Avatar

[BlancheNoE]

I'm not sure why I was not excited when I saw the first trailer for James Cameron's Avatar. I've always loved his work and being that I'm a movie addict and a big fan of special effects, I should have been all over this one. Maybe it was because I thought it would be too much special effects and not enough plain old good script writing and fine acting. I've often seen good writing and acting fall to the wayside in favor of the latest special effects technology. At any rate, when I began seeing severe right-wing and religious publications slamming Avatar as racist, and finally at the prodding of my brilliant husband, I bought tickets at the the closest full digital cinema and we went to see the movie yesterday in 3-D.
I was worried at the prospect of sitting in the theater seat for 161 minutes as I've been dealing with some health issues that make it difficult to stay in any one position, except horizontal, for any length of time. For the first time in months, I completely forgot I was in pain for almost 3 hours. When the first main character appeared on screen, I was so distracted by his closeness and solid presence that I thought I'd have trouble following the story line. When Sigourney Weaver made her entrance ( I say "entrance" as opposed to appearance because it felt as if she walked right into the room with me) I had the urge to jump up from my seat and gush " Ms Weaver,..I am your biggest fan...".
The 3D effects are nothing short of spectacular. The writing is solid and even original, though the moral of the story is an old one, that our race (human) *should* know by now. I was touched and saddened by scenes that were obvious nods to my own ancestors, the native American-Indians.
If you miss this movie on the big screen and in 3-D, You are missing out. James Cameron gave us one heck of a Christmas present this year. The amount of work that went into this production is unfathomable. This is the sort of achievement that will lead others in Cameron's field to do one of two things,....step up their game considerably, or lay down their cards and go back to school.

[Chig]

Hmmm..... perhaps I may need to check this out.
So listening to the guy who says "I don't need someone to preach to me/guilt me into needing to give up my microwave oven so I can poke a stick through a rabbit" might lead me to miss out on something special.

[BlancheNoE]

@ Chig- If YOU don't go see this in 3-D on the big screen, I will send cyber-cooties to infest your Aqua-Man underwear.

[spacemonkey1310]

Just got back from watching Avatar. It is a quality film. Not "escaped" at a film for ages but I did here. Brilliant!

[SydTheSkeptic]

The 3-D was fun! Someone in the press called it "Dances with Smurfs" which I thought was kind of funny cuz it IS the same plot, but you can't deny that the story's a good one and the characters are unique (not just cuz they're blue).

What I loved the most is that the female characters were strong and that the idea of the spirit being the life force of the entire planet...well, that's kind of a no-brainer for some of us, but it's hardly ever depicted in the way it is in this movie, with such beauty and reverence.

That scene where they're walking through the forest at night but everything's a-glow with the lifeforce...that's how a lot of us see it all the time (without the aid of drugs ;o) so it was special to me for that reason. I assume, Amy, that's how you see it. We are ALL descendants of an ancient culture, but some have managed to keep that spirit alive for the rest of us to remember and to pass on.

Avatar is a new telling of an ages-old story about the light within us and that which compels us to deny that light, altogether: The story of us.

[BlancheNoE]

@ Space - YES ! The last time I remember "escaping" so entirely was the original Star Wars. Groundbreaking stuff.
@ Syd - Damn. I could have just had you write this so I woulda' had more time to practice changing the TV channels with my mind. I make so much extra work for myself, I swear.
(,..and,..exACTly ! *MWAH*)