Have You Watched "Avatar" Yet? It's AMAZING!

[martharon]

Yes the trailer is amazing have to watch it soon. waiting for the dvd rip version.
i just love his movies

 

[Monique]

You will do the movie a great injustice if you watch it on your computer screen, you really should go and see it with some 3D glasses in a movie theater. I saw it in an IMAX theater, which was wonderful. The glasses did become annoying at some point, because they were so heavy. It was also annoying that you could not tilt your head (I was getting tired at some point, as mentioned), but it was well worth the money.

It's definitely PG13, there is quite a bit of violence in the movie.

 

[Newai]

This is rated PG13? Wow. This movie is extremely mild compared to what 12-year-olds are exposed to on a daily basis.

I watched this movie on my computer, and the night-time scenes were great; they were much more exotic than what I expected. The humanoids were very unoriginal, but I guess it isn't possible to sympathize with creatures that look like green flatworms. As for the plot, I haven't watched enough movies to say whether or not it's original, but it's definitely highly predictable.

I put in bold what happens to be bold.

 

[cronxeh]

I saw this movie 2 times on IMAX 3D, and 2 more times on my HDTV at home (yes I have a ripped copy). First of all, this movie has advanced concepts that are missed by the simpletons who keep calling the plot 'empty'. If you think this movie has no plot, you must be delusional. You don't get a movie over 2 hours and 30 minutes without a plot. That being said this movie could be a bit longer, maybe 3 hours at least. I wish Cameron explained the motivation behind the humans. 20 million for a kilo of 'unobtainium'? Ok. Then the planet is dying and they don't have any green plants left on the planet? Some other minor things that are not explained.

Floating rocks? Scientifically plausible. Don't believe me? Consider this scenario: the rocks are superconductors and the tree flux is a magnetic flux. Diamagnetic superconductor rocks are stable in z-axis and combined with lower graviation they stay relatively stationary in one place, supported by vegetation.

Do I have to spell these things out on a PHYSICS forum? Geez

 

[leroyjenkens]

People don't like the name unobtainium, but that's nitpicking. Maybe they named it that before they developed a way to get it.

What are you all 16, 17, or 18 year olds? This is ridiculous that people are calling avatar one of the best films of all time. Avatar was good the first time around back in 1990 when it was called Dances with Wolves.

The plot was completely unoriginal. That being said, I was still entertained. It had characters I cared about and of course the special fx. Avatar=3.5/5 only because the meat of the script has already been recycled 3 or 4 times already by other movies.

Yeah, I actually left the theater thinking I went in the Dances With Wolves theater. Turns out it really was Avatar, but I couldn't spot the difference.

The movie took a good plot and did a really good version of it. Doesn't matter if the plot has been done before, if it did good with a good plot, what's the problem? How does that take away from how good the movie is?
You can take the story from any new movie and go dig up another movie that has a similar storyline.

Floating rocks? Scientifically plausible. Don't believe me? Consider this scenario: the rocks are superconductors and the tree flux is a magnetic flux. Diamagnetic superconductor rocks are stable in z-axis and combined with lower graviation they stay relatively stationary in one place, supported by vegetation.

Seems like everyone concluded it's impossible and are allowing absolutely no latitude for any explanation. On a science forum you wouldn't expect people to think so unscientifically.

 

[BobG]

People don't like the name unobtainium, but that's nitpicking. Maybe they named it that before they developed a way to get it.

Unobtainium has a long tradition. Unobtainium

Engineers have long (since at least the 1950s[2]) used the term unobtainium when referring to unusual or costly materials, or when theoretically considering a material perfect for their needs in all respects save that it doesn't exist.

Clearly, the precise resource they desired wasn't as important to the story as the fact that they were after something they couldn't obtain without displacing the residents.

 

[Chi Meson]

Those who are fans of very, VERY bad science fiction will recall that "unobtanium" was used for the stuff that the ship "Virgil" was made of in the movie "The Core."

And not EVERYthing in a decent or half-decent SF film must be explainable. The problems arise when they attempt explanations that are completely false or implausible (see "The Core" for far too many examples of this; such as: "So everyone knows, Physics 101, hot swirling liquid metals create magnetic fields"). Even the superconducting scenario that has been suggested will only become annoyingly bogged down as the smaller details need to be explained. We have no idea how such massive, high-temperature superconductors could occur (not even synthetically, nevermind naturally) so that really doesn't bring it any closer to plausibility.

It's best to just go with it and say "cool." And if you can't get past the disbelief, then you're missing the fun.

Floating islands? Any fan of Yes album art (Roger Dean) from the 70s will be with me when they say: "Alright!"

"In and around the lake..."

 

[ibnsos]

Wow, I saw it yesterday in IMAX 3D. I had no idea how far 3D has come, truly amazing. The SFX are enough to make this one of my favorites, even with the tired, old evil Jarheads and corporations killing off the idealized, life loving natives theme.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

Was anyone else annoyed by the alien horses? I actually thought their movement looked stiff and fake. Not to mention completely unoriginal. I would have preferred them riding jaguar creatures instead of cliched horses.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

OMG, am I seeing this right? The movie is two hours and forty minutes long?!

Wow, that is a long movie. We were going to see it today but now I'm not sure.

 

[leroyjenkens]

The only thing I didn't like about it was Michelle Rodriguez. I just don't like her. She always plays the tough girl role. To get into character, she puts on a tank top and a scowl on her face. Then she goes on screen, says her tough girl one-liners and that's about the extent of her acting.

 

[cronxeh]

The only thing I didn't like about it was Michelle Rodriguez. I just don't like her. She always plays the tough girl role. To get into character, she puts on a tank top and a scowl on her face. Then she goes on screen, says her tough girl one-liners and that's about the extent of her acting.

You never dated a latina, have you

 

[Newai]

Was anyone else annoyed by the alien horses? I actually thought their movement looked stiff and fake. Not to mention completely unoriginal. I would have preferred them riding jaguar creatures instead of cliched horses.

I don't see how. They were motion-captured, just like the the humanoids.

The only thing I didn't like about it was Michelle Rodriguez. I just don't like her. She always plays the tough girl role. To get into character, she puts on a tank top and a scowl on her face. Then she goes on screen, says her tough girl one-liners and that's about the extent of her acting.

That's the extent of the parts offered to her. She's not at a point where she can be too picky.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

I don't see how. They were motion-captured, just like the the humanoids.

I think it was mostly their necks. Didn't seem right to me.

 

[Winzer]

I saw it in 3D at the theaters. What a spectacular movie.
I have not seen a film as epic as this since The Lord of the Rings, although Lord of the Rings still beats it.
The battle scenes were sweet!
The Colonel made a great villain.

 

[DaveC426913]

A friend of mne pointed out something really telling.

Cameron said he's been thinking of this idea for about 15 years.

You know http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104254/" 17 years ago?

The similiarities are startling.

 

[cronxeh]

A friend of mne pointed out something really telling.

Cameron said he's been thinking of this idea for about 15 years.

You know http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104254/" 17 years ago?

The similiarities are startling.

Wow thats.. funny/sad. It actually does look like Cameron ripped off the plot from that cartoon. On the bright side he created interesting characters and setting

 

[Chi Meson]

He said the movie came to him in a dream. Maybe he fell asleep in a theater?

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

omg i loved that movie, and you are so right. it seems others are picking up on it. check this out!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-SVpZrnF34

 

[Tobias Funke]

But the special effects look slightly less fake than other movies, so it must be good. Let's just stop finding fault with it and start buying Avatar merchandise.

 

[ideasrule]

Wow, it looks like this thread isn't dying any time soon.

About unobtanium: It's probably a good thing that the movie avoided mentioning why it's so expensive. Humanizing the enemy is dangerous. If you knew that unobtanium was needed to relieve an ecological disaster that would otherwise kill 2 billion people, would you still sympathize with the NaVi? Even if unobtanium was somewhat less useful--say, if it promised to revolutionize computing--viewers would sympathize with any legitimate human needs.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

About unobtanium: It's probably a good thing that the movie avoided mentioning why it's so expensive. Humanizing the enemy is dangerous.

yeah, I think they hint it isn't for humanitarian/benevolent purposes by them introducing the humans as private mercenaries.

 

[cronxeh]

Wow, it looks like this thread isn't dying any time soon.

About unobtanium: It's probably a good thing that the movie avoided mentioning why it's so expensive. Humanizing the enemy is dangerous. If you knew that unobtanium was needed to relieve an ecological disaster that would otherwise kill 2 billion people, would you still sympathize with the NaVi? Even if unobtanium was somewhat less useful--say, if it promised to revolutionize computing--viewers would sympathize with any legitimate human needs.

Who the viewers sympathize with is of no significance. The viewers do not affect the direction of the movie, they are simply passive observers. That being said a romance between the humanoid and the native girl is always more exciting than excavators. No matter how touching the human story could be presented, in comparison with love angle in the movie, the humans are just pests who overbred in their own right and deserve no retribution. You could push this idea so far as to say that this is the last of humanity and they came in search of water, and it still wouldn't make the viewers emphathize with humans

 

[Math Is Hard]

omg i loved that movie, and you are so right. it seems others are picking up on it. check this out!

Too funny!

From Bill Kroyer..

The Director of..

..Not much else, really.

I think I want to see Fern Gully more than I want to see Avatar.

 

[LBloom]

About unobtanium: It's probably a good thing that the movie avoided mentioning why it's so expensive. Humanizing the enemy is dangerous. If you knew that unobtanium was needed to relieve an ecological disaster that would otherwise kill 2 billion people, would you still sympathize with the NaVi? Even if unobtanium was somewhat less useful--say, if it promised to revolutionize computing--viewers would sympathize with any legitimate human needs.

A fact like this may make us sympathesize with the NaVi less (btw,NaVi? stolen from Legend of Zelda?) but it would lead to a more nuanced film. A film that is maybe less black and white, but more truthful. Either way, I doubt that's what they were mining it for.

Personally I thought it was boring. Yeah the effects were great, but they mean nothing if they're not backed up by a good plot, not a recycled one. Think about it like this, if Avatar were a book, would you read it? Most likely James Cameron would be sued for plagiarism.

 

[DaveC426913]

Think about it like this, if Avatar were a book, would you read it?

I like this. A litmus test for a good story.

 

[DaveC426913]

About unobtanium: It's probably a good thing that the movie avoided mentioning why it's so expensive.

One of the big weaknesses of the movie, and one sign of a poorly-written story.

Unobtainium is a http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MacGuffin" . (I would say "nothing more than a MacGuffin", but that is redundant).

Who the viewers sympathize with is of no significance. The viewers do not affect the direction of the movie, they are simply passive observers.

What a strange thing to say. It is the experience of the viewers that is the goal of the film. If the viewers got the wrong message (by, say empathizing with the humans) the movie has failed.

You could push this idea so far as to say that this is the last of humanity and they came in search of water, and it still wouldn't make the viewers emphathize with humans

I disagree. When you start ... uh ... humanizing the enemy you can' help but generate sympathy.

 

[DaveC426913]

My boy brought up an interesting plot cheat.

They went into the Fluxomatic Vortexification Zone specifically because it scrambled the navigation and targeting signals. But apparently nothng else, like the Avatar link, or the communications links.

Another weak plot hack: the bad-guy-technology-neutralizer-bubble. (At least in STII:TWoK, the Mutara Nebula neutralized good AND bad guys equally).

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Well, we only lasted an hour, but the 3D was impressive. It was worth a look.

I just can't get into the animated movies yet. They still have a little ways to go before they will be convincing enough for me to forget its animation. To me it is still like watching a cartoon.

 

[OmCheeto]

One noticeable glitch in the biology of the Na'vi. The tails are just kind of stuck on like a cartoon character. No real tail would project out at a right angle like that since tails are an extension of the spinal cord.

I've a tail that sticks out at a right angle that isn't part of my spinal cord.

How do the Na'vi reproduce?

See above.

ps. I haven't seen the movie yet, so I don't know what you are talking about.