have you heard?
loads of movies are seen by members of my household - somebody has to help the creators of film! so we had been going back and forth about 'avatar', james cameron's newest film... with a budget of over $200 million, one thinks of his blockbuster 'titanic'... so why hasn't there been a big stir? or did i miss it? or ~ i have another theory, but that comes later...
'the secret to film is that it is an illusion.'
~ george lucas
love, love, love fantasy and sci-fi... and i had heard about the incredible cgi in this movie... ok, that's great... but what about plot, characters? will i care? i can appreciate great visual beauty... but i want to feel... i want my heart to ride a rollercoaster... i want to pull for the underdog, i want to marvel at it all...
so i expect a lot... but i should, right, from a film with this kind of budget?
i had no idea that movie theaters were so crowded the day after christmas, i thought every one would be hanging at home, hungover from the activity... i wouldn't have gone anywhere, except that i had promised we would go... and it was pouring! my parents arrived at the first theater only to find it was sold out... so we headed to a different one and just got in on time...
we sat down, the movie started... when we arrived on pandora i was dumbstruck (ok, maybe i shouldn't say that, i don't talk in movies) i was awestruck...
at its core, the story line is not new... but then history keeps repeating itself, so it is quite relevant... in a way, it is because of this that it is so moving... so sad...
when a bioluminescent forest scene came on, all i could think was how incredible it must have been for cameron... how 12 years ago when he wrote the story and dreamed, there was no way for him to create this world complete with a new language... and when it got figured out, how incredibly & utterly rewarding it must feel...
it is in 3D, but not the kind that is used for shock, you know when things come flying out at you... not the kind that makes you sick... rather it immerses you in his world... it is subtle and necessary...
later in the film i was thinking about how amazing it was that despite the visual grandeur, i wasn't oohing and aahing anymore about it, the story had me in its grip... so seamlessly did he meld acting, storytelling and scenery that it was balanced...
'the length of a film should be directly related
to the endurance of the human bladder.'
~ alfred hitchcock
good point, oh master of suspense... it is long - 162 min... so don't buy a drink! you won't want to leave...
there are those who are criticizing many aspects of it, saying he copies storyline, but as i have pointed out - this is so relevant because the theme is universal and so of course it has been told before in different ways... people are pointing to movies it is like instead of the historical events that inspired those other movies... dig deeper, think bigger... that it is the way of a war-like species, a species that colonizes, that doesn't respect the ways of indigenous people... some take pokes at the spiritual aspect... ok, so now i am going to really stick my neck out and say that i felt at home there... i really and truly did...
but back to the first query - about why this isn't making such a stir... i think you will understand when you sit there... i think that you too will feel that you are seeing something completely different and groundbreaking... like when you saw the first 'star wars'... like when you read the harry potter books as they were being written, and understood that you were in on the ground level of something... that in a century, they would be considered children's classics and you got to read them in real time... i felt like this was the equivalent of seeing the first talkie or film in color... you know this is special... you know that things will change... but you also know that people sometimes aren't ready for it until others have paved the way...
as a mom, i took my kids - ages 11, 13 and 17... it is pg-13... blood is kept to a minimum... but there are battle scenes & violence... if your kids have seen 'transformers' or 'star wars', i think you might be ok with this... the epic battle was powerful... this movie is not all about beauty... but that makes it mean something... for neither is life...
'you should see your faces!'
~ trudy - the fighterpilot
i needed to sit through the credits (i wanted to actually) just to decompress and absorb... but it is an impressive group - skywalker sound, weta workshop, lucas films - brought in to create this world... i know i used a lot of superlatives in this post, so forgive me... but i really do feel this way... and if you go, and you are interested, do a search in your tv listings for an hbo: behind the scenes segment (i happen to have verizon, so it is in my search)... it will give you an even greater understanding... because when i got home, i wanted to know 'how' and 'why'...
Geary and I saw it, and I must say I thought it was one of the greatest movies I'd ever seen. And beleive me I see lots of them! The graphics were incredible and there was so much to see and take in we are going back to see what we might have missed the first time. I found myself a couple of times feeling quite choked up and teary eyed. Oh yeah, its just make beleive, but like you say, that story has been told many times and it hasn't always been fiction. Great review you wrote!
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year too.
you write a great review! i'm intrigued. it looks like a great movie. my boys say that it looks good (from the reviews on tv), but just that it got too much hype and then was disappointing for all the hype (if i understood correctly)...
ReplyDeleteit seems like it would appeal to different people for different reasons...maybe that's a hard feat to pull off and still please everyone...
and why, when i watch the fascinating trailer, am i so drawn to the jewelry??? interesting flashes of almost tribal looking necklaces...but i can't find any still photos of them...
You make me want to see it! None of the ad have gotten me excited and I've had a feeling a bit like Cameron is the "Wizard" and it's just another special effects movie that they are trying to generate buzz about. It's nice to know there is more there! As my little ones are still to little, I'll be looking forward to seeing it on blue ray! But still looking forward!
ReplyDeleteroseanne - i am going back too... feel like i missed things...
ReplyDeletei loved the jewelry too, cindy and was thinking of doing some inspired by pieces...
but what your boys said is kind of what i was getting at... it is so incredibly breathtaking... could it be jealousy in that film producing circle - are people spreading rumors? i don't know.. but that is what i found odd... also the aspect of some people just not being ready for it...
gaea - it is worth the wait (or a date night)... has substance for sure...
Wow! It sounds breathtaking. I'll have to wait until I can get my hands on a DVD though, the distraction of the theater setting will render any depth of thought on my part futile.
ReplyDeleteI think some of your fabric adorned pieces would have looked good on the girls, can't wait to see the movie now . xxx
ReplyDeleteI saw it, all four of us went just before Christmas. It has been a long time since the whole nuclear family watched a movie together, getting a pair of teens to agree not only with each other but the old parents too is a treat.
ReplyDeleteI have been bemoaning that my laptop is in for repairs, as it is the only computer with the right interface to work with my digital camera. Now I get to look at the tuft of hair at the end of my braid and sigh, because I cannot stick it into one of the computer ports for an upload or download. Well, I could, but the results would be disapointing.......
My jaw dropped open when the movie Avatar started and it stayed that way half way through the movie. I'm not exaggerating. I realized at this point what a moron I must look like and quickly closed my mouth. I have never seen anything like it. Period. And for me it wasn't just the 3D effects, it was also the story. Yes, it was your typical love story and you could easily figure out the ending but the mystical world was like none other. I would suggest anyone who is going to see it to spend the money and do it right at an IMAX theatre to get the full experience.
ReplyDeleteWell, after that review I must see Avatar, although I confess I haven't yet seen New Moon! My friend and I are treating ourselves to New Moon tomorrow afternoon with a Cold Stone Creamery chaser afterwards!
ReplyDeleteWhen I walked out of Avatar, after seeing it in only 2-D, I could hardly come back "to earth". Loved everything about it, especially the Gaia and indigenous rights apects. And the forest - oh, I long to experience the forest!!! My husband and I looked at each other and said "We have to see it in 3-D!". We immediately bought tickets on-line 3 days later and drove almost 2 hours to Charleston to see it. The 3-D was awesome but I enjoyed noticing all the things missed the first time. This is a movie I can watch over and over again . . .
ReplyDelete