Hi,
Well, Avatar, it was Thursday last week when I saw the 3D version and I didn’t want to jump into my review straight away. So I thought about it, let the images sink in, see if they stayed with me over the weekend and they did well until I saw Where the Wild Things Are, but that will come next.
So did it live up to the hype? Yes it did.
Did it blow me away? Yes it did.
Is it a giant leap forward for Cinema? Not too sure, it’s beyond anything I’ve seen so far, how far I’m not really sure; I mean Star Trek’s SFX looked remarkable as well. However the human element of the film was totally seamless due to the motion capture technique that Cameron used. Now this was stunning and beyond anything I have seen or even expected in this film.
James Cameron (Titanic) directs his first major film in 12 years and it is something remarkable, if unoriginal in it’s story, he unleashes such a visually stunning film that I was actually glad I didn’t have to pay too much attention to the plot. It was laid out like a road map, start here, finish there and along the way you will see this happen. Yep, A, B, C storytelling, but for some reason it didn’t hurt this film at all. I didn’t walk out saying the plot is garbage, the script was rubbish, it just didn’t matter for that viewing. But will it start to matter after I’ve seen it a few more times, when I’m passed the visually awe will the story be enough – that I’m afraid may not be the case. It may just remain a visual treat, but that alone will never get it to my number 1 film!
The cast were good, I do like Sam Worthington, he’s not been asked to really perform as yet, but in the roles I’ve seen him in, I’ve seen enough evidence to prove he can carry a film. Zoe Saldana was amazing as Neytiri this was the performance of the film. Stephen Lang was menacing enough as the war hungry Colonel and Sigourney Weaver, Giovanni Ribisi were also very good.
I’m not harping on about the story; it’s Pocahontas in space, simple with a pretty average script, nothing to really get excited about. But the action is great, the pacing is great, 2 hours 40 minutes flew by as fast as a banshee!
But what was really exciting was Pandora, the planet Cameron has imagined for this film, now this new world made the film for me. The plant life, the animals, and of course the Na’vi are all amazingly brought to life, and it all worked for me. It was a mind-blowing, visually stunning trip to another world. And it’s this which is dragging me back for more, because I believe I didn’t see half off what Cameron wanted me to see in those deep dark jungles of Pandora.
I will visit Pandora again, this time at the IMAX and maybe even one more time at a normal screen, because I really do want to go back!
Overall simple story and average script overshadowed by mind-blowing visuals - Outstanding (10/10)
Thoroughly enjoyed this film. Cowboys and Indians in space. The effects were outstanding, it must be seen in 3D (wonder what it's like in 2D?). The story was pretty standard and the script wasn't bad at all (no major George Lucas moments). The measure of the film is if it held my attention until the end as it was quite long and the answer is it did. The scenery played just as big a role as the cast (this was quite something else and given 3D you were transported onto Pandora). The cast were all good no real outstanding perfomances but equally no bad ones. Overall 10/10
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