James Cameron's Avatar
Jan. 13th, 2010 11:36 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jackSummary
You don't need this review, what everyone else said was quite right. The reviews I've seen of Avatar have been the broadest and most comprehensive consensus on a movie I think I've ever seen :)
In short, it's an obvious idea (white explorers conquer natives for resources, one explorer falls in love with the native culture and joins it, and leads them to repel the invaders) done really well. The plot and characters and script are so-so: several funny moments, several uplifting moments, several exciting moments, no massive bloopers, but nothing very surprising.
But you have to see it. The 3d gave me a headache but is very impressive, as much for ordinary scenes with a touch of depth as for the whizzy flying bits, which for once are done with restraint, rather than every other 3d film's "wooohooo! look, another whirly-round glowing thing" approach.
Incidental good things
* The Na'vi are awesome: a whole film with totally realistic semi-humanoid characters and native alien life. They're look realistic but alien, which is really impressive. I genuinely envisaged people being able to film a cosmopolitan mix of aliens from Larry Niven or Vernor Vinge if they were willing to try!
* Now, surely, everyone will know what "avatar" means. Right? I'm fed up of explaining it. (Handy tip for explaining what an "avatar" is -- don't try to bring Jesus into it! :))
Things that didn't make any sense (but don't affect the film as a whole)
* What do they need the unobtainium for? Presumably for fuel, or something else in industry. It's basically a macguffin. But it might have given the film a bit more focus if they'd said WHY Earth wants it. Can we relate it to quality of life -- if the supply dries up, will people's quality of life drop 1%? 10%? 50%? 100%? If it was 100%, it would be a one-line change in the film, but make Jake's choice much, much more difficult.
* Grace is pissed off at Jake for arriving without any training. But surely they'd have sent a report or something ahead?
* Jake's Avatar is useless without him. Grace thinks he's worse than useless already. So why is she worried that he lost the avatar? Surely that's just perfect for her? Sorry, sir, it was a long shot anyway getting someone to use this avatar, and it didn't work out. Shrug.
Things which will piss of specific groups of people
To be fair, most of these don't matter for the film: they're internally consistent even if they don't make sense, and couldn't be removed without a lot of hassle. And they're pretty obvious. But I feel compelled to point them out anyway.
Biologists: Giant bird-reptiles which prey on medium-sized bird-reptiles. I know birds SOMETIMES prey on birds, but isn't that a bit unlikely? And don't get me started on the rest of the biosphere.
Astrophysicists: So, what, exact, planet is within 8-years cold-sleep travel from the Earth?
Everyone outside Europe: The message of the film is roughly "yay, nature". But it's all-American marine Jake that gets to make that choice, the natives aren't really characterised except by their interaction with him.
Things which are NOT stupid AFAICT
Q. Why didn't they nuke the natives from orbit?
A. Well, they probably didn't BRING any nukes. And have a strictly limited supply of shuttles in orbit they can afford to lose dropping them on people. And their plan A was to intimidate the natives; they only realised they were in serious trouble at the last minute, just in time for a big battle but little other planning.
Q. Why didn't any of the other natives tame the big dragon-bird thing?
A. Because you've got to jump on its back and wrestle it into submission. Even if you've got a psychic ethernet cable growing out of your head, the wrestling-into-submission thing may deter people from trying.
Q. How come the mountains float?
A. Because it's cool!
You don't need this review, what everyone else said was quite right. The reviews I've seen of Avatar have been the broadest and most comprehensive consensus on a movie I think I've ever seen :)
In short, it's an obvious idea (white explorers conquer natives for resources, one explorer falls in love with the native culture and joins it, and leads them to repel the invaders) done really well. The plot and characters and script are so-so: several funny moments, several uplifting moments, several exciting moments, no massive bloopers, but nothing very surprising.
But you have to see it. The 3d gave me a headache but is very impressive, as much for ordinary scenes with a touch of depth as for the whizzy flying bits, which for once are done with restraint, rather than every other 3d film's "wooohooo! look, another whirly-round glowing thing" approach.
Incidental good things
* The Na'vi are awesome: a whole film with totally realistic semi-humanoid characters and native alien life. They're look realistic but alien, which is really impressive. I genuinely envisaged people being able to film a cosmopolitan mix of aliens from Larry Niven or Vernor Vinge if they were willing to try!
* Now, surely, everyone will know what "avatar" means. Right? I'm fed up of explaining it. (Handy tip for explaining what an "avatar" is -- don't try to bring Jesus into it! :))
Things that didn't make any sense (but don't affect the film as a whole)
* What do they need the unobtainium for? Presumably for fuel, or something else in industry. It's basically a macguffin. But it might have given the film a bit more focus if they'd said WHY Earth wants it. Can we relate it to quality of life -- if the supply dries up, will people's quality of life drop 1%? 10%? 50%? 100%? If it was 100%, it would be a one-line change in the film, but make Jake's choice much, much more difficult.
* Grace is pissed off at Jake for arriving without any training. But surely they'd have sent a report or something ahead?
* Jake's Avatar is useless without him. Grace thinks he's worse than useless already. So why is she worried that he lost the avatar? Surely that's just perfect for her? Sorry, sir, it was a long shot anyway getting someone to use this avatar, and it didn't work out. Shrug.
Things which will piss of specific groups of people
To be fair, most of these don't matter for the film: they're internally consistent even if they don't make sense, and couldn't be removed without a lot of hassle. And they're pretty obvious. But I feel compelled to point them out anyway.
Biologists: Giant bird-reptiles which prey on medium-sized bird-reptiles. I know birds SOMETIMES prey on birds, but isn't that a bit unlikely? And don't get me started on the rest of the biosphere.
Astrophysicists: So, what, exact, planet is within 8-years cold-sleep travel from the Earth?
Everyone outside Europe: The message of the film is roughly "yay, nature". But it's all-American marine Jake that gets to make that choice, the natives aren't really characterised except by their interaction with him.
Things which are NOT stupid AFAICT
Q. Why didn't they nuke the natives from orbit?
A. Well, they probably didn't BRING any nukes. And have a strictly limited supply of shuttles in orbit they can afford to lose dropping them on people. And their plan A was to intimidate the natives; they only realised they were in serious trouble at the last minute, just in time for a big battle but little other planning.
Q. Why didn't any of the other natives tame the big dragon-bird thing?
A. Because you've got to jump on its back and wrestle it into submission. Even if you've got a psychic ethernet cable growing out of your head, the wrestling-into-submission thing may deter people from trying.
Q. How come the mountains float?
A. Because it's cool!
no subject
Date: 2010-01-14 12:11 am (UTC)I believe the most common belief is, "Well you know that important mineral, right?"
no subject
Date: 2010-01-14 09:43 am (UTC)