Avatar reaction....

This may be long.

Avatar is the latest James Cameron film and one that has been getting a huge amount of buzz and positive word of mouth. I am responding to the film and people's reactions to it.



The short of it... the film is decent. It flirts with being good a few times, but decides to reside in tepid territory. As a film, you know... because that's what it is, it barely passes. Barely.

As an FX demo reel it is pretty good. As a 3D tech demo reel it is amazing. That is what Avatar is good at... that is all.

It is recommended over other big fare... like the films of Michael Bay, Roland Emmerich, or Stephen Sommers. Cameron is good at what he does. The film is intelligent even if it is sort of a "behind" the actual script and story intelligence. There was obviously a lot of thought and care put into it by very smart people.

Go see it in a theater if you care to see it.

So, on to more in depth stuff. Score following the text on a few points.

Story/Characters

The film is a compilation of a million things you have seen before. All story points and characters are recycled and completely unoriginal. Every character is a "that guy" character that are expected to be in a film such as this. There isn't a single non-cookie cutter character in the film. And no character really has any depth. It is disappointing.

6/10

Script

See the story section above. Characters come off ridiculous and their dialog reflects this. Might as well be twirling their mustaches if they are bad guys.

6/10

Actors

Do what they can with what they have... which is cartoon characters or cliches. Everyone pulls their weight, even if it is feather light. No one stands out as bad and no one gets a chance to be good.

7/10

Direction/Pace

Putting these together since it is all under Cameron. The film is Cameron's best and worst qualities times 10. The direction is compelling enough, but he seems more interested in extended montages of native life (both the wildlife and the way of life) than any real weight in the storytelling. But he is good at what he does and this is why the film succeeds the best it can given its ludicrous plot cliches.

7/10

Design Work

I am giving this a separate section as it is one of the main points of the movie. Mild spoilers. This is less about personal preference for the designs and more about just what is. Looking at the flora and fauna of Pandora is one of (if not THE) best thing in the movie. Seeing a bevy of newly created things is quite fun. All is not rainbows though, as there are some problems. Everything is just a riff of some Earth creature which dampens the creativity a tad. The design philosophy is uneven... most critters have 6 limbs and breath out of their chest cavity (which makes sense from an energy stand point). But the Navi are 4 limbed and breath from the nose. This is really for audience connection, but it is an obvious design flaw. It was done for the old rat vs squirrel argument (which was wonderfully mentioned in Inglourious this year).

Also, very annoying is the direct copying of Native Americans for the Navi culture. Lame.

8/10

Digital Effects

The Navi and planet look good. Not fantastically awesome ZOMG this is so much better than anything ever made like so many people like to say. But solid. You never feel like the creatures are real, real. At least I never did. I thought Davy Jones from PotC Dead Man's Chest was a MUCH more convincing character in terms of photo realism.

(compare that to the blue folk above)

Pixar films even have fairly photo real backgrounds. Backgrounds are easy these days. This film also cheats by having humans rarely appear near or next to Navi. So, it makes it easier for your brain to accept. That being said, still very solid and impressive work. Just not groundbreaking or leaps above anything else out there.

8/10

3D Tech

Ah... something the film does astoundingly well. This is the best aspect by far, but that is a real shame. As it is a gimmick. One that won't carry any weight away from a nice theater. This is some of the best 3D work I have seen. Easily the best for live action. Coraline from this year also has fantastic 3D. This isn't tons better than that, but it is still fantastic tech.

10/10

Score

The music is so/so. Which is disheartening. I was hoping for something great. When it goes too native sounding, the score flounders. When James Horner does what he does best and doesn't try to invoke Native Americans, the score soars.

6/10

That will be it for scoring sections. As a film you (assuming you are intelligent and actual expect quality story telling) get a barely passing, but fun ride.

Film
6/10

As a theater experience in 3D it gets an upgrade. If you have ANY interest in seeing the film, see it in theaters. This film will not hold up. In 5 years, this will be a forgettable film.

Theater Experience
7/10

The film is decent. A bit tepid. Which is a shame for the most expensive movie ever made and one that has been gestating well over a decade. Any real weight in the story is just glossed over. Ask yourself... what Cameron film is this better than? Exactly.

Also, I'll end with a point that have been making the rounds on the net. This film could only be made by a white person. This mechanic is so tired and outdated (part of the overall generic story), colonization bad. We bad. But WAIT... only one of us can save you. Only the turncoat who comes to see the error of his ways can save the silly savages. Ugh. Go away, stories that use this ridiculously outdated mindset and device.
Read more here... What I was telling you before...