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James Cameron's 'Avatar'
- Thread starter MBX
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Avatar got bashed a bit on the red carpet last night. I haven't seen it yet but it was pretty unclassy to see that actor (don't know his name, young black guy) give an interview and bash Cameron's movie saying it wasn't a real movie at all..
I didn't see that but I doubt given how successful James Cameron is that he will be too bothered. The proof is in the ticket sales. $2 billion and counting...
To be fair-- making a multi-million dollar movie SHOULD be hard work. ;D
But I totally agree, to be VASTLY original in this day and age, would be a miracle. haha.
People look at the Oscars as being some arbiter of the GREATEST MOVIE OF ALL TIME, when really, it's the best movie on the day the ballots were due, and not much more. Star Wars is a good example of that. People will be talking about SW for 100 years as making myths in the 20th century, yet it lost to Annie Hall. While a fine picture, and maybe Woody Allen's best, it'll be a Final Jeopardy question in the not-too-distant future.
Having said all that, I think Avatar didn't try hard enough with plot or characterization. Cameron went for an easy story, telegraphed about 15 minutes into the picture. Had he broken some ground, shattered some stereotypes, he might have one more Oscar.
mt
Having said all that, I think Avatar didn't try hard enough with plot or characterization. Cameron went for an easy story, telegraphed about 15 minutes into the picture. Had he broken some ground, shattered some stereotypes, he might have one more Oscar.
mt
Exactly. Four Oscars and the biggest grossing film of all time. How anyone can say that's a loss I don't know
Oh - it's an exceptionally successful movie, of that there is no doubt.
That doesn't make it a good movie.
That doesn't make it a good movie.
No- it doesn't. The only thing special about Avatar were the special effects. We've seen and heard the story countless times. It was very weak story wise, and I do not think it will stand the test of time, I really don't.
Now- the new Star Trek? Yeah- that's got legs for decades. But it's got an interesting plot to go along with interesting ideas and effects. That is what makes a great film.
I don't agree that Avatar was "weak" story wise. Its mythic story structure hit every note and very well. I loved Star Trek too, but on the same scale I don't think one film or the other comes out a winner (story wise). If you're saying "It's not original" or something like that, sure yeah, but sitting in a 3D IMAX theater riding along with Jake Sulley on his Great Leonopteryx, I'll be alright.
Meanwhile, I'm just counting the days until Avatar comes out on Blu-ray. Until then I've got a russian cam-version on my iPhone.
I don't agree that Avatar was "weak" story wise. Its mythic story structure hit every note and very well. I loved Star Trek too, but on the same scale I don't think one film or the other comes out a winner (story wise). If you're saying "It's not original" or something like that, sure yeah, but sitting in a 3D IMAX theater riding along with Jake Sulley on his Great Leonopteryx, I'll be alright.
It's not original, and it was weak story-wise. The characters were two dimensional and flat as pancakes. If you simply want to ride on a Leonopteryx, well then that's fine. But that's not story-telling, it's special effects.
And honestly, Avatar is not something I will see again. I saw it, it was good, but once was enough. Star Trek on the other hand? Watched it countless times. The twists and turns were great, and they took an old idea and made it into something new, fresh and exciting.
Nahh. It wasn't weak. It was a crumbling mess of pure nothingness. A structure that hit every note and well? Wow. You must have very very very very very low standards for films.
My biggest problem was the characterization- they were all archetypes with no depth whatsoever:
Military guy
Business guy
Scientist
Unlikely hero
Love interest
They spent all that money on effects, couldn't they have paid the writers a little more for something better? This was paint-by-numbers.
Jesus, you must have really hated it. What were you expecting when you walked in? I expected to be entertained and have fun because I love science fiction. What I didn't expect is to have some brit insult me for my taste in movies.
Jesus, you must have really hated it. What were you expecting when you walked in? I expected to be entertained and have fun because I love science fiction. What I didn't expect is to have some brit insult me for my taste in movies.
Why is his being British relevant?
This is why I enjoyed it in the cinema in 3D and why I won't be buying the DVD (or Bluray).
To watch a Cameron movie is always to go to Carnegie Hall and watch a confident man in a tuxedo bow curtly, seat himself at a mirror-gloss grand piano under a single spot, wait patiently for a pregnant hush to fall over the crowd, then launch into an especially passionate rendering of Für Elise. He is exceedingly good at what he does, but you have to know not to expect more than you signed up for.
For me the most painful part of Avatar was the sense that Cameron wanted to say more than he actually managed to. The message, to the extent there was one, was muddled at best.
I agree it won exactly the Oscars it should have, except I have a minor concern about Cinematography when we've reached the age that cinematography and visual effects are practically the same thing, and actually I didn't think the live action cinematography was all that brilliant on its own merits.
I haven't seen Avatar yet (don't plan to baed on reviews) but I did see The Hurt Locker; glad to see this pro-military film win the Oscars and I was very impressed by Director Kathryn Bigelow's kind words to the warfighters in Iraq and Afghanistan upon her Oscar acceptance...kudos to her for her awards! One of the problems with sci fi films like Avatar, in my opinion, is that they are mostly computer generated is they seem a dime a dozen now... lots of such like films being offered (Alice in Wonderland, Star Trek, etc.,) but I know Avatar was a top grossing film but aparently the Academy sees realistic films like The Hurt Locker differently than the paying public...
And The Hurt Locker a "pro-military film"? It was an observation. It wasn't "pro" anything. It was completely unbiased, which is why I liked it.