Jon and I finally saw Avatar and we watched it in 3D. Yay! It was good, but not great. I've said before I judge James Cameron harshly because he's better than most directors working in Hollywood today (plus he directed Terminator and Aliens, and I love both of those to smithereens). Someday I'll rank JC's movies but for now I'll place this somewhere between The Abyss and True Lies. It was certainly better than Titanic!
My problems with the movie were with the script. There's nothing groundbreaking here, Humans Are Bastards and they are targeting Noble Savages for their land and a Mighty Whitey is the protagonist). I'm also not certain why Sam Worthington is such a hot item right now. He's very good looking in a generic way but I wasn't impressed with his acting skills. Sigourney Weaver and Zoe Saldana blew him out of the water.
Which is what I did like about the movie: Sigourney Weaver plays a cranky but good-hearted scientist and I loved seeing her again. Zoe Saldana was the main Na'vi character. I never undertood why she fell in love with Worthington's character but at least she had a full range of emotions. Plus she kicked butt and I'll avoid spoilers but I'll say a common outcome with the Final Boss battle was averted here near the end of the movie. Bonus: Michelle Rodriguez, whom I always love seeing. No offense meant to Jenette Goldstein (who played a terrific Vasquez), but I always thought Cameron would have cast Rodriguez as Vasquez in Aliens if she hadn't been like 5 at the time.
Oh, and the main bad guy is a Colonel Badass and much fun to watch. The special effects are amazing and Weta, the New Zealand effects company pwns George Lucas' Industrial Light and Magic. The fight scenes are worth the price of admission alone and Cameron knows better than to use Shaky Cam. So my final verdict: Avatar = Pretty!
A Word From the Boss
7 years ago
3 comments:
We've not seen 'Avatar.' If you missed my facebook comments(i.e. 'rants') I think he stole the basic concept from Poul Anderson’s 1957 novella "Call me Joe." I could tell from the trailors. To add credibilty to my claims, I shall remind you that Harlan Ellison sued over 'Terminator,' settled for the 'undisclosed sum' and being Greatfully Acknowledged at the end of the film.
Hey, Glenn:
Yes, I did see your comment. There are so many good reasons to be annoyed by the plot other than who JC ripped off. Both Terminator and Avatar use a lot of ideas that have been around for a long time. Don't forget the "Starship Troopers" references in Aliens.
Not that that justifies lazy writing - but getting indignant about Hollywood stealing ideas is like getting mad at my cats because they shed on the couch.
I Still loved Avatar!!!
It is a good thing to take things lightly...and enjoy them for what they are....movies are just that... movies....to make us laugh, cry or whatever....just give us a break from the real everyday life....not to be analyzed, scrutinized or go crazy over....
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