[Mefustae]

It's a rarity these days to have an original sci-fi property gain so much widespread attention, and I think this movie actually deserves it.

Saw it last night at a midnight IMAX 3-D showing, and my mind was thoroughly blown. When watching it, you will plainly see the flaws. The clichés. The ham-fisted environmental messages. But you won't care. You'll be completely entertained and occupied for the entire 180-minute running time.

For those of you who haven't heard of it (though, this being a board for a sci-fi game, who the hell here wouldn't have heard of it?), Avatar is set in the near future on the distant forest moon of Endor Pandora. Rich in the element Unobtainium (**** yes), a Military-Corporate mining expedition is attmepting to deal with the local aboriginal population - the Na'vi - so as to essentially strip-mine the entire moon. The eponymous 'Avatar' is a vat-grown Na'vi that can be "possessed" by a human to allow better movement and study of the inhospitable forests of Pandora, as well as allow for attempts at diplomatic relations with the natives. You can probably guess that conflict arises between the scientists and the military, being agitated by the greed of local corporate supervision. Relatively straight-forward plot that nevertheless keeps it relatively original and never falls hopelessly into Steven Segal-style cliche or preachyness.

Bloody good action scenes, surprisingly good characters and dialogue, topped off with extremely picturesque visuals that never fail to be a feast for the eyes. When you get right down to it, Avatar is generally a very good viewing experience, and easily one of the best sci-fi films I've had the privilege to see. Highly recommended.

Anyone else seen it, yet?

[Snail]

If it's another one of those "Ewoks pawn Empire" deals count me out. Enough is enough.

[Uchuujinsan]

Seen it on wednesday, liked the first 2/3, didn't like the last third, because it was too predictable - and stupid.

Well, the story isn't too great, but the visuals, the visuals!
And dear marine, if you have to

Spoiler:

destroy attack helis flying under mountains, remember 2 things: gavity and rocks

[Mefustae]

If it's another one of those "Ewoks pawn Empire" deals count me out. Enough is enough.

Possibly, but keep in mind these Ewoks have giant pterodactyls, massive alien horses, and are 8 feet tall with carbon fibre bones and neurotoxins that can stop your heart in under a minute.

[General Battuta]

If it's another one of those "Ewoks pawn Empire" deals count me out. Enough is enough.

It is, but done right, i.e.

Spoiler:

the 'Ewoks' get slaughtered

Let me quote Mefustae:

Saw it last night at a midnight IMAX 3-D showing, and my mind was thoroughly blown. When watching it, you will plainly see the flaws. The clichés. The ham-fisted environmental messages. But you won't care. You'll be completely entertained and occupied for the entire 180-minute running time.

I'd pick District 9 above it, yes, but it was still brilliant and exceeded my own personal hype for it.

What an incredibly well-realized bit of worldbuilding, on both the human and Na'Vi sides.

And if anybody gets hung up on GRAR SPACE MARINES SHOULD KILL ALIEN FAUNA, yes, the movie is quite in agreement with you, and handles it all quite realistically. There is no silly Ewok-style destruction of war machines.

What you will get, however, is a planet with quite a few more tricks up its sleeve than you'd anticipate, including natives with carbon-reinforced bones who spend their day-to-day lives performing feats of incredible dexterity and strength in an environment of hellish selective pressure. And that's the least of it.

[Bobboau]

apparently this is quite literally the movie digital 3d was invented for.

[Mefustae]

Nuuuuuuke! *Shakes fist*

[Flipside]

And it's only one 'f' in Smurf

[tinfoil]

I saw the trailer. It looked like some 15 year old nerd made it in blender. It also looked plotless and unoriginal. Then I saw the reviews and went "WHAT? NO WAY." So I'm conflicted. Is it A) worth my ten bucks and B) at all likely to cause the average girl to ask why exactly we saw that when New Moon was playing at the same time.

[Scotty]

To the first, I don't know.  To the second, there isn't a movie on the face of the Earth that has that effect at this point in time.

[tinfoil]

Thank Allah, God and the Flying Spaghetti Monster; in this particular specimen you will find only a passing interest (or so she says) in seeing some prick in need of serious dental work take his shirt off. Assuming that she's lying, but also taking into account matters of personality I think another good movie would provide a fine distraction.

Will Avatar cut it? Because I'm not willing to take too much of a risk.

[MR_T3D]

after i meet with friends watching it ATM for drinks, i'll tell you.
maybe midnight->3AM EST

[iamzack]

Agreed with Tura.

[Turambar]

It's good.  If you are right about what she wants to see (shirtless men), maybe the shirtless aliens will do well enough.

the 3d business really helped give things a sense of scale.  Overall, I thought it was all great.


now it's time to see if i can make crysis play nice with these plastic 3d glasses!

also, smurfs are small and puny.  these aliens would crush your skull like it was a grapefruit.  I propose a thread title change to "thunder-smurfs are on the move, thunder-smurfs are loose!"

Much more appropriate.

[MR_T3D]

It's good.  If you are right about what she wants to see (shirtless men), maybe the shirtless aliens will do well enough.

the 3d business really helped give things a sense of scale.  Overall, I thought it was all great.


now it's time to see if i can make crysis play nice with these plastic 3d glasses!

also, smurfs are small and puny.  these aliens would crush your skull like it was a grapefruit.  I propose a thread title change to "thunder-smurfs are on the move, thunder-smurfs are loose!"

Much more appropriate.

thundersmurfs sounds better.
... I wonder what this movie will do to the social acceptacne of furries.... or how furry fans will react to it...

[Nuke]

technically it was a reference to a recent south park episode which made fun of the movie in question.

[NGTM-1R]

I'm sick of your Green Aesops, mother****ers. I don't care how you package them.

[General Battuta]

I'm sick of your Green Aesops, mother****ers. I don't care how you package them.

It's a parable about the colonization of the Americas/many other places, except it extirpates the guilt by letting the natives win. In a thankfully plausible way.

Get over your grognard disbelief that anyone packing all that hardware could lose a fight to a bunch of Captain Planet fans and go see it. It's fantastic, and not at all Luddite. Particularly fun to see the huge alien warriors using captured human throat mics.

[Mefustae]

My only major qualm was:

Spoiler:

Why did Michelle Rodriguez have to die? Why!?

[NGTM-1R]

Get over your grognard disbelief that anyone packing all that hardware could lose a fight to a bunch of Captain Planet fans and go see it. It's fantastic, and not at all Luddite. Particularly fun to see the huge alien warriors using captured human throat mics.

You lost me at the grognards disbelief, since I said nothing about that. In truth, I draw great amusement from that particular portion of the movie as technology's revenge.

But I still don't care about the packaging. I don't care what it's a parable of. The story it wants to tell is about the evils of the technology users. It's Luddite whether it wants to be or not...and frankly if it didn't want to be somebody ****ed up bigtime, because that's what a rather significant percentage of people will draw from it regardless. There are times where you can go "yeah I see how you drew that conclusion but that's still bat****" and then there's...well there's Avatar.