Poll: Avatar, what's the big deal?

[rossatdi]

It's not going to change the world or anything.

Ahhh well. It is but not in the way you think. After Avatar films and motion capture technology is never gonna be the same. Also, I doubt pop culture is gonna come away from the film unscatched

I'm really worried this is going to encourage more CGI based films. As routinely demonstrated - CGI battling CGI is at best souless, at worst, pointless.

This is one of the reasons why Avatar has been labeled "A Game Changer" although thats a rather negative thing. The positive however is that motion capture technology now has something in can best and that future filmmakers can do even wilder things that we can imagine.

I'm not convinced. I can't remember a situation where I've seen a CGI thing fighting a CGI thing and cared. CGI was at a good enough level for it to stand up today in Jurassic Park and Starship Troopers. The reason: they used it subtly and reinforced it with real things.

I certainly wouldn't presume that CGI will allow wider things to be done. All I've seen from Avatar, as an example, is an incredibly detailed - but ultimately generic sci-fantasy world with no real soul.

Mother tree - check, native people in tune with nature - check, dragon but not dragons - check.

District 9 however, that's imagination.

 

[AngloDoom]

You tell me. You've made the 80th topic about this.

This is the subject of the moment really. If you search-bar for other topics I guarantee you'll find some answers. Although, as ever, I can't help but think all these topics are trying to flaunting just how 'unique' the creator is by taking someone else's viewpoint and throwing it in other people's faces.

 

[MiracleOfSound]

It's a wonderful, magical return to the days when cinema was all about wowing us.

My favorite movie in years.

Wouldn't agree that it's the best, but you are absolutely right.

Aha... I never said it was the best... just my favorite!

'Twould be rather arrogant for me to claim any movie was the best. No such thing!

It's sad how cynical we've become. Movies didn't always have to be deep and clever to be accepted.

Jesus, did you ever watch the original King Kong?

Go get ape for money, bring ape back, ape angry. Raar.

But it's still brilliant.

Distill any film plot down and it ends up being a cliche, unless it's some crazy experimental film.

Exactly. 9 Basic plots. I think it was 9 anyway.

I loved Peter Jackson's version too. I even got teary at the end.

 

[Arcane Azmadi]

I mean, yes it was pretty; but that's about it. There really wasn't any really significant plot twists that you couldn't see coming a mile away, there was no idea or situation that really made you think, and while the characters weren't as one dimensional as some other movies that begin and end with the letter "T", the characters really weren't that deep.

Given that your avatar (no pun intended) is currently Sherlock Holmes, I have to wonder how you measure these things.

 

[Shynobee]

But really, people just need to stop over-analyzing it.
It's a popcorn film, it's just to entertain you.
It's not going to change the world or anything.

this

 

[MiracleOfSound]

Someone please explain to me why Avatar is so great.

Spoiler: Lol, Originality

Your observation is even less original than the story.

True, but my oppinion didn't take fifteen years and $237,000,000 to be presented to you.

That's true... oh well, it was worth every penny in my opinion. They made it back in the first week too...

 

[L3m0n_L1m3]

Why isn't there a "Haven't seen it yet" option?

Because I choose that.

 

[DannyBoy451]

Someone please explain to me why Avatar is so great.

Spoiler: Lol, Originality

Your observation is even less original than the story.

True, but my oppinion didn't take fifteen years and $237,000,000 to be presented to you.

That's true... oh well, it was worth every penny in my opinion. They made it back in the first week too...

Explain to me why it was good, I'm genuinly curious about what everyone sees in it.

 

[ottenni]

I found the fact that after watching the film i could have a two hour discussion about how the biology of the planet would work (like how they do the synth thing and how that would have occurred). That impressed me. Other than that i like the pretty colours, explosions and the space ships. VROOOM!

 

[MiracleOfSound]

Someone please explain to me why Avatar is so great.

Spoiler: Lol, Originality

Your observation is even less original than the story.

True, but my oppinion didn't take fifteen years and $237,000,000 to be presented to you.

That's true... oh well, it was worth every penny in my opinion. They made it back in the first week too...

Explain to me why it was good, I'm genuinly curious about what everyone sees in it.

It mad me feel exhilarated and it was magical, entertaining and emotional for me.

I already did an explanation in a post near the start of the thread

 

[simply_simple]

It was okay but the story really didn't impress me at all. Nor did the charecters for that matter. The CGI was great and so was the 3D and the World they created was beautiful and amazing but if I wanted to see extrodinary creatures and plants I'd watch 'Life' or some other documentary.

 

[fix-the-spade]

I just really wasn't that impressed with it.

If there is a Imax within reasonable (or even unreasonable) distance of you see it in there.

It changes the movie completely, as a film it's a bit meh, hardly Citizen Kane and like Titanic ten years from now we'll look back and go 'what was all the fuss about?'

But in the Imax I was too busy going WWOOOOAAAAHHHHH! to care, it's an experience to say the least. It's also the first 3-D film I've seen that avoids the cardboard cut outs moving across each other effect.

A genuinely good film (like say, Saving Private Ryan, District 9 or The Dark Knight) filmed like that would be truly head bendingly brilliant, it's a great showcase for a brilliant new(ish) set of tools for film makers.

 

[Casual Shinji]

I'm not convinced. I can't remember a situation where I've seen a CGI thing fighting a CGI thing and cared. CGI was at a good enough level for it to stand up today in Jurassic Park and Starship Troopers. The reason: they used it subtly and reinforced it with real things.

I certainly wouldn't presume that CGI will allow wider things to be done. All I've seen from Avatar, as an example, is an incredibly detailed - but ultimately generic sci-fantasy world with no real soul.

Mother tree - check, native people in tune with nature - check, dragon but not dragons - check.

District 9 however, that's imagination.

My thoughts excactly. Realistic CGI leaves no real impression on me if it doesn't have that live-action element. That's why eventhough I kinda liked Beowulf, it left me sort of blank.
I liked the scene where Netiry interacted with the human-Jake, because there was a live-action human thrown in the mix.

And the visual design was indeed very bland. It didn't look any more original than any of the JRPG's I've played.

I didn't hate the movie, it was just very uneventful.

 

[DannyBoy451]

Explain to me why it was good, I'm genuinly curious about what everyone sees in it.

It entertained me.

Simple as that.

Wait, so the mistake I'm making here is trying to analyse it on an artistic and intelectual level as a piece of cinema, when I should just treat it as a popcorn movie?

It mad me feel exhilarated and it was magical, entertaining and emotional for me.

I already did in a post near the start of the thread

Yeah, I felt no emotional attachment to any of the characters aside from Lieutenant Colonel Kilgore in Space, and I couldn't take the Na'vi seriously. I guess it just didn't appeal to me on an emotional level.

 

[StigmataDiaboli]

Did you know Avatar is actually Ferngully: The last rainforest? Same storyline. WAY bigger budget.

 

[Daveman]

Saw it yesterday. It was awesome.

tbh, I'm not up myself enough to care about the plot not being twisty or whatever. It was immensely pretty and I really got to understand the world that was presented in the film, which is really the most important thing about sci-fi for me, it's about creating an intricate world and is less character driven.

besides, the plot is perfectly good because we know it works with much worse animation. I mean look how popular Pocahontas was!

Yeah, I went the entire film with this in my head.

Spoiler: awesome song