In the future, Jake, a paraplegic war veteran, is brought to another planet, Pandora, which is inhabited by the Navi, a humanoid race with their own language and culture. Those from Earth find themselves at odds with each other and the local culture.
Let me just say right off the bat, that this is the best movie that hasever been made. Even among movies I have not seen, I am reasonablyconfident that this would blow all of them out of the water, too.There's the blurb, in case you don't want to read the rest of thereview. Now the full review.Okay, everyone who's tired of hearing "This movie is changingfilm-making," sorry to break it to you but it actually did. The specialeffects are like nothing you have ever seen before. Ever. I forgot Iwas watching CGI for most of the movie. James "King of the World"Cameron has only increased the trueness of that title with thisperfectly flawless film.I'm sure you've also been hearing people saying that the plot is stupidor unoriginal. Okay, first of all the plot works perfectly with themovie. The plot is not stupid by any stretch of the imagination. It issimplistic. The plot is in complete harmony with the picture, just asthe natives are in complete harmony with their surroundings on Pandora.Any more complexity to the plot would have taken away from the sheerawe the movie provides from the special effects and characterdevelopment point of view. The plot works perfectly with this movie.The point that really made this movie for movie, however, was thecharacters. Once again Stephen Lang is perfect as a military man. SamWorthington is also fantastic in this as paraplegic marine Jake Sully.Worthington was far and away the best part of Terminator Salvationearlier this year. He is also prodigious here. Giovanni Ribisiabsolutely nails the perfect level of disdain for Avatar program. (Thisguy may qualify as my favorite actor, having been in my two favoritemovies of all time: this and Saving Private Ryan.) sigourney Weaver isprobably the most effortlessly talented member of this cast. She nailsthe character of Grace here, just as she was the perfect fit for Ripleyback in 1979 in Alien, or 1986 in the (James Cameron!!) Aliens. But thebest character in this movie was te Na'vi princess Neytiri. Zoe Saldanais now officially the best actress of all time. One of the hardestthings to do in movies is to give emotion to an animated character.Saldana delivers an emotional performance more powerful and moving thanany I have seen in a live-action flic.In conclusion, Avatar is the best movie that has ever been made, andlikely that ever will be. If you have not seen it, go. Right now. Ifyou have...go again. A movie ticket to this show is worth far more thanten dollars. Well, I got to go. Avatar is showing.
I've given it 5 because the special affects are truly excellent.But that is all. For a film that's action-packed, there just wasn't anyexcitement in it. The plot was fair, but I had expected something alittle more intelligent from a sci-fi film. For a film set on a planetfar away, its inhabitants' culture was indistinguishable from that ofhuman beings - they laughed at funny things, they got angry and theirentire body language was just like humans. Maybe they thought it wouldmake it more accessible, but I started watching the film with a senseof wonder at what beings on the other planet would be like and thatsense of wonder was crushed very quickly. I don't like paying to havemy sense of wonder crushed, thank you.There was one moment of surprise in it for me, which I won't spoil butthis did not make it worth the 162 minutes of boredom I endured. Ihonestly couldn't wait for this film to end and my boyfriend wasfurious about how bad it was for an hour afterwards - I had to calm himdown by getting to a pub as quickly as possible.If you just want to see state of the art graphics, then go, but don'texpect anything more than an average film that had a great deal ofmoney poured into it.
In all honesty, I feel like most of these reviews are for the effectsonly. This movie ended up being totally cliché and over-dramatic whenit came to plot-wise. It felt like pocahontas all over again. And itbothered me incredibly because to see such a good movie go to waste onthe storyline..Visual effects were incredible. The creativity needed for such aproject is immense and really capture the audience's attention at justhow beautiful the scenery is. Only reason why I'm giving it over a 5really I'm not saying it was a bad movie, but without the features inthe movie I would've easily fallen asleep during the movie and would'veknown what happened in the end. Completely predictable. Had there been a real plot, this movie could've been legendary
Out of your World Experience The movie Avatar is one of the mostexhilarating action, adventure, science fiction, and thriller films Ihave ever seen. From the remarkable cinematography, to the astoundingabilities of the cartoonists who drew the characters for the animationin the film, to the idea of the movie itself, this film is able tocapture the audience's attention for the entire length of the movie.You tear up right from the get go when Jake Sully's (Sam Worthington)brother dies and he takes his brothers spot in the quest to live onPandora. If you are into unique characters from another world, thisfilm is for you.The cinematography by Mauro Fiore in this movie is indescribable it isso good. You are able to venture to the Hallelujah Mountains which takeyour breath away upon first glance. You are brought into this otherworld, where you could go walk up the Hallelujah Mountains with theMountain Banshees (unless you're scared of heights or Banshees). Thecinematographer also brings you to the intricate sight of the "HomeTree". Home tree, as shown in the movie, is very elaborate. Itsintimacy is how you would describe a human brain, as stated bySigourney Weaver, know in the movie as Grace (teacher of the people),with millions upon millions of connections and energy throughout theentire world of Pandora. The overall picture quality is unimaginable.You think Pandora is alive, that it is real through the energy seen onscreen.The characters in this film are a living breathing creature, well atleast that's what it looks like when you watch the film. Josie Astaciodid an incredible job showing the avatars. Her creativity drawing theavatar was shown when the avatar's hair was able to connect toeverything. She related the hair to the connection that everything haswith everything on Pandora. The avatar itself is entertaining to lookat and watch, so you will have something entertaining you the entiremovie. The avatar is drawn to the utmost detail that they really dolook real and alive. They make you want to be an avatar! The idea ofthis movie has been cooking in the director's mind for fifteen years.The script for the film has been ready just as long, but the technologyto make the movie wasn't quite caught up with James Cameron'screativity. Now that technology is able to finally produce the movieyou are able to enjoy the exceptional creativity of Cameron. The movieshows you things you would never imagine. The intimate connectionbetween a "human" and an animal, the Home Tree being central to theentire village, or humans working so closely to another type of being,are things one would never think of. This movie, being so uniquecreates a persona that makes you feel enlightened as you walk out ofthe theater, knowing that then, you are a part of a whole other newworld. The film will challenge you to think of what it would be like tobe in situations explained in the movie and if Pandora was actuallyanother world somewhere out in our universe.This movie is unlike any movie I have ever seen. If you want to see avery interesting and thought provoking movie, Avatar is for you. All inall I would give this movie five stars. It was the best movie I haveever seen! I would go out and spend more money just to watch this movieagain. After watching it you will want to go watch it again to makesure you had the best possible experience.
Well I just got home from seeing Avatar (in 3D!). It was anentertaining film, but it was also so much less than it could havebeen. Visually and technologically it was superb. The plot, however,was derivative and hackneyed. Overall, it was the movie equivalent of aPop-Tart: colorful and yummy but lacking real substance.But hey, sometimes I like a good Pop-Tart.As I watched, I had a nagging feeling that it all seemed vaguelyfamiliar. Then it hit me: Ferngully! This is Ferngully for grownups!Although visually the film was in 3D, from a plot standpoint thecharacters were very two dimensional: The military guys are (with twoexceptions) all stereotypical thugs. The scientists are all thoughtfuland benevolent. The corporate guy is greedy and crass. The Na'vi(natives) are noble savages. All of the characters fit into simple andcartoon-like categories, so we know who to cheer for and who to boo at.The ending wraps up everything nice and neat and tidy for us.The theological world of the noble Na'vi is one of insipid new-ageypantheism, which seemed to have been cribbed from Disney's'Pocahontas'. The plants and animals and trees and Na'vi are allinterconnected in an environmentally-friendly web of eco-consciousness.Or something like that. I half expected to hear Elton John singing "TheCircle of Life." On the other hand, religion didn't even appear to beon the radar screen of the human characters. The concept of a personal,transcendent deity was nowhere in sight.The MacGuffin of the film is a rare and valuable mineral called--I kidyou not--"unobtainium." Other than being described as the motivator forthe human's rapacious conquest of the Na'vi planet, it is given nofurther explanation. Why do the humans need unobtainium so badly? Iassumed that, at some point, it would come into play--perhaps toprovide a key twist or revelation--but it turned out to be nothing morethan an element to drive the plot.The most disappointing thing about Avatar was that Cameron relied onthe tried and true mechanism of having the characters use violence toresolve the film's conflicts. Walter Wink, in his fantastic book 'ThePowers That Be' calls this "the myth of redemptive violence." I washoping for something more profound and thought-provoking, butultimately it came down to guns and knives and rockets and arrows andgrenades and spears and big explosions and various people dying inentertaining ways. Some have said that Avatar carries an anti-warmessage, yet it is war that was presented as the only solution to theconflict between the Na'vi and the humans. The underdog Na'vi win thebattle, the humans go home, end of story. Of course, if they make asequel and it follows the history of the American Indians (upon whichthe Na'vi are obviously based) the humans will just return with alarger army and finish the job. It would have been so much moreinteresting if the enlightened Na'vi and their spiritually intelligentplanet could have come up with a more creative and redemptive way toteach us naughty humans a lesson.So there you have it: Ferngully meets Pocahontas, but with moreweaponry and a much bigger budget.A movie with a very similar plot line, but better written and with amore satisfying ending, is the lovely animated film 'Battle for Terra'.If you liked Avatar, go rent 'Battle for Terra'.
Well this was a good movie on blu ray when it first came out, but the way they treat us consumers by bringing out new editions is complete BS. I hate when studios market movies this way; and I'm sure they will re-release it on 3D soon as well. Pretty sad they want to milk us for all we're worth...I just wish I could rate it 0 stars to show my total disgust. This is the first movie I've ever reviewed on Amazon, that's how upset this makes me. Send a message and do not buy this rip-off!
where to start? the unoriginal ideas? stereotypical acting? racialprofiling? (in my opinion). overall the whole movie is a simple pieceof unoriginal crap. the only thing that makes it worth watching is thevisual effects. a true embarrassment for the amazing James Cameron andall science fiction films out there. the combination of one liners,simple characters and predictability make this film truly disastrous.not to mention. maybe i was the only one but when i watched theextended version there were scenes of (alien) buffalo hunting and evendancing around a fire and acting like idiots! such scenes led me tothink of racial profiling. overall, the film a a massive smelting potof cruddy embarrassment.
Entertaining enough and stunning to look at but essentially an exceedingly detailed three hour video game -- without the benefit of remote controls
It seems whatever film James Cameron is involved in, it's alwaysbreathtaking, i mean what with his history of amazing films such asThe Terminator 1 & 2: Judgement Day Aliens Titanicand now he has created a film, that had so much of a buzz it became thequeen bee of films, named AvatarAvatar which uses special cameras and exploits the use of 3D technologyto create a spectacle of a film, honestly, when i watched Avatar in 3D,the only thing in my mind was....Completely Freaking Amazing!The Storyline is not some sort of massive, other-world, freaky, killingfilm, it takes a simple storyline of infiltration into ones nest andusing its information for personal use but end up failing because theperson that was sent to do it completely forgot about it and became amember of the family and didn't want anything bad to happen to it.Now i know it looks like such a massive storyline and the timing (over2 hours) seems like it will last forever, but this film makes those 2hours so spectacular you would wish it was going on for 5 hours. JamesCameron was in Mr. Out Of This World for this film as it takes cinemato a whole new level.This film you MUST see, i would recommend to watch it in 3D FOR SURE,but if your happy with 2D still watch it & if you fail to watch it youABSOLUTELY have to obtain it on DVD!! This is a MUST SEE!!Avatar - A*
I am sure that my comment will be lost somewhere in the thousands ofcomments out there, but I will write it anyways :) The movie is visually amazing and its the best 3D movie I ever saw. Analien planet and an alien race created so beautifully, vividly, andreal, that watching this movie is like watching an artwork in themuseum. It doesn't matter whats drawn on it, and it doesn't matter ifyou agree with what it says, you can't look away from the screenbecause its beautiful.As for the plot, well....its very very similar to Pocahontas, except,the indigenous people here are the blue aliens. The name of the planetand its characteristics taken from 1960s Russian science fiction seriesNoon Universe. Its hard for me to believe that some people like thismovie for the fairly primitive plot, you can pretty much guess how thismovie is going end, about 10 minutes into the movie, but it doesn'ttake away from the movie or from a fact that this movie is a must seefor a 3d movie theater or IMAX.
It must be an age thing.For over forty years I would go to the movies once perhaps twice aweek; in the eighties I was seeing over one hundred films a year.Watching movies on TV, video, and even DVD/Blue Ray was no substitutefor the cinema experience. But over the last few years, I have left thetheatre disappointed so often that I have cut my movie going down toperhaps one picture a month.And last year out came Avatar. "The most hyped, the most praised, themost successful, the most amazing etc etc" movie experience ever. And Iknew it would not be very good. But even on my much reduced movie goingschedule I dithered and thought I should really see it. But I didn'tand later in the year when it came out on DVD, not buying it was nohardship.But now Avatar is showing on Sky Movies, in England where I live. So wewatched it. I lasted forty five minutes. Not good enough, I thought,certainly if I am going to share my views on IMDb. So I tried again. Ihave got to about 110 minutes; and that is all I can take.Let me say right from the outset, I am in awe at the dedication, theskill and the professionalism of all the men and women who producedthis film. I assume we are looking at years of the most painstaking andexacting work. But in the end you have to ask, to what effect?I am not against monster movies, I can appreciate visiting "otherworlds". I am a bit of a sci- fi buff and I certainly have had my shareof liberal guilt (as befits a product of the sixties!), and, to top itall, I loved The Terminator!!(I even thought Titanic was pretty fair; although to this day I havehardly met anyone who will actually own up to seeing it; strange forthe hitherto biggest grosser of all time!)But this! A glacial pace (even through the action sequences), a storythat would make a Year 3 (2nd Grade) schoolchild's infantile ramblingson "the environment" seem profound and an attempt at polemic that wasso dull no sane person could be even able to recall it.More importantly, the story line, the dialogue, the "acting" (but onecould only feel sorry for the actors) were so dull and plodding as toinvite sleep. Only Stephen Lang had even the semblance of an actualpersonality. All in all there seemed to be an almost mathematicalcorrelation between the awesomeness (is that a word?) of the film'seffects and the awfulness of the story and dialogue.Avatar has its critics, I know, some of whom say that the storyline isjust a rehash of the Pocahontas story. But really how can they know?Did they manage to stay awake?Avatar (the first 110 minutes) was totally devoid of any wit (and I amnot speaking about comedy laughs). One could feel not the remotestempathy with any of the characters and sometimes I found myselfactually closing my eyes in embarrassment at the leadenness of thewhole thing. Sometimes with a bad movie one can find refuge in thecliché "so bad it's good" and discover a measure of enjoyment that wasnot the film maker's intention. But not in this instance; it's justbad.I'll stop now (and not before time!) , because what is the point ofsome grumpy old man like me ranting on at what is obviously a"masterpiece"!!! I might as well criticise Barack Obama on TheHuffington Post!But you know, it's not an age thing. Bad is just bad.
First I would like to say, if your a james cameron fan you will lovethis film. If your not a james cameron fan you will love this filmregardless. Here is my review in 5 simple sections Story: Though thestory can be cliché do to the love scenes. However it does not mater,because the story is more focused towards Pandora the world of thenavis. That is where the true heart of the story lies captivating andamazing! I was constantly out of my seat and had occasional goosebumps! 10/10 Acting: Simply amazing! 10/10 Music score: Fantastic, iloved this movie so much i hardly ever buy sound tracks based on moviesbut the score was phenomenal james hornor did an amazing job! 10/10Graphics: Its simple, i have never in my 22 years of living have seenanything so beautiful in my life. Avatar is by far the most beautifullooking movie i have ever seen. The 3d experience is to die for!. Iwish the seats in the movie moved to that would have been awesome!.10/10 Conclusion: I'm a james cameron fan there for i can be biased andsay that i love this move. However i have seen a lot of movies. And myfavorite movie for the past 16 years has been Rocky 1. Now Avatar hasrepalced it. Avatar to me is the best movie i have ever seen. LIke thetitle summary says. This movie is the movie to rule them all. It meansthat this movie is the future for all movies. This is a stepping stoneto what the future of films will look like. As i said before this is byfar the best movie i have ever seen in my entire life.10/10 MUST WATCH!
Avatar (2009) Directed by: James Cameron After many years and a longjourney to a faraway planet called Pandora, Jake Sully's brother hasdied along the way. His brother's genes were taken from him to grow anavatar. This avatar is a mixed clone of Jake's brother's DNA and of theDNA of the N'avi people on Pandora. Jake, a paraplegic marine, must dohis brother's duties in finding more about their world. He is an avatarby day who can run and walk. Then, at night, he has to come back toreality. In his reality, he cannot walk. The whole reason Jake acceptsthis job is so he can have the ability to walk again. Since this movieis set in the future, with enough money he can have surgery to walkagain. His assignment is to convince the N'avi people to move fromtheir home so that the American government can find what liesunderneath. The graphics in this movie are incredible. The audience connects withthe characters and become attached with the world. Jake is a verydynamic character. The characters in the movie are very round and havea more realistic affect in their emotions. Sigourney Weaver had done anincredible job of playing a tough character and yet were gentle withthe N'avi people. The main character, Jake Sully, who is portrayed bySam Worthington, had also done a good job at showing that people aren'talways their job. He shows that there are more important things in lifethan money. The interesting thing about James Cameron is that he likesto make people think outside of the box. He depicts our government justas he feels like it would be if we found another planet with life onit. The audience feels an attachment with the N'avi people. Avatarshows that authority can be the biggest threat of all. I felt likeCameron's message was that we need to reach out to nature because itwas given to us and we should respect it and sometimes people need tobe altruistic and do the right thing. I wanted to seriously go toPandora. This was a multimillion dollar movie that was worth seeing inthe movie theater. I don't like 3D movies but I enjoyed watching it in3D. The downside to this movie was that it was over 2 hours long. Thismovie was worth watching and the message behind it was laid out to makepeople think.
Avatar blew me away when I saw it in the movie theatre. It hasoutstanding CGI, visual effects, special effects, a good story, goodplot, great acting, the pacing is well done and the cinematography istop notch. The best visual and special effects and CGI since Terminator2: Judgment Day. It also has some originality to it. I really liked SamWorthington's performance as the paraplegic marine who replaces hisdeceased brother. I personally think he should have gotten at least anOscar nomination let alone winning it. He is that good. Same forSigourney Weaver. Every time you see her on the screen, she brings thispicture to life. If you have not seen this movie yet, I recommend youwatch it right away. This movie will blow your mind. It is a must see.
... And that's what James Cameron is all about - no more no less. Alittle notch above Spielberg in this genre - viewed from thisperspective, nothing disappointing.Would have given it a 10 if the storyline did not churn out yet anothertired "the universe needs another American superhero to save the dayelse woe to all, all is lost".Americans can be vicious villains, but oh.. wait! Right on time... herecomes our American hero in whatever guise... Avatar in this case... tosave the oh so lost and idiotic others... lost lost lost till thatshiny white guy turns up... blue and against all odds... cheers andhurrah! ... SNORE Yes, the movie does not indicate the people involved are necessarilyAmericans, but there is no need to state the obvious.What to do... if you wanna the visual feast... with it comes the "I amthe king of the world.. nay.. universe now" sugary crap.
This review is from: Avatar (Three-Disc Extended Collector's Edition) (DVD) This item was bought for a Christmas present so it has not yet been viewed, but I am thrilled to find it and it was received very quickly. The giftee has not yet seen the movie so I know it will be well enjoyed.
I saw it, even I made the effort to stay in my seat and to watch ituntil the end that met all my worst expectations of "already many timesseen" clichés (cliché of a cliché at the fifth power). Subtlety is not the strength of the plot; mono-dimensional personages,childish behavior, ridiculous bad guys. After having seen the daybefore "the Good the Bad and the Ugly" , these facts literally jumpedon my face. I won't try to make a comparison with Seven Samouraideepness of the personages, it would be too hard for "Avatar". Basically it's an intergalactic western where happily for once theIndians win; curiously like in so many westerns the Indians had suchcrazy war tactics, never heard of "irregular" warfare? The Ewoks weresmarter, Geronimo also... Plus the inconsistencies, plot holes andother minor and major flaws (look at the long list of goofs), sonumerous that's truly tiring.The ecological, anti-war and anti-imperialism message was so heavilypreached that becomes a pain even for a long date sympathizer of thesecauses like me... May the Force be with you... I had the fun to look for some pieces of this visual puzzle, and thathelped to stay in the chair as I was completely fed up by theforeseeable plot. Triceratops mixed with hammer shark, archeopteryx andconsorts,jelly fish, phosphorescent reef, rain forest bigtrees,Tasmanian wolf, Venezuelan table hills and some other gave theideas of this too terrestrial mixed fauna of this movie.Brief a lot of CGI for a plot and imagery that look more to acaricature than to an original work. Made only by accumulation, tonover tons. And I almost forgot; not a shadow of humor, a boring deadlyserious movie. Some would say that is so Hollywoodian. Gosh, I'm tooold for all that s***. I'm going to see North by Northwest as antidote.
This review is from: Avatar (Three-Disc Extended Collector's Edition) (DVD) OH THEY ADDED 18 MINUTES THIS YEAR NEXT YEAR THEY WILL DO THE SAME THING WHY NOT JUST MAKE IT A 3 OR 4 HOUR MOVIE IN THE FIRST PLACE AND THEY PUT IT ON THREE DISC WHERE THEY SHOULD OF JUST PUT THEM ON ONE DISC AND GIVE YOU ALL THREE IN THE SET BUT I GUESS THATS HOW THEY CHEAT YOU OUT OF MONEY WIAT A YEAR THEN BUY THE NEW COPY THEN
If you care about story or character, do not watch this movie and ifyou care more about special effects this is the movie for you. The verystory of the movie has been done way too many times and James Cameronhas not done anything new with it. Avatar has the same plot asPocahontas, Dances With Wolves, etc. except it takes place on an alienplanet. Most of the characters (including the main characters) are twodimensional stereotypes especially the Avatars, which are just themovie stereotypes of Native- Americans. Avatar is the most visuallystunning movie since the original Star Wars, but that does not excusepoor story and character.
Yes, I gave this film a 1. Yes, the visuals were great. So are a lot ofvisuals on video games. These movies shouldn't get a pass if thevisuals are good. I can go back to the original Star Wars. The visualswere not that great, but at least the movie was fun and had a greatstory.Like others have said, this movie applies the most basic plot. Usagainst them. You have seen this in films like Pocahontas, Dances withWolves, Last Samurai. It all the basic themes and nothing else. You arejust hammered with a bunch of crying and boo-woo and tribal singing anddancing. This can be an OK concept. I actually liked the Last Samurai.Guy joins the tribe and he is eventually accepted. But there was morethere. There was the capable use of Bow and Arrow against forces withguns. But the good guys eventually lost because they were outnumbered.Kind of makes sense.In Avatar, I just don't care that much for the blue people. At firstthey were pretty arrogant. Jake was this close to being hit by a bowand arrow. I also thought they accepted him pretty easily. There reallywasn't a reason. He just kind of joined. Here is a guy that doesn'tspeak the language, has some kind of foreign connection is down rightawkward. Accepting him can't possibly go wrong? Right? They then accepthim and reject him and accept him again. He gets accepted kind ofquickly and easily passes all of the dumb-down initiation tests.(imagine that). There is nothing really compelling about the bluepeople Na'Vi culture except for their connection with the environment.They are connected but to what extent. They can talk to the otheranimals? The trees? Why are we supposed to fall in love with thembecause of that. Because they use primitive weapons? Towards the end ofthe movie, I was actually rooting for the humans. Why? Because therenever really was a case they were bad. Sure, they went after theNa'Vi's main tree. That is bad, but Cameron never really tells us why.So, for all we know, killing the tree was pretty important to themovie. There was mention about the Pandora ore, supposedly it was veryexpensive. That is all we here mention of for blowing up the tree. Forall we know, that expensive ore could have saved billions on earth. Theplot is so dumbed-down, I didn't really care. But, the humans hadbetter weapons, so I just hoped they could pull it off. And of course,this would be impossible even though they had more advanced technology.The blue people have to win.So yea, this is another Hollywood farce that will get a lot of goodreviews. But all those reviews will be based on the visuals and nothingmore.
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