Scream Man Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 The first time i saw this movie it was called Dances with Wolves. I then saw some B grade cartoon version called Pocahontis, and a bit more recently a version dubbed the last Samurai. This one brought very little else to the table. Was it pretty? Yeah for sure. But goddam it was long and pretty boring. I saw the trailer, wrote a synopsis on a piec eof paper and sealed it, then gave it to my wife. After the movie I had her open it and read it, and I had 100% correctly guessed every plot turn. Pass. Go see Zombieland again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eriku Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 All I want to know is if they were able to obtain any unobtainium and, if so, did such an act require the mineral to be renamed "obtainium"? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarrinG Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 Saw it last night in 3D. Visually stunning, mostly predictable. The part I hated the most was the liberal agenda slant of "we killed our mother earth" now we'll do the same here yada yada yada. But in short its a must see for anyone on this forum. Definitely more than a few heart pounding scenes and worth every penny to see it on the big screen . . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
007-vf1 Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 Nice movie..Plot was quite predictable but the scenery and 3d effects were awesome. I would recommend anyone who wants to see it just to get lost in the fauna and flora of Pandora and forget everything else.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wanzerfan Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 (edited) Mah poo don't stink like normal people. Bow down before my awesomeness mortal! Mwahahahahaha! Seriously, I dunno, probably something to do with being an Admin. Graham Riddick's sh*t doesn't stink, and you're not Riddick!!! From what I've read so far, I would probably like Borderlands' version of Pandora better than Cameron's Edited December 21, 2009 by Wanzerfan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob joe mac Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 (edited) Saw it and loved it Visuals - The "3-D" was mindblowing , it was also the first modern 3-d movie I've seen, everything was so lush and well detailed I was never bored because there was SO much to look at. Plot - Nothing groundbreaking but I never expected it to be. Nice homages to some science fiction and fantasy works to really show how big a fan Cameron is himself. Although the similarities to Speaker of the Dead were kinda to blatant. Characters - Loved the ones I should love and hated the ones I should hate. Blah blah blah stereotypes I don't mind the stereotypes in fact I find the huge self destructive hate, tormented past, revenge driven main characters of today are irritaing and I enjoy a character with no elaborate backstory. Action - When it was there it was done fantastic. Problems - I had some questions about what this mineral did and why a giant robot would need a giant combat knife... *number 1 gripe with frontier as well* and some time the plot was toooo predictable but that also was some of the charm when things are so predictable and the lack of twists every 5 minutes it makes it even more shocking when there is no ZOMG twist. All in all I would say it was on par with Star trek and District 9 maybe even a step above for the brick shitting "3-d" visuals. 9/10 Edited December 22, 2009 by bob joe mac Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big F Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 (edited) Avatar is definitely a mile stone in movie technology in the way Terminator 2 and Jarrasic Park once were. I agree, 10 years from now we will be saying that about the uber new film out just adding Avatar to the list. As for the story, disabled ex-marine with poor health insurance joins future Shell to relocate some blue natives from their ore rich grounds. The ex-marine doesn't agree with company policy and since he is just an employee and not fighting for a country it's ok to switch sides. Not to mention that the Navi offer him better job benefits: A new body, on the job-education, some pussy, better rides (flying T-rex equals cool), a jungle resort and they have some imba internet. His consience and market economics do the rest. Man you'd had me at in built internet and flying Dinosaurs, but I am cheap Edited December 21, 2009 by big F Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EXO Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 Saw the movie last Friday night and I loved it. While the story was basic and predictable, I felt like it hit all the right marks and kept up the excitement. I didnt' feel bored at all and I was operating on 3 hours sleep. I don't know if it was me or the glasses but I really couldn't see the 3D. I know everyone in the theatre was amazed but I'm going to see it in a different theatre just to check it out. A lot of the leaps in technology are not viewable on screen but what was there certainly worked. I wasn't into the Navi designs from the start but once you see them in context to humans I think it worked pretty well. The fact that they were giants made their awkward form less awkward. But the part I enjoyed the most were the mech battles and action. It really delivers on what a movie is suppose to do and that's to make you believe in a whole other world. I believe that the technology is amazing but I don't buy that this will advance movie making that much because I don't think other directors will know how to take advantage of it. Only a few will even use it right. Everytie something good comes out all we get are a couple of dozen bad imitators. I just can't wait for the next cameron flick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duke Togo Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 (edited) Haven't read any reviews yet or any of this thread, but I just came back from seeing it and I wanted to post my thoughts. The movie is basically Dances With Wolves on the Solaris planet. Its good, but not great. Its very predictable, but I am not sure that really detracts from the experience. It took a bit for me to get used to the 3D, but I would wager seeing it presented normally would not do the film justice. I am not sure the special effects would work as well if not for the 3D. Speaking of the special effects, I was impressed by the magnitude of the effects but not the quality. CGI characters and locations look no better than they did a decade ago when Phantom Menace came out. They can just do more of them. I am sure this will get the kind of undeserved Oscar attention The Lord of the Rings trilogy did (hopefully the Academy won't make the same stupid mistake twice). So anyway, its a good movie, but not great. I expected more from a movie that spent so much time in development. edit: 3 out of 5 Stars. Edited December 22, 2009 by Duke Togo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vile Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 The biggest favour you can do yourself before seeing this film is to perform a mental switch from science fiction to fantasy. It's not new BSG, it's Lord of the Rings with VTOL gunships and power armour. I think there are so many comparisons that can be made - I thought of Laputa, Return of the Jedi, Aliens, Matrix, Nausicaa, Traveller (ok, not a movie but an RPG), but I'm sure that's just based on what I've been exposed to. The 3D CGI was definitely waaay beter than I expected from seeing the 2D previews. I agree that not many directors will be able to make use of it in the same way, but it's assuredly a great leap forward in technology (a proper one, not the big total failure disaster kind). Not a film to see for the story or (most) of the characters, but certainly one for the visual experience. There are very few times I've thought a film worth seeing for that, but Avatar is one of those. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nugundamII Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 (edited) Ok I saw it and i didnt need to go to the theatre which really worked out for me. 1st I think this film could have got me into a theatre if they were showing a NON 3d version. Something called a brain in me keeps telling me its a movie so i cant feel the need to fool my brain enough that its real. Or I could do shrooms and really make it real with out the need for 3d glasses. Plus all those funky colors would be all around me.... 2nd. I cant say I hated the movie. It was rather entertaining. The story was piss poor. Generic all the way through and through. Cameron is another Lucas without any writing ability. But its a scifi so I cant judge it as I would judge "the power of one" This film with all the tech to me would have been just as good without it if it had a good story and acting. Sam worthington is ATROCIOUS!. Same sort of droopy, moody monotone acting as he did in terminator. Where did this guy come from?? Days of our lives?? Actually all the characters had very little going for them in their acting. I was surprised Sigourney could not really deliver. She has been know for some power performances. I liked the planet designs. The creatures were cool. I just noticed a 4 legged theme going for all the animals and kept wondering why the Navi didnt have 4 legs or 2 heads or 4 arms....... The mecha was ok. Nothing special. I wondered about the power loaders and why they were so weakly armored. Nobody really used them with skill except the colonel. In fact the Colonel was the coolest character. I think a little overdone to a howa Colonel would really react. Usually they are more reserved and calculating officers. I may be wrong. So all in all it was enjoyable. Nothing Cameron spouted as the best SCIFI film EVA! 3rd. Some locations around me were charging premium rates for the 3d effect, shrooms would have been better!. God bless www! Edited December 22, 2009 by nugundamII Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duke Togo Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 3rd. Some locations around me were charging premium rates for the 3d effect, shrooms would have been better!. God bless www! I don't think you can honestly review this movie if your only experience with it is some cam recorded bootleg. I'd suggest spending less money on drugs and more on movie tickets if you want people to listen to your opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boota Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 It is just me or did James Cameron just promoted promiscuity in the most unhygienic manner with Avatar? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duke Togo Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 (edited) Reading some of the well thought out reviews of Avatar is really starting to change my opinion on this movie. I think there is a bit of the Phantom Menace effect going on here with me. I came out of the theater thinking, "ya, some stuff bugged me, but that was pretty cool." Then when you start looking back on it, the pretty picture you painted of the movie for yourself starts to deteriorate. I've knocked my review down to 3/5 Stars (down from 3 1/2). Pray I do not alter it further. Edited December 22, 2009 by Duke Togo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vermillion21 Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 Watched it tonight. It was good, not great, but good. As many have already said: plot is a pot-porri mixture of many sci-fi flicks we've seen before, combined with a 'new world' meets foreign invaders plotline. There were some spots were the film dragged a bit, but the special effects were amazing. Loved seeing the helicopter-gunships and mechs in action, and surprisingly there was a lot of thought put into the new world production design - from the animals, to the landscape, to the backgrounds. All amazing. Definitely catch it in the theater if you can!! The 3D effects did not blow me away, but were cool to experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob joe mac Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 So the number 1 complaint I'm getting from people is the "OMG we know! Love the enviroment, jesus stop lecturing us stuff"... now what I don't get is how District 9 can sit there for the entire movie and tell you all humans are evil and racist and deliver the same sort of messege I thought Avatar was getting at , respect people, and everyone was cool with district 9 but the moment a pro-environment thing is ever dropped into a movie everyone on the internet rages. I remember this exact same thing happening when Wall-E came out. People felt like instead of enjoying a movie all they could get out of it was the change your ways or you'll all die backstory of the movie, and I mean seriously how many futureristic movies show NOT evil companys and a happy earth that still is green. I don't get it. I could go on for hours about how strange this opinion is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bri Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 (edited) So the number 1 complaint I'm getting from people is the "OMG we know! Love the enviroment, jesus stop lecturing us stuff"... now what I don't get is how District 9 can sit there for the entire movie and tell you all humans are evil and racist and deliver the same sort of messege I thought Avatar was getting at , respect people, and everyone was cool with district 9 but the moment a pro-environment thing is ever dropped into a movie everyone on the internet rages. I don't think it's the message that irritates people but the way it is brought. These days grimmer and darkeris the norm for a lot of sci-fi. I guess a movie like avatar that portrays the victims as virtual saints is going to seem simplistic. Several franchises got a reboot that made them more ambivalent towards good and evil like Star Trek, Batman and Battle Star Galactica. Maybe the ten years used to make Avatar resulted in an outdated story model that was aimed at a late nineties audience in more optimistic times. Edited December 22, 2009 by Bri Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nugundamII Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 So the number 1 complaint I'm getting from people is the "OMG we know! Love the enviroment, jesus stop lecturing us stuff"... now what I don't get is how District 9 can sit there for the entire movie and tell you all humans are evil and racist and deliver the same sort of messege I thought Avatar was getting at , respect people, and everyone was cool with district 9 but the moment a pro-environment thing is ever dropped into a movie everyone on the internet rages. I remember this exact same thing happening when Wall-E came out. People felt like instead of enjoying a movie all they could get out of it was the change your ways or you'll all die backstory of the movie, and I mean seriously how many futureristic movies show NOT evil companys and a happy earth that still is green. I don't get it. I could go on for hours about how strange this opinion is. No I dont think its that I loved Wall-E and its message. Most films protray the darkside of Humanity, In Hellboy two I saw the best portrayal of Humans and the environment. Empty Souls. At least in SCIFI. I think the thing here the people or story preaching the message feels empty. You feel nothing for them. There is no tie in between the audiance and imaginary world. It just wam bam thank you mam affects and nothing else. It stimulates the senses without stimulating thought and retrospect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dio Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 So the number 1 complaint I'm getting from people is the "OMG we know! Love the enviroment, jesus stop lecturing us stuff"... now what I don't get is how District 9 can sit there for the entire movie and tell you all humans are evil and racist and deliver the same sort of messege I thought Avatar was getting at , respect people, and everyone was cool with district 9 but the moment a pro-environment thing is ever dropped into a movie everyone on the internet rages. I remember this exact same thing happening when Wall-E came out. People felt like instead of enjoying a movie all they could get out of it was the change your ways or you'll all die backstory of the movie, and I mean seriously how many futureristic movies show NOT evil companys and a happy earth that still is green. I think what sets the two movies apart in terms of how the messages were perceived (admittedly, both movies were quite Anvilicious), is that District 9's anti-racism message is much less controversial in the current times, compared to Avatar's environmental message. If D9 had been made 30 years ago, you'd probably see a slightly different reception from audiences. What I get a kick out of is how the main antagonist (Quaritch? Forgot his rank and don't feel like googlin' for it) is ending up as one of the most favorite characters by fans... out of nothing more than sheer badassery, even in spite of his being a complete Malevolent Bastard. Hopefully this trend will continue in Hollywood Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rick dieck Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 i just saw the movie today, i think its a very good movie, CG efects are great and one of the most good sci fi history movies Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duke Togo Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 Blade Runner deals with environmental destruction and the rights of living creatures far more effectively and intelligently than Avatar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
areaseven Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 Since this is a FOX movie, what are the odds of having an Alien vs. Avatar film? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vile Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 Blade Runner deals with environmental destruction and the rights of living creatures far more effectively and intelligently than Avatar. Well, yeah, but if you're going to compare films to the mighty Bladerunner, then you may as well consign the entire celluloid/digital output of mankind to the crapper-than-perfection bin! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anime52k8 Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 So the number 1 complaint I'm getting from people is the "OMG we know! Love the enviroment, jesus stop lecturing us stuff"... now what I don't get is how District 9 can sit there for the entire movie and tell you all humans are evil and racist and deliver the same sort of messege I thought Avatar was getting at , respect people, and everyone was cool with district 9 but the moment a pro-environment thing is ever dropped into a movie everyone on the internet rages. I remember this exact same thing happening when Wall-E came out. People felt like instead of enjoying a movie all they could get out of it was the change your ways or you'll all die backstory of the movie, and I mean seriously how many futureristic movies show NOT evil companys and a happy earth that still is green. I don't get it. I could go on for hours about how strange this opinion is. It's not the message, it's how it's delivered. District 9 does it in a tactful and intelligent way, using an original and interesting story to get it's point across where as Avatar just comes up and beats you over the head with it like a club before dragging you way to it's cave to repeatedly rape you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boota Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 It's not the message, it's how it's delivered. District 9 does it in a tactful and intelligent way, using an original and interesting story to get it's point across where as Avatar just comes up and beats you over the head with it like a club before dragging you way to it's cave to repeatedly rape you. The CG has lube-like properties so it's not so bad. Some even enjoy it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eugimon Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 saw it, stand by my "dances with wolves in space" comment but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nugundamII Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 (edited) Since this is a FOX movie, what are the odds of having an Alien vs. Avatar film? My money is on the alien/navi hybrid soldier Sharp Teeth Acid for Blood A second set of teeth fast stealthy claws teeth a whip like tail and he might even glo in the dark I give the navi about 48 hours With all the unobtainum talk the Name pandora isnt original either. One of our gas planets in our solar system has a moon called pandora just cant remember which gas giant Edited December 23, 2009 by nugundamII Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Einherjar Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 I thought it was good, even with all the parallels to older movies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghost Train Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 In the sequel (hypothetical), humans return 10 years later with a fracking fleet and bomb the frack out of Pandora from orbit and an army of Mobile Suits.... fast forward 100 years later and the human colonists are fed up with the Terran Central Government, and then send a shipment of unobtanium straight into the gas giant. This pisses off Earth which sends troops to pacify the region, and BOOM, The Revolutionary Space War I begins. The colonists eventually win with the help of another alien race nicknamed "Teh SPACE FR4NCH." They now start the Republic of Pandora. Meanwhile, 99% of the Navi have been wiped out by human diseases such as H1N1 and ED. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vic Mancini Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 I thought it was going to suck, but I ended up really liking it. (Opposite of my experience with D9) There is some hippy cheese, but nothing beyond what you see in any Macross series or film. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob joe mac Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 In the sequel (hypothetical), humans return 10 years later with a fracking fleet and bomb the frack out of Pandora from orbit and an army of Mobile Suits.... fast forward 100 years later and the human colonists are fed up with the Terran Central Government, and then send a shipment of unobtanium straight into the gas giant. This pisses off Earth which sends troops to pacify the region, and BOOM, The Revolutionary Space War I begins. The colonists eventually win with the help of another alien race nicknamed "Teh SPACE FR4NCH." They now start the Republic of Pandora. Meanwhile, 99% of the Navi have been wiped out by human diseases such as H1N1 and ED. lol read the Enders Game series. As I mentioned earlier Avatar heavily borrowed alot from the second book Speaker for the dead and your little sequel reminded me of the third book... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nugundamII Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 In the sequel (hypothetical), humans return 10 years later with a fracking fleet and bomb the frack out of Pandora from orbit and an army of Mobile Suits.... fast forward 100 years later and the human colonists are fed up with the Terran Central Government, and then send a shipment of unobtanium straight into the gas giant. This pisses off Earth which sends troops to pacify the region, and BOOM, The Revolutionary Space War I begins. The colonists eventually win with the help of another alien race nicknamed "Teh SPACE FR4NCH." They now start the Republic of Pandora. Meanwhile, 99% of the Navi have been wiped out by human diseases such as H1N1 and ED. :lol: :lol: Now you need to sequester yourself for ten years. Return from self imposed exile, borrow 1 trillion dollars on purchasing Super Macs and claim you have the best scifi movie of all time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaijin Posted December 24, 2009 Share Posted December 24, 2009 Whine, whine whine. It's a damned good movie. Can't wait until the Blu-ray/DVD comes out so people can all bitch about it some more after buying it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Einherjar Posted December 24, 2009 Share Posted December 24, 2009 (edited) Did anyone notice the quality of the soldiers/mercs that the corporation hired for Pandora throughout the movie? Especially during the mission briefing scenes, I started to laugh a bit from the looks of them. Some really let themselves go, I'm guessing they piloted the mechs. Edited December 24, 2009 by Einherjar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vile Posted December 24, 2009 Share Posted December 24, 2009 Meanwhile, 99% of the Navi have been wiped out by human diseases such as H1N1 and ED. But ... there'll still be Na'vi lapdance clubs, right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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