Avatar In 3D

3D has come a long way since I watched Jaws 3 in 3D, back then I swore a childish oath never to watch another 3D movie again but now the technology has obviously matured, a lot, I think I will swear a new oath now never to watch another movie at the cinema which isn't in 3D.

I was really impressed, Jaws 3 in 3D was for the most part in a headache inducing definitely not in 3D apart from at 1 or 2 ridiculous points where someone squirts a hypodermic syringe and when Jaws explodes at the end and all the chunks came flying out. The 3D in Avatar was a totally different kettle of fish, everything is in 3D and it looks absolutely amazing. It's still not perfect 3D because the camera still has to focus on things so there is a weird kind of jarring effect where stuff you're looking at is suddenly out of focus even though you are, personally, focussing on it. I think my brain must have completely accepted the reality of the bits which were in focus and then got really puzzled that bits of reality were suddenly all blurred even when I it was focussing on them fully.

So, the 3D is fantastic. The rest of the film isn't really that great, it's ridiculous. Basically a load of moronic, stone age Ja Ja Binks hippy ewoks VS a load of moronic, gung ho, cliches in gun belts. You can tell exactly what is going happen within the first 10 minutes. Having said that though the film is almost 3 hours long but it really didn't feel like it whilst I was watching it - I was glad it had ended but wasn't, quite, totally bored. It is only a 12 certificate and it was mildly entertaining but that's about it.

I hope someone makes a proper sci-fi film using 3D, I would definitely go to the cinema to watch it.

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James Cameron is Shit.

Why were you being so evasive last night?

3D...

I too am impressed by the 3D technology - I really think it makes a big difference to the cinema experience. I didn't mind the story of avatar at all - or the obvious stereotypes - and I did feel a little connection with those blue CGI aliens....

Unobtainium

Things started to go wrong for me when it was revealed that the humans were there to mine unobtainium, the same material the mole craft was constructed from in the movie The Core.

I didn't have a problem with the smurfs, the girl one was quite sexy in a sort of weird huge, blue be-tailed fashion. What I found irritating was the complete irrationality and inconsistency that ran through the entire story line. These are just a small fraction of the nuisances

  • Why do the humans want unobtainium ? Just randomly "because they do" from what I could see
  • Why did the science team who were blatantly pro-smurf from the outset not bother to do any of the negotiation they were supposed to be doing or give the smurfs any warning at all of what was about to happen to their magic tree. The science team are practically entirely responsible for the smurf armageddon that occured when their tree is knocked down
  • If your entire military strategy for knocking down the big tree is just to fly up to it and fire rockets at it until it falls over why on earth would bother banging on so much about all the valuable inside information the human smurf is supposed to be gathering
  • Given that you have rockets and, presumably since you arrived in a huge spaceship, masses of technology and experience in using them would you opt instead to not bother with rockets and simply load a cargo plane up with high explosive, on big pallets and just throw it out the back willy nilly when you're somewhere over the target especially given that it is going to take your entire military force to protect this cargo plane
  • Why build big huge flying fortresses if the pilot is forced to sit in a little glass box situated right at the front of said flying fortress and then make the glass so weak it is vulnerable to arrows !
  • Why has the fog which at the beginning of the film is supposed to permanently shroud the magic flying mountains and confound all modern instrumentation and which forms the key tactical advantage the smurfs are relying on for their show down disappear completely during the show down when they are fighting in completely clear blue skies.
  • What sort of military moron thinks a good strategy for aerial combat is to have your aircraft fly in as closely a packed huge blob as possible, surely even in WWI at the dawn of the aerial combat age they had realised this was a totally braindead plan. It's even more moronic when your instruments are supposedly confounded by invisible fog and you're flying through prime ambush territory. Surely you would have scouts going on ahead and a good lot of your fighter craft as high up as they could possibly get
  • What sort of company that is obviously extremely well funded opts to send a group of village idiots to run it's most important and valuable asset

And that is only scratching the surface. Almost everything that happens is completely irrational and has no bearing on what can happen next.

I didn't

enjoy the movie at all. having to pay an extra 2 quid to see the flick and then return your glasses at the end is a complete swizz. The effects I found superficial. I became acclimatised to them within 30mins and then spent the rest of the film taking that glasses on and off just to see the difference. The new 3d effect seems to be Hollywood's new toy. There are numerous films coming out over the next 12 months. I doubt very much it will be as ground breaking as talkies or the introduction of colour. Just a veneer to hide the story of yet more very average films.

A brief glance at the etymology of unobtanium indicates just how average this film is. I guess in the follow up it will be abithardtofindium and then in the final olookitsthereunderthesofaium.

Almost 10 quid to see this rubbish. Nah, glad to have seen it but I doubt I will bother with anymore like this. However I am sure it will win numerous Osacrs, whatever that indicates.

Oscars

I don't think it's favourite to win any major oscars, it'll probably get best visual effects or something.

James Cameron is shit:

Piranha II
Terminator
Aliens
The Abyss
Terminator 2
True Lies
Titanic

What a list of stupidly bad films.

Eh?

Some great films there. Terminator 1 & 2, Aliens, The Abyss are great films. Titanic is not my cup of tea but someone must like it as it is still one of the highest grossing films of all time.

I also enjoyed Avatar but I suppose it depends on what you want when you go to the cinema. Personally I go for a bit of escapism from the real world so I don't tend to look at the facts of whether something in a film could actually happen. I think you could actually rip most film apart but then again a science fiction film would be a bit boring if it was based on what can actually be done now.

I don't think Marty McFly could really have travelled back in time to end up being fancied by his mom.

Predator

You'll be telling me Predator is a good film next.

Yep.

One of my favourites.

Predator

I fell asleep watching Predator the other night

It would have been a better film if the "crack" commandos had actually put up a fight like the squaddies in Dog Soldiers do instead of letting themselves get picked off one by one until there is only Arnie left (at which point he turns into a superhuman).

Predator!

This is the Predator we are talking about. A big bastard with advanced technology.

I think he would even be able to kick Andy McNabs arse!

Come On

I'm no military strategist but I know that if I'm in a jungle and something starts picking off me men one at a time that it is not a good idea to let people go wandering off on their own.

Anyway it's not like the Predator is up against normal team of crack commandos he's up against Conan the Barbarian, Apollo Creed, Jesse "The Body" Ventura, Colonel Ironhorse from the War of the World's TV series, an ex-porn star and the director of Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit.

50 %

The correct military strategy is to scatter your forces when possible but make sure they able to concentrate when required and that's the bit that everyone in horror films and things like Predator always forget.

And.

If the Alien has such great technology how come he can't see Conan just because he's slapped a bit of mud on himself?

And if it worked for Conan, why didn't the other's do it?

Mud.

He found out the Predator could not see him with all the mud on him by accident and after all the others had been picked off so it was too late for them.

Talking about it has made me want to watch this again.

But.

But that still doesn't answer the question of how super advanced alien technology can be confused by a little bit of mud.

I would have been a better film if the mexican lady had stripped off and covered herself in mud.

he he...

Broke

Didn't he manage to break some of his alien technology at some point that restricted his array of alien supersenses ?

Mud wrestling.

She does in the Directors cut.

Further consideration

If you have any inclination to watch this film for the story don't bother. Watch The Emerald Forest ( http://www.amazon.com/Emerald-Forest-Powers-Boothe/dp/B0000542C6 ) by John Boorman instead, excepting the fact that it's not set in space it's practically identical in every way to Avatar - except immeasurably better told.

A engineer is sent by his company to work on a new mega damn project in the Amazonian rainforest, he takes his family with him. During a pic-nic at the edge of the rainforest his young son is abducted by a prehistoric tribe called the Invisible People, so called because they have mastered the art of camoflage and can render themselves practically invisible within the forest.

The son grows up as a member of the tribe and all but forgets his real father and European upbringing. The damn project reaches fruition many years later and the forest clearance to make room for it encroaches on the home land of the invisible people at which point they realise their way of life is about to be destroyed. The son becomes their defacto leader in the fight to save their forest and the ending is practically identical to the ending of Avatar, except a lot more realistic.

You can also read the excellent book The Emerald Forest by Robert Holdstock which is even better than the film.

http://www.amazon.com/Boormans-Emerald-Forest-Robert-Holdstock/dp/091843...

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