The descent of a deity in an incarnate form or some manifest shape; the incarnation of a god.
URGA MOTW
Avatar
In four glorious dimensions! (yes, time is a dimension, people!)
Unless you've been in a coma or entirely cut off from the world for the last six months, you've probably heard of James Cameron's Avatar. I've known of its existence for a few years, but deliberately avoided learning too much about it or getting super-excited when the hype machine kicked into full gear a few months ago. This way, I could see the movie with minimal expectations and take it at face value. We all know how over-hyped movies usually fail to live up to the potential, so I have had a healthy dose of skepticism about how "good" this movie would be, considering it only came out last week.
Well, I have to agree with many other reviewers and comments from friends. It is good, and lives up to the hype. And I say that without a trace of sarcasm or cynicism.
The plot is nothing too original (Pocahontas in Spaaaaace!) and the characters (esp the Na'vi) are somewhat cliche at times, but there's nothing too terrible or groanworthy about it - these aspects are acceptably average, inoffensive and don't detract from the films real selling point: the visuals.
Avatar is BEAUTIFUL. And I really mean that. The vast majority of the film is set in computer-generated jungles with computer-generated animals and computer-generated aliens (the Na'vi). It doesn't look real (what with them being alien and all) but it looks amazingly realistic. You can lose yourself in this world, and forget about the technical wizardry and the fact that it's animated. It has been a long time since any film maker has successfully managed to create a world that is so alien and yet so engrossing - and the only times I think it's been done successfully before has been in hand-drawn animation or puppetry (e.g. The Dark Crystal). Avatar has kicked up the notch and made everything look photo-realistic - the detail is incredible. I was also impressed with many of the culture/biological aspects dreamed up for the world of Pandora, they may follow on from the footsteps of many other Sci-Fi authors, but many interesting concepts are used. It's a pity the plot didn't really build on this too much, but I guess a more complex plot would have probably lost the mainstream sheeple audience, so best keep it simple for the plebs, right?
The 3D is not overused (very little poking out of the screen) and allows a lot of visual depth for many of the scenery shots. However, sometimes when the focus point isn't on the immediate foreground, then it can be a little tricky to train your eyes to focus on the part that is in focus and not every little other bit of the screen (which doesn't work, cos it's always going to be out of focus).
Even if you only see the 2D version, this is one movie that really needs to be seen on a huge screen (i.e. the cinema). Don't even considering getting it on DVD - when it's out on disc format in a few months, it'd only be worth considering if you've got a gigantic screen LCD or Plasma TV with the top of the line Blu Ray players.
Avatar is a visual treat, far surpassing anything in recent memory. As many other commentators have noted, it is a milestone in cinema history, purely due to the technical aspects. It's not going to win awards for acting or screenwriting, but there's a good chance it will pick up all the Special Effects awards, and perhaps a Best Director award as well.
Then again, I can't help thinking - what if the hundreds of millions of dollars spent to make this movie were actually spent on environmental protection (as the storyline seems to proselytise)? I kind of hope Cameron and 20th Century Fox use some of the obscene profits this movie is going to make as donations to environmental charities, or at least start up their own charity.
9/10
Avatar
In four glorious dimensions! (yes, time is a dimension, people!)
Unless you've been in a coma or entirely cut off from the world for the last six months, you've probably heard of James Cameron's Avatar. I've known of its existence for a few years, but deliberately avoided learning too much about it or getting super-excited when the hype machine kicked into full gear a few months ago. This way, I could see the movie with minimal expectations and take it at face value. We all know how over-hyped movies usually fail to live up to the potential, so I have had a healthy dose of skepticism about how "good" this movie would be, considering it only came out last week.
Well, I have to agree with many other reviewers and comments from friends. It is good, and lives up to the hype. And I say that without a trace of sarcasm or cynicism.
The plot is nothing too original (Pocahontas in Spaaaaace!) and the characters (esp the Na'vi) are somewhat cliche at times, but there's nothing too terrible or groanworthy about it - these aspects are acceptably average, inoffensive and don't detract from the films real selling point: the visuals.
Avatar is BEAUTIFUL. And I really mean that. The vast majority of the film is set in computer-generated jungles with computer-generated animals and computer-generated aliens (the Na'vi). It doesn't look real (what with them being alien and all) but it looks amazingly realistic. You can lose yourself in this world, and forget about the technical wizardry and the fact that it's animated. It has been a long time since any film maker has successfully managed to create a world that is so alien and yet so engrossing - and the only times I think it's been done successfully before has been in hand-drawn animation or puppetry (e.g. The Dark Crystal). Avatar has kicked up the notch and made everything look photo-realistic - the detail is incredible. I was also impressed with many of the culture/biological aspects dreamed up for the world of Pandora, they may follow on from the footsteps of many other Sci-Fi authors, but many interesting concepts are used. It's a pity the plot didn't really build on this too much, but I guess a more complex plot would have probably lost the mainstream sheeple audience, so best keep it simple for the plebs, right?
The 3D is not overused (very little poking out of the screen) and allows a lot of visual depth for many of the scenery shots. However, sometimes when the focus point isn't on the immediate foreground, then it can be a little tricky to train your eyes to focus on the part that is in focus and not every little other bit of the screen (which doesn't work, cos it's always going to be out of focus).
Even if you only see the 2D version, this is one movie that really needs to be seen on a huge screen (i.e. the cinema). Don't even considering getting it on DVD - when it's out on disc format in a few months, it'd only be worth considering if you've got a gigantic screen LCD or Plasma TV with the top of the line Blu Ray players.
Avatar is a visual treat, far surpassing anything in recent memory. As many other commentators have noted, it is a milestone in cinema history, purely due to the technical aspects. It's not going to win awards for acting or screenwriting, but there's a good chance it will pick up all the Special Effects awards, and perhaps a Best Director award as well.
Then again, I can't help thinking - what if the hundreds of millions of dollars spent to make this movie were actually spent on environmental protection (as the storyline seems to proselytise)? I kind of hope Cameron and 20th Century Fox use some of the obscene profits this movie is going to make as donations to environmental charities, or at least start up their own charity.
9/10