Camerons Avatar

[docm]

We go this weekend.

Cameron doesn't make many films, but when he does

 

[lildreamer]

Saw it opening night here in Ontario Friday night...
a visual sensory overload for the cerebal cortex...blew my neural net out through my ears....
plot is used many times over the years...but in this case you don't care...
everything from this world seems to gel just right...characters, flora and fauna
emotional attachment to characters
technology
all fits nicely and lets you forget about the real world for 164 minutes....
its a keeper and when on BLue and DVD - going to scoop it up...

 

[docm]

Same here re: getting the discs.

Our crew loved it and a totally full theater was oohing and aahing for the duration. Too many times to count people ducked as the 3D seemed to fly off the screen

Didn't find it too long at all as we let ourselves suspend disbelief and go for the ride. Dances With Wolves was too long, but not Avatar.

At the end it got a rare thing: a standing ovation from a full house. Haven't seen that in a movie theater for a long time.

The DVD/BR sales are going to be massive, and likely provide the driving force for the new BR-3D standard that was just announced to get off the ground.

 

[doublehelix]

Hoping to see it this week.

The front page has an article on Avatar, FYI:

The Real Science of 'Avatar'

-dh

 

[doublehelix]

Well, we saw this on Christmas Day, and loved it! I thought the casting was great, the effects amazing, and the storyline of good vs. evil is a classic. I was moved by some things in the movie and got a little emotional. I would love to see it again. It was a totally sold out, IMAX 3D show, too.

 

[MeteorWayne]

Wow, IMAX 3D...that must be mind blowing!!

 

[doublehelix]

Wow, IMAX 3D...that must be mind blowing!!

It was FREAKIN' AWESOME!!!

:mrgreen: :ugeek:

-dh

 

[FlatEarth]

I went back to see it again. The first time I saw it in IMAX 3D, the second in regular 3D. My family thought it was great in regular 3D, but I can say IMAX 3D wins hands down. Plus, the 3D glasses are much nerdier in IMAX. See it in IMAX 3D if you can, but 3D will not disappoint.

 

[doublehelix]

I went back to see it again. The first time I saw it in IMAX 3D, the second in regular 3D. My family thought it was great in regular 3D, but I can say IMAX 3D wins hands down. Plus, the 3D glasses are much nerdier in IMAX. See it in IMAX 3D if you can, but 3D will not disappoint.

Were the colors more brilliant in regular 3D? I found that the IMAX glasses put a tiny shade of darkness into the film, I guess from the construction of the glasses.

-dh

 

[moonfie]

Meh, I'm already familiar with the plot... I watched FERN GULLY.

Isn't the "Military as overagressive stooge for an evil corporate Empire attacking the utterly peaceful and oh-so spiritual natives" cliche just a TAD overused? :|

Came here to say this. When I read the plot description, I rolled my eyes. It's been done to death, resurrected as a zombie, and then done to death again. However, I may go see it anyway, if only for the eye candy and so I can see if it lives up to the hype.

 

[doublehelix]

Came here to say this. When I read the plot description, I rolled my eyes. It's been done to death, resurrected as a zombie, and then done to death again. However, I may go see it anyway, if only for the eye candy and so I can see if it lives up to the hype.

I found it to be a feast for the eyes, if anything. I love the straight up good vs. evil foundation. Perhaps cliche, but it didn't bother me.

-dh

 

[JasonChapman]

Ok, I finally got to see Avatar on the weekend. First impression FLIPPING AWESOME!. Jim Cameron really pulled out all the stops with this scifi caper, I was totally blown away by all the CGI, character animation has come a long way and the lip syncing was superb. The story line held my attention all the way through. I even dragged my wife screaming and kicking, and she ending up enjoying it.

Now for the downside. Once again Jim Cameron was trying to boost his ego by adding all the subtle political elements. Yes Jim, we all know about pollution and deforestation and global warming and how we must appreciate mother earth, so next time just stick to what you do best please.

Definitely one for DVD might even invest in a blue ray player now.

 

[FlatEarth]

I went back to see it again. The first time I saw it in IMAX 3D, the second in regular 3D. My family thought it was great in regular 3D, but I can say IMAX 3D wins hands down. Plus, the 3D glasses are much nerdier in IMAX. See it in IMAX 3D if you can, but 3D will not disappoint.

Were the colors more brilliant in regular 3D? I found that the IMAX glasses put a tiny shade of darkness into the film, I guess from the construction of the glasses.

-dh

I didn't notice a difference in darkness, but now that you mention it there may have been some. IMAX 3D just popped more, and I noticed some blurring in regular 3D that I didn't see in IMAX.

 

[steve82]

Meh, I'm already familiar with the plot... I watched FERN GULLY.

Isn't the "Military as overagressive stooge for an evil corporate Empire attacking the utterly peaceful and oh-so spiritual natives" cliche just a TAD overused? :|

Overused? Shoot, it's a genre. Don't forget:
Dances With Wolves
Cheyenne Autumn
Bury my Heart at Wounded Knee
Tonka
How the West Was Won
Soldier Blue
Man in the Wilderness
And a little bit of The Big Country

At least we didn't hear the eagle screech whenever the natives walked on the scene.

All in all, a good movie though.

 

[shadowsound]

While the writing, directing and production is Cameron, he farmed out the major pieces to the best in the business ; Weta {Peter Jackson's company) for the special effects creation and rendering, weapons design by Weta Weapons Design(Another offshoot of the Lord of the Rings development team), sound done by Lucas Industrial Light and Magic, and score by James Horner.

SkyWatcher

Meh, I'm already familiar with the plot... I watched FERN GULLY.

Isn't the "Military as overagressive stooge for an evil corporate Empire attacking the utterly peaceful and oh-so spiritual natives" cliche just a TAD overused? :|

Overused? Shoot, it's a genre. Don't forget:
Dances With Wolves
Cheyenne Autumn
Bury my Heart at Wounded Knee
Tonka
How the West Was Won
Soldier Blue
Man in the Wilderness
And a little bit of The Big Country

At least we didn't hear the eagle screech whenever the natives walked on the scene.

All in all, a good movie though.

 

[neomaine]

Agree, really really good movie. However.... :roll: a little piece me had doubts when the stuff they were mining was: Unobtanium. Come on. You've got to do better than that. Invent something for a new material besides that. Ishium. Plurium. Melatinium. It doesn't have to be real. Unobtanium? Couldn't believe they actually used it. If they make a sequel, I hope they work with something else.

But, I contained myself for this little foible and continued on the great eye fest. Saw this in regular 3D. Probably hit an IMAX within the next couple of weeks for another showing.

 

[FlatEarth]

Agree, really really good movie. However.... :roll: a little piece me had doubts when the stuff they were mining was: Unobtanium. Come on. You've got to do better than that. Invent something for a new material besides that. Ishium. Plurium. Melatinium. It doesn't have to be real. Unobtanium? Couldn't believe they actually used it. If they make a sequel, I hope they work with something else.

But, I contained myself for this little foible and continued on the great eye fest. Saw this in regular 3D. Probably hit an IMAX within the next couple of weeks for another showing.

Yep, I stumbled over that also. I thought maybe the writers intended to use the term as a placeholder until they came up with something better, and then forgot to change it. Some of your names would have been better, for sure.

 

[docm]

First a look at Avatar's worldwide box office take vs. Titanic;

Titanic: $1,842,879,955 (12 years - all time tops)
Avatar: $726,612,776 (12 days - #39 just below 2012)

Now on to unobtainium...

Unobtainium has legit and historic uses, often as a synonym for "unavailable" or "inaccessible"

- sometimes used by engineers when discussing unusual materials (it's been used in many papers)
- the term for titanium used at the Skunk Works during SR-71 development
- a material, or product, that is prohibitively expensive or unavailable for other reasons (IMO the correct context for Avatar)
- the trademark for a hydrophilic rubber compound

An amusing take from Metal Suppliers Online;

UNOBTAINIUM

History

Also known as oopsium, thatsalaughium, inyourdreamsium, notavailium, ucantbeserium and nolongerproducedium, Unobtainium is the most costly element known to man. We can loosely define it as any metal that is specified by Engineering and unavailable to Purchasing. Too often, materials are selected for an application solely on the basis of chemical, physical or mechanical properties. When an obscure material, is specified in an odd quantity, size, product form, temper or specification, you've got Unobtainium.

The collective cost of required Engineering change orders resulting from Unobtainium is immense. Metal Suppliers Online proposes and supports a relatively unique concept to combat the "Unobtainium Conundrum": Include materials availability in the material selection process.

While certainly not a high level criteria, materials availability and industry support of a potential selection can easily be determined using this website. We highly recommend that Engineers and Purchasing professionals alike use the resources that we've created to make better, more profitable material selection decisions.

 

[nimbus]

Now for the downside. Once again Jim Cameron was trying to boost his ego by adding all the subtle political elements. Yes Jim, we all know about pollution and deforestation and global warming and how we must appreciate mother earth, so next time just stick to what you do best please.

Definitely one for DVD might even invest in a blue ray player now.

I'm definitely more pro than anti military, and I didn't mind the political undertones at all. The movie just kicked so much ass that I took it all in stride. It succeeds so well at immersing you in the experience that all the old cliches are a pleasure to see revisited in such beautiful rendering.

I loved it, no exceptions except for the IMAX projectors at the theater I went to (everything freakin booked all over phoenix for days on end on the only day I could go) weren't that great (very visible scan lines).

Agree, really really good movie. However.... :roll: a little piece me had doubts when the stuff they were mining was: Unobtanium. Come on. You've got to do better than that. Invent something for a new material besides that. Ishium. Plurium. Melatinium. It doesn't have to be real. Unobtanium? Couldn't believe they actually used it. If they make a sequel, I hope they work with something else.

It doesn't matter. What it's called is beside the point and they did well to just skip the techno babble, hand waving, etc, for that and a couple other things.

 

[Saiph]

I'll write more on my opinions (mostly very positive!) later, but on unobtanium:

I liked that they glossed over it, so that we science types wouldn't focus to much on it. It would have played better, using that term, if it seemed more like what the CEO used as a business lingo buzz word, instead of the technical term. You know, have him perhaps stutter over the technical name...making it complete gibberish, then waving his hands and saying "whatever...Unobtanium is the reason we're here".


Overall I was pleased that we weren't blindsided by many plot devices. A lot of the hard to believe moments, or eyebrow raisers were introduced earlier, so you'd just accept them when they really mattered. Example: Sully falling down and being cushioned by giant leaves...so as not to die from a long fall. Introduced earlier as something the Na'Vi actually do on purpose, and used later as a plot device to move him from the aerial battles, to the ground fighting.

A simple classic story (Pocahontas), but retold with style, and amazing technique. I'm hoping for an Avatar 2!

 

[ZenGalacticore]

Overall a good film. Awesome effects and a fairly solid story. And I thought they did a great job on many aspects of the alien biosphere and and ecology. About the best I have seen so far. The creators of "Fantastic Planet" that are still around are impressed, I'm sure.

Some have said it was anti-U.S. I wouldn't say that it was anti-U.S. so much as it was anti-Military and anti-Corporate, with an obvious pro-Environmental and get-back-to-nature theme.

The night scenes in the forest were psychedelically delightful, and obviously influenced by LSD, magic mushrooms, etc. (I have had similar 'phosphorescent' experiences in our protected forests. ) And psilocybin fungus is definitely a kind of 'bridge' between animals and plants. Makes sense if one thinks about it. Fungus will grow on both plants and animals. One can have a heightened perception of the 'personality' of a tree when on mushrooms. I know it sounds kind of wacky, but it's true.

There were also visual references to that which is experienced with Salvorum divinum, or whatever it's called. (Example, when Grace's character might die.)

When many of the soldiers, assembled before the "pre-emptive" attack, laugh at the mention of the Naves 'deity', I thought that was an unfair stereotype of military people. But it showed the lack of spirituality that necessarily exists in the military-industrial complex as well as the amorality of the corporate culture.

 

[Solifugae]

It was good, but not great. A really really really stupid and cliche story told well with really really really good visuals, so it all kind of balanced out.

 

[neomaine]

Agree, really really good movie. However.... :roll: a little piece me had doubts when the stuff they were mining was: Unobtanium. Come on. You've got to do better than that. Invent something for a new material besides that. Ishium. Plurium. Melatinium. It doesn't have to be real. Unobtanium? Couldn't believe they actually used it. If they make a sequel, I hope they work with something else.

But, I contained myself for this little foible and continued on the great eye fest. Saw this in regular 3D. Probably hit an IMAX within the next couple of weeks for another showing.

First, though quoted a few times, my thoughts on Unobtanium were just a quick 'WTF?' as I described it as a little foible. I really like Saiph's version we he fights with himself on remembering the materials real names and then declares it unobtanium. That would have really worked...

Now, I did make a second pass (something I rarely do...) and caught this in IMAX. What a tremendous difference! Seeing the 3D from regular film, not a digital theatre, was really nice. But IMAX actually gave me the feeling of movement that I didn't experience at the previous showing. The same 3D depth of field but much more pronounced.

My wife came with us for this second showing and though she enjoyed the movie, she's also very susceptible to motion sickness and had to close her eyes for some of the scenes. She wants to see it again once its out on dvd/br.

 

[JasonChapman]

just watching the BAFTAS, Avatar has already won best visuals, looks like it going to sweep the board.

 

[JasonChapman]

surprisingly it didn't take best film, and it only won best production design on top of best visuals, I bet Cameron wasn't a happy chappy, he probably though he'd walk with a whole lot more.