Sunday, February 07, 2010

Review: Avatar








What a Trip!


If there are any of you left who haven't seen Avatar yet, let me just offer a few words of advice:


  1. Yes, get a ticket and see it.
  2. You should see it in 3D
  3. You should prepare a bit first


Why see it?



It may not be the most thrilling plot you've ever encountered in a movie theater, but this is the reason you go to movie theaters, and not 'just wait for the DVD.' I have heard the plot described as Dances With Wolves with blue people. I never saw that movie, but I get the joke. I tend to watch Star Trek TNG reruns every weeknight at 10 for the same reason; good film or video should take you some place. Avatar definitely takes you to another place. It is money well spent as far as I'm concerned.



Why see it in 3D?



I haven't seen it in 2D, and I'm sure it's still pretty cool, but the total immersion experience of 3D just really puts this experience over the edge. These aren't just cheesy effects either.



Prepare? To see a movie?



I didn't know much about the movie outside of the basic plot. I usually like to see a movie before it gets ruined by modern day teasers and trailers which seem to spoil all the good parts! I'm not saying you need to attend a language class to speak the Na'vi language, but I would at least recommend you see the trailer that has been produced which includes background material. The main Apple trailer page for Avatar is a good place to start. I wish I had seen the trailer listed as "Experience the World of Pandora" before I'd seen the movie. The 'Featurette' is a short primer on Pandora, and some basic facts about the world you'll be spending over two hours inhabiting!



One More Thing



Go to the bathroom before the movie! At 162 minutes, try not to buy the big soda before you go inside!




1 comment:

Dave said...

It really was terrific, Geoff. James Cameron does a impressive job of taking a less-than-original plot and turning it into a film for the ages. Really well done.