*** Official AVATAR Review Thread with a few thoughts from Ron Epstein

I saw it today in Digital 3D. I give it 9/10. It is groundbreaking and truly immersive. I was surprised how seamless the effects were and note to special effects directors, you don't have to sacrifice story and acting because there are a lot of complicated effects, that's just an excuse. A movie could have both tones of effects from start to finish and good story/acting.

I was surprised how I didn't get tired of the 3D effects and no need to remove the glass for a few moments. The other 3D feature I saw this year was Pixar's UP and I got tired several times even that it's a short movie (maybe I was tired that day I don't know).

I saw it today in digital 3D and I agree with everything Ron said. 9/10
.....oh if it helps I was annoyed by Titanic!

Ron's thoughts echo mine exactly.  I also agree with Sam about the 3D.  I get motion sick on a merry-go-round but had no problems with the 3D effects or the glasses.

I saw it this morning and thought it was excellent. I think the movie is a little disorienting at first (maybe it was all the info being delivered or maybe I was just trying to adjust to all the amazing looking environments) but once I got pulled in, I thought it was great. I guess everyone's mileage will vary but the familiar story didn't really bother me much because of what Cameron was putting up on the screen. After a year of big budget movies that ranged from very, very good (Star Trek) to just OK or bland (Wolverine) to terrible (Transformers 2), James Cameron has come back in and showed everyone how to do it.

I'm definitely going back a second time to see it.

I thought the movie had a cliche a minute, and was a bit preachy at times. But, for its visual beauty alone, I would recommend AVATAR. The CGI was nearly flawless, and the 3-D was great. I didn't see the film in IMAX, but in a regular digital 3-D screening, and I was very pleased with the brightness and clarity of the image. Definitely the best 3-D I've ever seen, theatrically or otherwise.

I didn't think the script was great(or even good), but this is a visual feast that I think all film buffs should see on the big screen.

 out of

Love at second sight.

I've viewed the film twice (in 3D on a fauMAX screen) in the last 18 hours.  I did notice some eye-strain on the second go-around, but I was working on 3 hours of sleep, and I was twelve hours between wearing the glasses.

My initial viewing was a good one, but not a great one.  I was awed by the visuals and the concepts, but somewhat let down by the story.  I even had a bit of cognitive dissonance trying to reconcile the sheer pleasure the film gave me with certain misgivings.  That said, after a few hours of sleep, I got more and more excited to see the film again as the second showing got closer.  Without having to live up to "Chuck Mayer" anticipation and hype, the story played much better (though my criticisms of Avatar's reliance upon cliches and types remain), and boy was the film fun to just luxuriate in.

As I mentioned in the discussion thread, I think the story was kept simple (and even somewhat familiar) because the visual density is so great.  They shifted the risk over to the technology and process and final look, letting the story always be comprehensible and somewhat comfortable.  In retrospect, I think that was a wise decision.  I merely believe there was some more room for narrative heft.  FWIW, my favorite scene from the script was left on the floor.  That is OK.  The film pushes you into Pandora as fast as possible while still ensuring the audience is on firm footing.

On to the actors: Sam Worthington has "it".  He's not the greatest actor, he's pretty good.  He looks good and he has a lot of charisma.  His strong turn in T4 is legit.  He's the heart and soul of the film, and he works it through his dialogue delivery for the most part.  I won't say he is a cipher, but he is not highly characterized.  Again, I think this is intentional.  Jake Sully is the audience's Avatar.  Zoe Saldana has the hardest task.  She's the lead that never gets to be seen.  And she delivers the most emotional performance.  I was impressed with her work here.  It wasn't emotionally complex, but I'm sure she delivered all that was asked of her and more.  Sigourney is as reliable as ever.  She still looks good, she still is a very strong screen presence, and she still delivers.  The real find is Stephen Lang.  Most familiar as Ike Clanton in Tombstone (a weasley punk who never gets what he deserves), this role is a far cry from that...a continuation of what (some) audience members saw in Public Enemies.  He is playing a type, but he does it marvelously.  He is the villain of the piece, but he's hard to hate (the film tries and succeeds to do so, but it takes some work).  He has the best lines, the best delivery, and he's given as many kick-ass scenes as the protagonists.  I'm willing to bet Big Jim uses him again.  The rest of the players do well with what they have.  Which typically isn't much.  They exist to push a quick beat or plot development, that's it.  None of them are exceptional, but they are all decent.

It's hard to call the effects EFFECTS for Avatar.  They permeate the film so deeply, I have no idea where they stop and other disciplines begin.  I'm not sure if the game has been changed, but the bar has been set rather high.  I actually forgot about them pretty early on and just watched (or experienced) the film.  They are so good, I was seeing shit that floored me and I didn't think about visual effects.  We could discuss these at length, but why bother?  Something will come along to challenge Avatar and I can't wait to see it.

I liked the score.  Sometimes it was VERY good, and sometimes it was a bit reminiscent of The New World or other previous scores.  The New World makes sense, since that movie barely used it, and the themes are nearly identical.  Still, I was impressed, and Horner has some truly great action material in this soundtrack.  All of the technical disciplines are exceptional in this film.  That is a given for a Cameron film.  Special notice to Mauro Fiore, who shoots a stunning film.  The art direction and design for this film is also a real treat.  From the awesome military toys to the creatures and landscapes of Pandora, it's a dream come true for conceptual artists to look at.

But the rubber meets the road with Big Jim.  No director is more involved with as many aspects of his film as Jim (for good and bad).  The direction is itself is rigorous and polished, with some extraordinary shots (not all of them actions beats either).  Those are spoiler material, so I'm sure we'll discuss them in the discussion thread.

This is not the greatest film in the world.  Nor is it one Cameron's very best.  But it gets the highest marks for degree of difficulty and achievement,  It is truly a movie experience, and a reason to absolutely NOT wait for the DVD.  Or Blu-Ray.  I had a complete blast on my second viewing, and I can't wait for a third.

9/10 but my highest recommendation.
Edited by Chuck Mayer - 12/18/09 at 5:45pm

Sounds like you and Adam picked a good time for your business trip!

Seeing it in a couple hours, but only the 2D. If it's as good as everyone has been saying, I will go back for the 3D version.

This is a review of the IMAX-3D film (not digital projection) presentation of "Avatar":

Where to start?  I was totally wowed by not only the visuals, but the use of the visuals to tell the journey that marine Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) takes as he, through unfortunate happenstance, ends up being the perfect candidate to replace his identical twin brother as an Avatar operator on Pandora, home world of the Na'vi, 10 foot tall blue-skinned humanoid creatures reminiscent of Mayans. 

This means Jake's mind is able to "jack" into a body that looks like one of the Na'vi, as it is a mixture of human and Na'vi DNA, but this Avatar body has 5 fingers/hand, while native Na'vi have 4 fingers/hand (perhaps the same goes for their toes/feet ).  Jake's brother was supposed to operate this Avatar body for a corporate mission, but with him out of the picture, Jake's DNA allows him the same level of neural sync with the Avatar body without hiccups and neural misfirings in terms of body control.

The film followed the well-trodden path of the Hero's journey.  Jake is literally a stranger in a strange land in a stranger body.  We swiftly find out why humans are on Pandora, and Jake's quick thinking on his feet enables him to be granted access to the Na'vi, with the help of Neytiri (Zoe Saldana), where Jake learns of many wonderous aspects of Na'vi life, milestones, attainment of tribal-like citizenship and of belonging. 

Overall, I found the story to be overshadowed by the execution of the amazing visual effects, but I think for a big budget film, it's intentional to not get too bogged down in the details, but rather settle for archetypes between sympathetic and not-so-sympathetic sides in the inevitable confrontation between corporate ambitions by the humans and the Na'vi.  I don't think I'm revealing too much considering that angle is in the promotional trailers and commercial spots.

I will offer that for a film with a 150+ minute running time, it flew by, I think mainly because the visuals are so well done that you can't help but savor the attention to detail and it adds to the immersion into the world of Pandora, with the lush and bountiful new palette of alien animal and plant life on display. The IMAX-3D was very comfortable on the eyes, and in no way called attention to itself with silly 3D poke-the-audience schtick, the 3D simply provided a beautiful extra (almost essential) layer of visual depth to the film's presentation.

Director/Writer James Cameron provides the viewer with interesting "camerawork" in this adventure that takes place on Pandora, some of it is thrilling, exhilarating, capturing the wide gamut of emotions from fear to joy through Jake's unintentional journey towards becoming Na'vi.  The care in its CGI "cinematography" has this way of selling this world to my eyes, and it's a testament to the care in getting it mostly right.  Every now and then, you still get a bit of that inertial lightness in the weight of the Na'vi character movements in action, but the motion-captured performances on the faces of the the Na'vi characters is a delight to behold, primarly because they get the eyes right, they move naturally and are never off-putting like previous efforts in this area of CGI character work.

In summary, I give the story a grade of B, while the visuals get a solid A+++, so that's an overall 3.75 stars or a grade of A-. 

If you're a fan of fantastical sci/fi cinema, you owe it to yourself to see this film on the big screen, and in 3D if possible.

I caught Avatar yesterday afternoon at a 2D non-digital showing. Loved it! The creativity and sheer imagination on display was very impressive. Did I feel that I was experiencing "reality" when the narrative was taking place on Pandora? No, but the CGI *was* extremely immersive and realistic. In particular, the motion-capture technology developed for the film is simply amazing! The nuance of performance that Cameron was able to translate from his live actors to their computer-generated counterparts is astounding, almost jaw-dropping. The faces, the eyes, the skin texture. Actual emotion! Truly. Wow is all that I can say, but having said that I never lost sight of the fact that I was watching CGI up there on the screen.

Characters? Zoe Saldana was a complete and total standout for me. Her portryal of Neytiri was absolutely wonderful, full of depth, and the beating heart of the film IMO. Avatar revolved around her. It was Neytiri who led me grinning and laughing into overlooking the films flaws and buying the whole thing hook, line and sinker. She was marvelous! The other standout for me was Stephen Lang as Colonel Quaritch. What a great badass! While his character was definitely two-dimensional, he projected a languid menace that made you believe every cliche that came out of his square-jawed mouth. Who would have thought that this is the same actor who played squirrelly little Ike Clanton 17 years ago in Tombstone? Great performance. Sam Worthington was also good, but his character didn't completely resonate with me for some reason. Obviously he was integral to the core of the story and in that capacity he did a great job, but his Jake Sully felt a little more like a contrived plot device at times than a human being. But that's a nitpick. He had a lot to stand up to in his costars Saldana and Lang and he held his own.

Certainly there were flaws. One of them that seems to be what a lot of people are focusing on is the simplicity and familiarity of the story. While that may be true I don't fault the film for it. There's nothing at all wrong with a familiar story that's WELL TOLD, and IMO Avatar succeeds in that department quite admirably. All in all I thoroughly enjoyed it, and the movie affected me on an emotional level much more than I would have thought going in. One reviewer that I read stated that after seeing Avatar he knew what audiences must have felt like after viewing the original King Kong for the first time back in 1933. Did it seem that revolutionary to me? Did it live up to all of the hype about changing the way we see movies forever? No, it didn't. I feel that the film is more evolutionary than it is a quantum leap, but it WAS an amazing experience and very solid entertainment. I think that Cameron hit a pretty solid home run. And hey, lucky me has a 3D Digital IMAX theater showing the film just 10 miles up the road. Guess where I'm going to be on Monday to try and avoid the crowds? Can't wait to see it a second time!
Edited by dpippel - 12/19/09 at 11:41am

8/10

Amazing spectacle but the story never grabbed me emotionally. That's because it was too derivative of other films/stories, and because the story was unsophisticated philosophically and the characters were very 1D (particularly the villains). So while I did enjoy myself, I can't see myself revisiting the film too often in the future, particularly since the eye candy (which is spectacular!) won't play nearly as well at home in 2D.

Saw the Film Sat 19 Dec at the Burbank IMAX in 3D.  Went with the Wife and another couple.

Movie was fantastic, and the audience was Awestruck, never heard as much as a whisper from anyone in the theater.  Best time I have had at the movies in my life.  Oh, I was sitting next to Kevin Pereira from G4's Attack Of The Show.

Everyone was blown away.

Bill

I guess I'll be the counter-point to all of the positive reviews, but I absolutely hated this film.

The FX didn't wow me like the should've, although I'll admit the IMAX 3D version does a very nice job at providing an immersive experience.  You really DID go to Pandora and follow alongside the action.

But the story was a total bore.  From the second it started I figured I knew how it was going to turn out, only I'd hoped I was wrong.  Sadly, there was not a single surprise in store.  Really couldn't have cared less about the Na'vi, the culture and customs just bored me to tears from the get go.  

The dialogue was cringe-inducing and, with the exception of Zoe Saldana and Stephen Lang, everyone was a bore. 

I am honestly staggered by all of the goodwill this one is getting.  I think it's one of the worst, overbaked blockbusters I've seen.  A lifeless, cliched bore - through and through.  

I saw this today in 3D and besides having a splitting headache afterward I had a good time. I enjoyed the effects and the world Cameron created but the story was lacking. It felt like watching Dances With Wolves mixed with the Ewok battle at the end of Return of the Jedi. The subtext of the movie has the subtlety of a bulldozer. Overall a solid 3 1/2 out of 5 stars.

"Avatar" is visually exciting film-making. The 3D is awesome at times. Cameron's fingerprint is clear: anti-corporatism element from Aliens and T2 (and even Titanic) is foundational, and his typical motif of weak-against-the-strong carries it along. Not "dangerous" like past action movies, but the action, when it it gets going, is breathtaking. Not Cameron's best work, but it's great, big-screen cinema.

(Or, as I said to my wife afterwards, it's a super sci-fi version of "Dancing With The Wolves". A gigantic, crazy high-tech, Cowboys and Indians movie)

Avatar is not life-changing. It's not the best movie ever. It's not the best movie this year. I don't even think it's the best 3D movie this year. But it's a must see. Because it's a visual and cinematic feast.

I liked it. I had the same reaction as others, Dances with Wolves meets the Ewoks. I kept thinking that George Lucas is either very impressed and is full of praise, and or wishing he could have done that with the Ewoks sequence of Return of the Jedi.

The story was predictable, but the fim did it was great flair.  

I had issues with Sigourney Weaver. I didn't like her character in the beginning and had trouble seeing her as anything other then Ripley. Only because of the environment the film was situated in and the fact Cameron was directing. But as the film went on, I was able to let it go.

Also, the casting of the Michelle Rodriquez character seemed very much like Vasquez to me.

Everyone has already said enough about the CGI, I can't add more, other then the design of the ships all looked like the next iteration of the ships in Aliens and has the same basic design language. 

This was the first modern 3D film I've seen and it was effective and not overdone. The production design and execution of the CGI were a feast for the eyes!

I forgot to add a mention about the score. It was good, nothing that was remarkable about it and it worked for the film But it just sounded very Titanic like to me, There was even 2 notes that sounded like it was going to swell into the Titanic love theme.

 My very short review (as seen on a digital 3D non-IMAX projection).

Presentation-wise the film is stunning. In 3D the film is well worth whatever the theater is charging for admission. In 2D I imagine the film will lose a lot of its appeal (as did Beowulf). Sound quality was excellent but I've never heard a digitally projected film to be anything less than stellar.

Has computer animation technology finally replaced live actors? No. CGI still doesn't look "correct" when imposed upon something real (Jake digging his Avatar's toes into the dirt is a good early-in-the-film example). But I'm a perfectionist and many people are not. I suppose for corporate Hollywood this movie will be a gold standard for animated films and in the long run that isn't a terrible thing (an AVATAR-style 'Ender's Game' or 'Sword of Truth' is better than none at all).

Story wise: Well, there's a reason all the commercials said AVATAR looked awesome. Because the story is pretty flat. I had the honor of sitting next to a soldier recently returned from overseas and I'm pretty sure I could hear his eyes rolling at most of the dialogue. The plot isn't anything new (as has been discussed at length) but it isn't terrible either. I suspect in 20 years this film will be watched exclusively by tweens, older teens and adults aren't likely to find much here they can sink their teeth into.

My summary: Watch it theatrically in 3D and bring the family. It just won't be the same on your 2D television.

Ever hear the phrase, "You can't polish a turd?”.  Well I think James Cameron is the first person ever to successfully do this, with this 3D process.  Ordinarily I wouldn't have gone to see this movie, as the previews didn't interest me, but the hype and 3D pushed me over the edge.  As I watched it, all I could think was this story was completely written around this 3D process; not the other way around like it should have.  This gets to the heart of the problem that I had and it seems like the story was more suited to earlier time of movie making; like the early to mid 90's.

It's hard to believe the guy who brought us Aliens and Terminator II has gone the way of George Lucus, with the -eye candy first- approach.  To me Avatar is more of a product than a movie and I’m just not buying it.

 

5/10 (5 for the 3D)

Avatar is impressive.  May be too impressive.  James Cameron has taken the remaining limits off movie making. 

The story does not do justice to the tech but is adequate.

I have been away from the HTF for some time now.  I won't stray too far, and I'm about to get to the reason I have come back, but imo we've been in a movie recession for too long.  My passion has been renewed by films like Star Trek and Sherlock Holmes.  Both great movie experiences for me.  But now to the reason I'm back.

This may quite possibly be the greatest movie going experience of my lifetime.  I'm not saying Avatar is my favorite movie of all time (although, I have no problem putting it in my top ten), but the experience is unparalleled for me.  I took in an 8:00 feature at the Regal Cinema in San Antonio and was mesmerized from the first scene to the last.

I am not usually a fan of the creature, alien, robot types of films that strive to connect you to the cgi laced atrocities emotionally.  For whatever reason, it rarely works for me.  In Avatar I was "all in" and connected very strongly with the tribal people of Pandora.  The score and sheer beauty of the colors and unbelievable world being rolled out before me was captivating to say the least.

I thought all the main characters delivered with great performances, both human and non-human.  I saw this film in 3D, and I don't know why anyone would choose to see it otherwise.  Breathtaking!

I could sing (or write, I should say) the praises of this film for a long time.  It is so awesome to have a over-hyped movie, pass my level of expectation.  Avatar pole vaulted over anything I imagined or could have expected.  For me, it was the perfect combination of a meaningful storyline, coupled with great acting, and of course special effects.  They will have to dub a new term for that now.  Big Jim tossed special out the door with this one.  Does "ridiculous effects" sound a bit...well...rediculous :)

This movie brought me out of my slumber, and now I'm back.  Long live Cinema, done the right way.

10/10

JC

Saw the Digital 3D version this weekend (IMAXs were mostly sold out except for the "Bowfinger" seats ). The spectacle was amazing. Of course the future will bring better CGI, better 3D work, etc. This is not the end-all for those technologies. But it does up the ante considerably, using the CGI to enhance the story but never to the point of detraction or distraction.

 

I considered the acting good to great, with the great performances turned in by Neytiri and Quaritch. Heck, the entire Navi main characters were compelling and well done. Weaver was her normal, solid self, and I find Worthington to be a very good leading man.

Sure Cameron's story isn't the most original, but it is executed quite well. And when you examine the themes in his filmmaking past, from Terminator to Aliens to The Abyss to Terminator 2 (and sprinkle in a little bit of the love conquers all element from Titanic, and the humor from True Lies) to me Avatar was the logical progression of all of those stories he's been building up to. If you liked those movies, he has elements of all of them in Avatar. If you didn't like them, you're not going to like Avatar.

For me, the best moviegoing experience since The Dark Knight. For those that don't know me, that's about as high a praise as I can give. Any nitpicks I had during the movie were forgiven by the experience as a whole, and that's about all I can ask for.

9.5/10

I was curious to see for myself why Avatar had grossed over 1 billion dollars in less than 3 weeks. And after seeing it tonight with a friend I'm not at all surprised it's done so well.

This was also my first Digital 3D experience, the only 3D movies I've watched previously were with the old red/blue anaglyph glasses which I was never a fan of. I was very impressed with the 3D in Avatar, the depth of field was amazing. I remember trying to swat alien mosquitos buzzing around my face, thinking they were in the theater. I even felt some vertigo in a couple of scenes.



Avatar is basically a sci-fi remake of Dances With Wolves, with some Fergully and Emerald Forest added in for good measure. It also has some plot similarities to the recent sci-fi animation Battle for Terra. I didn't care if the plot was derivative of other films I quickly got caught up in the story and characters and enjoyed the film immensely.

The various alien fauna were fantastic to look at and the Na'vi looked completely real (and sexy) to these eyes. You also get an inter-species sex scene thrown in, tastefully done. Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver and Stephen Lang all did top notch work, James Horner's music score the icing on the cake. 160mins just flew by. I'm already thinking of seeing... no, experiencing the film again, one last time in 3D.

5 out of 5. A must see.

I was really impressed with Avatar as well.

I felt like I was in Pandora through the 3D visuals.

Is it me or did James Cameron pay homage to Return of the Jedi ?

Especially at the end sequence I thought.

I also thought there were so many references to Apocalypse Now and the original Predator

I finally saw this today in 3D, I could smack myself for taking so long, and it was the most visually intoxicating film I've personally ever seen!

I was seated 5 rows back from the front and I almost lost all concept of time and space as the films visuals immersed me in a way that I can't quite express.

If any film or director was going to unseat TITANIC I'm so happy that it looks like it might be this one.

A truly awe-inspiring movie going experience that must be seen to be believed.

Five stars out of five stars.

I saw this twice once in 2D and once in 3D.  The 3D version was just awesome.  The movie is very long but I ddn't mind one bit.  This is one of the best movies I've seen in a while.