avatar.....did it live up to its hype?

[dt_toronto_geek]

gabe:

Saw it in regular 3D - planning to go back to see it in IMAX this coming weekend - will let you know how that goes.

AoD

Make sure you have advanced tickets or you aren't getting in.

I saw it on Imax 3D, a truly spectacular experience. I can't help but wonder how much of the effect would be lost if it were viewed in regular 3D. I'm sure it would still be a superb experience. The movie would easily hold up without the 3D but it certainly added to the spectacle.

Skip the regular 3D digital screenings if you can, stick to IMAX 3D.

I went to the Scotiabank to see it again today in IMAX 3D. We arrived at 2:30 for the 3:20 screening - SOLD OUT. No seats available in IMAX until 10:30 tonight, I couldn't believe it was so busy on a Tuesday afternoon with the kids back in school. We debated about seeing it again in regular 3D and decided to do it as there was nothing else playing that we were interested in or hadn't seen already. I regretted sitting though it that way a second time. There is far too much of the picture cut off the top and bottom, it should never have been formatted for "scope" (2.35:1). Cameron shot the film loosely so that it could play in several formats but should have released it in flat (1.85:1) for non-IMAX screens. I noticed the composition problems the first time I saw it but I was so blown away by the film that it was very forgivable, but not the second time.

The moral of this story is, if you see it a second time (or the first time for that matter) wait a few weeks until the IMAX engagements settle down and see it that way.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

dt toronto geek:

Make sure you have advanced tickets or you aren't getting in.

Yeah, I learned it the hard way already! Couldn't get the tickets for IMAX 3D so I settled for regular 3D instead last week. Still blown away. Strangely none of the theatres with IMAX seem to be playing it over the weekend...so I have a feeling I will be waiting for awhile.

AoD

 

[000]

 

[GenerationW]

^ lol

 

[gristle]

Definitely funny!

 

[dt_toronto_geek]

Thankfully Avatar is all about the visuals, not so much the story!

 

[drewp]

exactly my point........too much fluff for my liking

 

[gristle]

I agree. But if others enjoyed Avatar for whatever reason, fantastic!

 

[dt_toronto_geek]

Count me in under that category! It's hardly the best film of the year (though it will snag one of the ten "Best Picture" Oscar nominations, no doubt) but boy-oh-boy it's extremely entertaining and chocked full of stunning eye candy.

 

[Mikeymike]

I saw it and I enjoyed it very much. However, I am not sure how much of its impact was due to the very cool technology. Since it is said to be the first successful 3D movie, it might be comparable to going back today to look at the first successful talking picture -- something which is historically interesting, but not much more even though it would have had a big impact at the time.

Anyway, it had me enthralled throughout the entire 3 hours.

 

[bleeepbluuup]

If it is comparable to Grave of the Fireflies, then Avatar must be an awesome movie then.

IMO there are very very few movies comparable to Grave of the Fireflies in terms of sheer emotional impact. I saw it once around 15 years ago and still my stomach sort of clenches when I think of it. I'd like to watch it again one day, but I'd have to psyche myself up first, stock up on tissues and clear a whole weekend for the fallout. It is a thoroughly heart-breaking story.

Haven't seen Avatar yet, but am excited to see all the new-fangled CG. It's incredible how far the technology has come.

 

[Roy G Biv]

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/08/opinion/08brooks.html

Every age produces its own sort of fables, and our age seems to have produced The White Messiah fable.

This is the oft-repeated story about a manly young adventurer who goes into the wilderness in search of thrills and profit. But, once there, he meets the native people and finds that they are noble and spiritual and pure. And so he emerges as their Messiah, leading them on a righteous crusade against his own rotten civilization.

Still, would it be totally annoying to point out that the whole White Messiah fable, especially as Cameron applies it, is kind of offensive?

It rests on the stereotype that white people are rationalist and technocratic while colonial victims are spiritual and athletic. It rests on the assumption that nonwhites need the White Messiah to lead their crusades. It rests on the assumption that illiteracy is the path to grace. It also creates a sort of two-edged cultural imperialism. Natives can either have their history shaped by cruel imperialists or benevolent ones, but either way, they are going to be supporting actors in our journey to self-admiration.

It’s just escapism, obviously, but benevolent romanticism can be just as condescending as the malevolent kind — even when you surround it with pop-up ferns and floating mountains.