw people in to this technology. No headache this time. All stars.

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onodrim

This is encouraging to me!

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"The world is so exquisite with so much love and moral depth, that there is no reason to deceive ourselves with pretty stories for which there’s little good evidence. Far better it seems to me, in our vulnerability, is to look death in the eye and to be grateful every day for the brief but magnificent opportunity that life provides"
-Carl Sagan

noodle

It took about 15 minutes for my eyes to get comfortable so don't get discouraged if it takes a bit. S and I both found that after about 45 minutes, we didn't even notice the 3D glasses anymore.
And the images just popped.
I have a fairly gnarly astigmatism and I've been told that this is why I have some issues with traditional 3D. I'm embarrassed to say that My Bloody Valentine was the last one I saw in 3D... but I just eventually took the glasses off because I didn't see anything different with or without them.

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Stare At The Sun

Saw it last night, my thoughts are as follows:

Sadly, it's a largely negative review

And I apologize for the *giant* post.

Spoiler: First of all, I'll say that I wanted to like this movie. It had a lot going for it, but I can not just turn my brain off for 2 and a half hours. The main problem that I had were the giant drive a train through, park it, and build a train station around it holes. The main points are as follows:

Pandora is supposed to have low gravity, and its supposed to weaken the strength of people. As noted by the constantly working out Colonel, and the withering frame of Jake. Yet the Na'vi were atleast 10 foot tall and clearly stronger than humans. Seems odd that they had "carbon fiber" bones as well. As that is, as far as I know, not naturally occuring.

Really, I can actually suspend my disbelief of other things, like the islands that floated yet had water constantly flowing off of them. If this was caused by the metal they were mining, which is what I imagine most people would say, why were these not mined? As they obviously had a very high concentration.

The absolute biggest problem I had with the movie, is the idea that the natives, who's most advance weapons were bows and arrows could have stood a change against an absurdly more advanced society that can clearly travel faster than the speed of light.

Lets just be realistic here, helicopters do not move slower than birds.

Where were the jets? Simple question. And don't say they couldn't fly without radar. That's bullshit. They did it at the end of WW2 and Korea.

Where were the tanks? I absolutely loathe this. It's just like in the third matrix, WHY WHY WHY would you design a military vehicle that exposes the pilot, or only protects him by glass, which the magical super powerful bows of death can penetrate? Perhaps you'd put some..I don't know...metal? Over it, and then toss a few webcams on the hull? It's just insanity.

Second, the "bombing mission" to destroy the holy site of the Na'vi was not accomplished by bombers, like it would of been done in world war 2, vietnam, korea, iraq, etc. NO NO! We're instead going to get pallets of TNT, attach detonaters to them, and wheel them out of a freaking cargo hulk that moves at roughly 13 MPH. And the defensive abilities of this giant cargo hulk? A bunch of dudes, in totally exposed machine gun pillboxes. You think they'd have turrets with steel mesh covering..or just armor with video feeds? And why would they have the 'bomb bay' door open before they were even remotely close to the drop zone? Simple answer, they wouldn't.

Lack of cruise missiles, nukes, or any tech more advanced than we have today. Again, in reality, if they wanted to destroy this holy site, they would have launched 15 cruise missiles at it, and called it a day. No need to even leave the base.

Other questions, what the hell was that metal even used for? 20,000,000 dollars a kilo? What the hell does it do? If the answer is "float" that's pretty lame.

The movie *should* have ended half-way through, and it would have in any realistic sense, when the Colonel said you've got a ticket home tomorrow, and your legs, I'm fairly sure he would have just gone home.

I realize that this movie was a very thinly veiled political statement, but that does not excuse the absurd level of shit that happens in the movie, that we are just supposed to accept.

I can not stand when movies give a complete lack credit to the military, or military organizations. If that end battle were to really of gone down, the humans would have lost a few soldiers, but otherwise, it would have been a wholesale slaughter of the natives.

Sorry for the rant, but I just can't stand when movies require a complete disbelief of everything you know.

Sadly, I didn't even really disagree with what the evil giant corporation was doing. They apparently offered everything they could, and the Na'vi were having none of it. I have no empathy for the natives.

The ending was just insane. Does anyone actually think they wouldn't go back? 20,000,000 dollars a KILO. Whatever that shit does, it's obviously worth all the investment. There is no way they would just abandon it.

I, for one am looking forward to "Avatar II: Return of the Sky-People".

Look for it in theaters next to, "Return to Ewok: The wholesale slaughter of teddy bears by disgruntled stormtroopers"

Wyodiver33

Having served in the USAF for 8 years I can't stand it when movies treat military issues so absurdly. And for most of the issues listed above you don't have to have a military background to be able to pick out the silly stuff. You just have to have an IQ a little higher than that of a turnip.

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