Thu
Dec 24 2009
01:57 pm
Go see AVATAR
By: sugarfatpie

OK, its apparently the most expensive movie ever made, and completely over hyped (though I managed to miss almost all the hype)...but really you should go see it.

continued...

Its kind of like Dances with Wolves meets Star Trek.

James Cameron (Titanic) wrote the script back in the mid 90s but had to wait until now for the technology to catch up.

Result: Mind blowing fx and a very tight script.

The film's message couldn't be more relevant to us right now, as we commit more troops to a questionable mission while doing far too little to deal our multiple long term environmental crises.

Cameron describes it like this "the na'vi represent something that is our higher selves, or our aspirational selves, what we would like to think we are" and that even though there are good humans within the film, the humans "represent what we know to be the parts of ourselves that are trashing our world and maybe condemning ourselves to a grim future".

Speaking of trashing our world, is a half billion dollar blockbuster what this planet needs right now? Normally I would say no, but this film has one unique quality that could exonerate it. It was created almost entirely in a virtual world, so its ecological footprint should be much smaller.
Granted, you still have the tens of thousands of computers that were required to make this beast, and the thousands of well paid programmers/digital artists and all their ecological footprints. Even so, I can't imagine that they would have a bigger impact than a similarly budgeted non-virtual production.

One could also justify this expenditure as an investment in technologies (3d digital rendering) that over time will require less and less human labor, and produce less toxic waste, while replacing older and often disgustingly wasteful film making practices. What am I talking about? The millions of tons of explosives, the vast sets/crews and all the trash they leave behind, the construction waste, damage to fragile environments...the list goes on.

I know there is an embryonic "green film-making" standard, and Avatar probably didn't follow it, but they did do much of the rendering in New Zealand, where most power is renewable based and the government has commited to 95% renewables by 2025.

Regardless, go see this movie. Its AMAZING!!!
Russ's picture

Shorter Avatar review

Submitted by Russ on Thu, 2009/12/24 - 4:00pm.

The following exchange occurred on Twitter the other day:

tma: Avatar: 3 hours of James Cameron trying to make you feel like a dick for being a white european emperialist.

RussM: Did it work?

tma: ....a little. The land used to be so beautiful and balanced and talked to us and WE BLEW IT ALL UP!

~Russ

sugarfatpie's picture

The land used to be so

Submitted by sugarfatpie on Fri, 2009/12/25 - 11:58pm.

The land used to be so beautiful and balanced and talked to us and WE BLEW IT ALL UP!

"the land" is still talking to us and increasingly loudly these days. Maybe you would have to be an imperialist to miss that...or just a dick.

-Sugarfatpie (AKA Alex Pulsipher)

"X-Rays are a hoax."-Lord Kelvin

Virgil Proudfoot's picture

Not quite the most expensive ever

Submitted by Virgil Proudfoot on Fri, 2009/12/25 - 6:44am.

That sort of depends. I've heard that it's only the most expensive non-sequel ever made. Also, if you discount the marketing $$$, it's even further from the most expensive.

At any rate, it's a terrific movie. The 3D effects are amazing and truly enhance the story, which is sort of a condensed history of imperialism, from Pocahontas to Shock and Awe. In fact, the expression "Shock and Awe" is actually used in the film.

It's a timely message, just in time for a Christmastime when our "liberal" president is sending more Americans to kill and die to build a pipeline for Chevron.

Terry Troll's picture

Avatar vs. Holmes The games afoot

Submitted by Terry Troll on Fri, 2009/12/25 - 9:11pm.

Saw Avatar Tuesday night and Sherlock Holmes about 6 hours ago. (First show) Avatar was my first (new style) 3-D I have seen and it blew me away. The plot was from an old western, maybe Fort Apache or something but Cameron did a huge job of grabbing you and not letting go.
But Sherlock Holmes was greater. Downey was exellent as usual and Jude Law was really the best Watson ever. I have been a Holmes fan since I went to Central and Mrs Masterson made us read a short story by Doyle. This is how Watson should be. He is not a wimpy, bumbling, twit but is played as an equal, a partner, albiet a reluctant one, to Holmes. Yeah, I know it is revisionist but it is great. The way things oughta be. Anyway both were great for different reasons.

Virgil Proudfoot's picture

Robert Downey Jr

Submitted by Virgil Proudfoot on Sat, 2009/12/26 - 7:58am.

Downey is always worth watching, even in a Guy Ritchie extravaganza. He always seems to bring the IQ of the film up several degrees just by showing up.

michael kaplan's picture

leave the driving to us .. and watch Avatar

Submitted by michael kaplan on Sat, 2009/12/26 - 7:34pm.

took the greyhound from knoxville to huntsville on december 23 and unexpectedly got to watch Avatar -- in 2D and without sound. the guy across the aisle was watching it on a small DVD player. it seemed to be one annoying sequence after another. the night ride - via nashville - was actually more interesting, both visually and socially ...

Virgil Proudfoot's picture

That's kinda missing the point

Submitted by Virgil Proudfoot on Mon, 2009/12/28 - 8:12am.

Watching Avatar in 2D without sound would be pointless, kind of like watching a sunset with one eye blinded and the other full of soot.

James Wilson Doe III's picture

Why bother? It's been done before.

Submitted by James Wilson Doe III on Tue, 2009/12/29 - 12:15am.

It was called "Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within". A much better film than Avatar was and it didn't even need to be in true 3-D. Without the special effects glitz I thought "Avatar" was little more than James Cameron's (cliched and boring) take on humanity.

I've heard that story before and since the visuals weren't that impressive to me, I really don't get what all the fuss is about. It was so boring, long and unimaginative script-wise that I actually left about two hours in.

Oh well. Still better than the "Mission: Impossible" series of theatrical abortions...

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