text:
Harry reviews AVATAR at last!
I love AVATAR – and it isn't because of the 3D, the big blue people, the alien landscape with floating mountains and it's version of flying critters. It isn't because of the mech armor, the flying battleships and the wasp-like helicopters. It is because of the story. Now, a story isn't just about characters and their actions… stories are often about the times in which those actions took place. Stories are not evaluated by just the dialogue between characters, but why these conversations are taking place. The basic structure of the story and the conceit comes from the early 20th Century where you had authors like Edgar Rice Burroughs postulating stories set on Mars & Venus and their moons. But in PRINCESS OF MARS, John Carter magically appears upon the surface of an amazing Mars that has clean air for him to breathe. Once upon the planet, he is found to have miraculous pre-SUPERMAN super-strength, speed & agility. He becomes one with the warrior race of Tharks, falls in love with a Helium princess and does battle against… well a very bad guy! Many writers talk about where the pieces of AVATAR comes from, but as a life long mega-geek of science fiction and fantasy – I love that with AVATAR, Cameron has envisioned a future for us that is something rather remarkable. There is no magical warp drive, light speed… this future of mankind is based on heightened existing technology and known science and equipment. To get to Pandora, you're asleep for years. Much like what we see in films like ALIEN & ALIENS. There's a grounding to it all, and very much like those films – we're in an alternate arc of that possible future for mankind. We have exhausted supplies here on Earth, and we're heading out into the universe gathering those materials. The film begins with a ship made for that journey. Giant cryo-sleep compartments with what looks like several hundred sleep areas. The ship is covered with Solar arrays, giant containers of water, fuel, etc – which are on all sides of this massive, very NASA-y looking ship – that is practical low tech high tech for the future. It isn't the sort of ship you can easily put together. If they made a model kit of it, there'd be a shitload of tiny pieces that would drive you nuts putting together – but in the end, would look amazing. Out of this sleep we're introduced to Jake Sully. Jake isn't your typical hero, but in reality… he is. He's a soldier that became a paraplegic due to combat. A story we hear a lot about back here on Earth of the early 21st Century. He had a twin brother, it seems these twins had nearly complete opposite ambitions in life. Jake was all about diving into combat, while his brother expanded his mind with science, and the dream of exploring a strange new world. In this future, the most amazing science fiction conceit has come about. An AVATAR program. Where hybrid alien bodies are grown and created with the express purpose of working and interacting with the native denizens of the planet moon of Pandora. Now – think about this for a second. We're growing alien/human hybrids that can be controlled via the consciousness of a human. I love this concept. Are these hybrids' fertile? Or are they the horse/donkey MULE hybrid that can't reproduce. Sorry, getting ahead of myself a bit. This universe is incredibly detailed. From the science tech you see everywhere, to the ships on the planet surface… well, it is amazing. However, what grabs me is this Jake Sully character. He isn't crazy charismatic, he's a grunt. Not only that, he's a warrior that lost his legs in some war that was going on in Venezuela. Wonder if we were going after the oil or the cattle. Hmm maybe it was for the Llamas. The future of mankind isn't too terribly distant from our own times, it is just… we've hit a new age. Like back around the late 15th through 16th century Earth – when the European nations began sending ships of warriors, scientists and religious advocates to the new world. In this world, we've seemingly left the story of Jesus back on Earth – as I see no signs of religion being foisted upon the natives of this planet-moon. We can only imagine back on Earth, what footage from Pandora has done to excite the minds of us humans. Now – the mission to Pandora isn't an AMERICAN endeavor, it's a Corporate one. Even now, we're seeing corporate interests driving the use of outer space and as profit is proven, we'll see Corporations doing more. All they need is to see is their carrot. Cameron uses the term, UNOBTANIUM, to describe this 'carrot'. UNOBTANIUM is a word, used since the 50s by scientist to describe the undiscovered needed material that would solve all the problems that not having that material would bring us. Yes, the name is an eye-roller – but it could be far worse, as scientists have also come up with UNATTAINIUM, WISHALLOY and my fave… HANDWAVIUM!!! The film doesn't concern itself with telling us what this magical mineral found on Pandora does, but that isn't the story at hand. No, the story at hand concerns Jake Sully. Jake hates his wheelchair. He doesn't like being treated like a cripple, doesn't like having to depend on others and most of all – he's out to prove that he may still be worth something, even if he is half a man. When his brother dies and he's able to take his brother's place in the Avatar program, fly off to the wonder moon of Pandora… well, he signs up. It is better than sitting in a room. With all the wondrous technology – why is Jake in a wheelchair? Well, because it seems in the future – we still have economics, we apparently never fixed healthcare properly to where people that need care can get it done without ridiculous financial repercussions. Jake can't afford to fix his legs, and the fucking government that got the legs fucked didn't take care of it. So he has to go the corporate route to get adequate Healthcare. Man, can I relate. Instead, he's had to see the legs wither. The very best effects work on the film are these emaciated dead legs of Jake. Nobody questions them, yet this visual detail tells us everything about Jake. To watch your own body begin to wither because you're not capable of financially rescuing your own limbs from atrophy and uselessness, it is a bitter pill to swallow. By the time Jake awakes within the conscious body of a Hum'vi, a word I've created to describe the Human / Na'vi hybrids. A Hum'vi is slightly different from the native Na'vi. They have 5 fingers and 5 toes, the Na'vi don't. The Na'vi feet kind of remind me of Chimp feet, which probably has to do with the Na'vi being a primarily arboreal critter on Pandora. Anyway, by the time Jake comes to – and he sees toes he can wiggle. Look, I went over this when I saw this footage at Comic Con. I got excited by just what happened in the lab. However, when Jake busts out of the facility into the poisoned air of Pandora and can breathe without fear of imminent death… and then when he just takes off running. People in wheelchairs dream of running. Trust me on that. I know I'm a fat geek in a wheelchair, but we all dream of running. This is Jake's first step towards being intoxicated with his Avatar. Hell, I doubt I'd ever want to wake up if I could have a Na'vi body that was as nimble, fit and amazing as this. Quickly, we find Jake having a chat with Stephen Lang's amazing Colonel Miles Quaritch. Quaritch is an ex-Marine, come Corporate hooligan, used by the Corporation to do… well, what mercenaries hired by corporations in places like Iraq do. They do whatever the corporation deems necessary. He's the type of man that can't wait to shoot the blue monkeys out of the trees. Lang is a god in this role. The 3 clawed scar raked across his face makes him seem like a African Safari god from the 19th century. The sort of dude that would chest bump Tarzan back in the day. Of all the films that I can think of – the one this actually reminds me of is TARZAN ESCAPES – the unobtanium at the time was Elephant tusks, the sacred place was the Elephant Graveyard, natives were angered and up in arms. Comparisons are legion when it comes to this film – because there's elements from a myriad of materials. Anyone that just dismisses this as DANCES WITH WOLVES in space… really has a lazy mind. If you're stuck on Indians – think Malick's NEW WORLD or Richard Harris in A MAN CALLED HORSE – and a little of Dustin Hoffman in LITTLE BIG MAN. This film has elements from dozens of films. What I love, is that I've never seen it put together quite so. Sure, Neo plugged in and fought in a fantastical version of our world. But when he woke up, he was still Neo, just with a better haircut and sharper clothes. Well, here – Jake's Hum'vi is pretty amazing. This 'avatar' mirrors the personality that we gather from Jake's rather quiet and unexpressive character. That isn't a swipe at Sam Worthington – to me, he is 100% wholly believable in every second of the character. That he is MORE expressive in Hum'vi form is merely because he has more to react to. Jake's human existence, over the course of the film, you can see the effort it takes to pull himself out of the AVATAR machine. Every time he comes out of these 'dream like' realities – he's back in a sterile environment, having to open up his chair, carefully swing his dead sickly legs over the side and back into his chair. The real world sucks for Jake. That isn't to say it sucks for everyone in a wheelchair, it is just… for a man like Jake – a true Man of Action – life in a chair can feel like two feet in the grave. As a 4-wheeler myself… I alternate between hating and loving my wheelchair. However, I feel thankful that I live in a world that is as accomadating as possible for my condition – even if the dentist I went to today had painfully inadequate facilities to take care of me and my shattered wisdom tooth. Now – once in Hum'vi form – Jake not only has a complete body, but a whole new world to take in. His mission is to discover all there is to know about the Na'vi, because the corporation has EXTREME interest in the deposit of unobtanium, beneath their enormous tree. This is a tree that dwarfs the largest buildings we have yet created on Earth. In a world of enormous vegetation, this Tree is king. This has been the generational home for the Na'vi going back untold years. Left to our imaginations would be Glyphs in the interior documenting their history… but wait. They don't need that. You see, the Na'vi have a completely alien method to recording history – it doesn't involve killing trees and grinding it into pulp. It isn't Blu-ray. It isn't anything that they or we can see. This planet has an astonishing ecosystem unlike anything we have seen. This planet makes sense in a way that ours doesn't. Our planet, ecology and animal life are each retarded by comparison. Here – every Na'vi is born with a biological version of firewire – which allows them to plug and play with their fellow wildlife – but also their trees. And they can store consciousness, histories with a seemingly endless storage capacity. Of course to the corporation and the Jarheads working for the corporation – this just sounds like liberal bullshit. Where's the proof? Unless you experience it – and at this stage of colonization – we have not yet found a way to digitally tap into this planetary consciousness – but as I was saying, unless you experience it has to sound like the hokum of a thousand other cultures that pointed at territory and screamed out "It Is Sacred!!!" And that has stopped the aggressive culture… when? Yeah. Same thing here. Economic desire is a hard God to beat. But what continued to draw me in was Jake's personal journey. The point where he stops thinking like a human. Or as the Na'vi put it, "cured of his insanity." Because to the Na'vi – the human culture is insane. Why would you tear into the ground for rocks. Why would you simply not co-exist with this wonderful splendor? Well, you're dealing with people operating over satellite geo-thermal readings, instead of any aesthetic surface quality. This film and that world require you to look deeper than that. You can't just dismiss the visuals, the visuals are KEY to telling the story. Watching the subtleties of Jake Sully's Hum'vi and Zoe Saldana's Neytiri… I fall in love. You can see the moments where Neytiri ceases to look at Sully as a chore and is instead looking upon him with respect. You can see the moments where Sully is ashamed of himself and his actions. Me, I love watching Wes Studi's Eytukan – you read the disgust on his face, and the pride he has in Sully becoming one of the 'people' – and then the racist rage that comes with this Dreamwalker mating with Daddy's little girl. I love watching Joel Moore's Norm Spellman… you can tell that here is a geek that studied to be the star, only to watch Jake excel in ways he just wasn't trained for. I love that what sets Jake apart from the various scientists and soft folks that are a part of the AVATAR program, that it's a warrior from our world, that breaches the divide. In a way, it reminds me of THEY DIED WITH THEIR BOOTS ON – and the way the Custer story was handled in that 40's world. Errol Flynn was both friend and enemy to the "indigenous peoples" that he was set to fight. There's a lot of Custer here. A lot of LITTLE BIG MAN. When it comes time for Cameron's version of LITTLE BIG HORN – hold on to your shit, because you'll want to be constipated. Otherwise… it'll be 3D in your pants! This is a film about the early days of colonization. This is not the end, just the next step in the story of Pandora. My faith in our planet being cool enough that we'll actually see further adventures concerning Pandora is pretty low. I love the heroic legend this movie creates – about a hero borne a man, but who will die as something else entirely – and possibly live throughout eternity as a legend that saved their planet… or awoke a beast light years away. For me, the story is great, the setting is amazing, the characters are living a story I'd dream to be a part of – and the filmmaking is, as always, James Cameron at his best. The action, heart and soul are all there. For me, the only moment of lameness is the love scene. I know, I'm a perv, but really? Jim, that's the best you could do? Let's see some crazy alien tree sex. OH. Families. Well, they watch Animal Planet MATE WEEK. AVATAR is unlike anything I've seen before, it is a story of heroes, human greed, cultural discovery and a dream of human accomplishment that I have wished my whole life that we as a society would pursue. There are stories like this waiting for us out there. Let's get started!
Readers Talkbackcomments powered by Disqus
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Dec. 18, 2009, 7:01 p.m. CST
by KingNineReturns
What a douchebag you are, Harry.
Dec. 18, 2009, 7:02 p.m. CST
so basically the film a cgi driven, liberal rant
by brabon300
i can live with that
 but i would still rather read father geek's review
Dec. 18, 2009, 7:04 p.m. CST
Very good review Harry
by bobjustbob
I can't believe I just wrote that. I didn't love it as much as you, in fact I just "liked" it, but I do admire your passion.
Dec. 18, 2009, 7:04 p.m. CST
by HEADGEEK
is the history of human suffering by an aggressor really a liberal rant? Is it conservative doctrine to value commerce over the lives of the rightful owners? Because I thought you conservatives were Christians, that value life above all else. Sorry if I've been misinformed.
Dec. 18, 2009, 7:05 p.m. CST
by ieatgarbage
Dec. 18, 2009, 7:06 p.m. CST
you're right harry
by ieatgarbage
it's very perplexing watching that film play out...and knowing what imperial colonial powers have done.
 very strange and kinda wonderful experience.
 i love this putter!
 preach it cameron!
Dec. 18, 2009, 7:06 p.m. CST
I agreed wth Mr Beaks.
by hallmitchell
I felt his review was spot on. No hype. Just the facts. AVATAR has alot of amazing aspects. Yet it's not a classic. It's not even better than star trek. The effects are, yes. Yet the minimal action is also what took me by surprise.
Dec. 18, 2009, 7:08 p.m. CST
spectacular...totally won over by it
by KissMyAsp
It is spectacular. A few cliches here and there. But I didn't care. Was totally won over by it. IMAX 3D = awesome. Immersive. Early on in the film Na'vi Jake runs along a log high up in the air and looks over the edge and I felt a bit of vertigo. One of the very few films where I felt transported into the world. The Dark Knight and Master and Commander were 2 others.
Dec. 18, 2009, 7:08 p.m. CST
I know people diss his film feltioisms
by kikuchiyoboy
But honestly, it's nice to see some one who still weeps like a little girl that touched the hand of Elvis in the cynical film climate of today.

 I'm stoked to be seeing it in 2hrs.
Dec. 18, 2009, 7:09 p.m. CST
I don't think AVATAR will get much repeat business
by hallmitchell
outside of the magic mushroom crowd.
Dec. 18, 2009, 7:09 p.m. CST
Clarify: The film, not the felatio
by kikuchiyoboy
Dec. 18, 2009, 7:09 p.m. CST
Change movies forever?
by Trannyformers_Apologist
Greatest adventure of all time? Revolutionary? Photo-real ? Game-changer ?
hahaha
Dec. 18, 2009, 7:10 p.m. CST
Friday night is when politicians come clean about sex...
by FlickaPoo
...scandals and ethics investigations.
Only place to hide in the seven day news cycle...
Dec. 18, 2009, 7:11 p.m. CST
Great review Harry
by tradeskilz
I agree with everything
Dec. 18, 2009, 7:11 p.m. CST
A little late Harry...
by Quake II
I've spent the last 3 days reading Avatar reviews. I'm already bored of this film and I haven't even seen it yet. I wanted a Harry review a week ago. Oh well. I'll be checking this little 3-D cartoon out next week when the crowds die down a bit. Terrible midnight screening earnings though. 2 million? It made 10 million LESS than fucking New Moon midnight screenings. Yikes!
Dec. 18, 2009, 7:16 p.m. CST
Avatar is more about Native American history than..
by snakecharmer
the war on terror. Avatar echos a lot of what happened to Native American when Europeans came to America. Cortez did the same to the Aztects. In both cases, The modern invaders wanted the resources of the local natives. So, it's not some anti-American film.
Dec. 18, 2009, 7:16 p.m. CST
I'm already over it.
by Human_Bean_Juice_
Cut to the Holmes review.
Dec. 18, 2009, 7:16 p.m. CST
Midnight box office
by ColonelFatheart
Meh. I wouldn't put too much stock in it underperforming New Moon, which had a ravenous, baked-in fanbase Avatar is a new property. It has to build its audience. It'll still have a big weekend, snowstorm or not, but it'll have to thrive on word of mouth.
Dec. 18, 2009, 7:18 p.m. CST
...loving a movie for personal reasons is cool...
by FlickaPoo
...if you're self aware enough to realize that personal circumstances are causing you to see right past a movie's flaws...that's allowed.
Everyone gets to have sentimental favorites.
Dec. 18, 2009, 7:19 p.m. CST
Cameron is Canadian.
by Dingbatty
So wouldn't that make it anti-Canadian? ;-)

Dec. 18, 2009, 7:19 p.m. CST
Cool NBC Avatar interview
by CmdX
The Suckerpunch German Zombie WW1 mask Snyder sent you looks pretty cool on your amazingly crowded desk
Dec. 18, 2009, 7:19 p.m. CST
Cool Flick, Doods
by Saluki
This is one of the better defenses of the storyline I have read, Harry. A number of fantastic movies, such as Star Trek and The Dark Knight, are an interesting compilation of mini-stories. Avatar is simply one BIG ASS story, and I'm surprised to see so many think that they should get hooked up over it.
Dec. 18, 2009, 7:21 p.m. CST
hey...why the delay Harry?
by dr_deuchars
i went to see this movie at the IMAX in London Waterloo yesterday afternoon, and again today in 'standard' 3D. I haven't stopped thinking about it for a waking second since. Up until this point my favourite movies were 'The Road Warrior', 'Blade Runner', '2001', 'Alien/s', 'The Thing'. Now i've got to add this baby and I'm not sure where in the list it should go... I felt genuinely confused on emerging from the IMAX yesterday...a little bit of the ole 1977 vibe. I'm 40 btw. Extraordinary film, feels like some benign new religion...
Dec. 18, 2009, 7:22 p.m. CST
New moon fans are girls who are not about film but..
by snakecharmer
about some soap opera. My friend tried telling me how the second Twilight was so much better than the first because of blah, blah. I just said ok. They don't movies like we do.
Dec. 18, 2009, 7:22 p.m. CST
Jesus Harry...
by Johnny T Williams
I'm not even half way through this and I've already found like 4 sentences that make absolutely no sense. C'mon man...
Dec. 18, 2009, 7:23 p.m. CST
Always one douche...
by Zardozap2005
Has to make it political. Seriously, can you people just get off it already, for fucks sake. Great movie BTW. Fucking awesome!
Dec. 18, 2009, 7:23 p.m. CST
Very cool review.
by Nordling
Dec. 18, 2009, 7:25 p.m. CST
Damn good point about "Conservartives," Harry!
by Judge Briggs
Dec. 18, 2009, 7:27 p.m. CST
Nice review, Harry. It really made me re-think the film.
by The Reluctant Austinite
I think every review of "Avatar" on AICN is correct in its own way, but Harry gave me a perspective I hadn't thought of. Here's an idea that popped into my head while watching the movie: If you ever wondered what the modern adaption of the unmade Willis O'Brien/Ray Harryhausen project, "War Eagles", about Nazis VS giant eagle riders might have looked like---well, here it is!
Dec. 18, 2009, 7:27 p.m. CST
Williams IS Right, Could Use An Edit
by Saluki
Despite the great, creamy center, this review could use an edit.
Dec. 18, 2009, 7:27 p.m. CST
The only hole in the plot..
by brattyben
I can see, is, if the Na'vi know that humans are 'dressing up' as their own people, then why would they be more willing to trust them. Wouldn't the fact that they are human inside and have different digits be enough of a distrust. I don't get it. On a side note, it's funny how almost all the other critics pan the story, but, it's headgeek's favorite thing. Nice, Harry. And kudos, there weren't nearly as many errors this time, considering the length of the review. Somebody get you an editor for Christmas?
Dec. 18, 2009, 7:28 p.m. CST
There are really only two stories in literature
by Ingeld
A man goes on a journey or a stranger comes to town. And both of these are the inverse of the other. If you know what I mean.
Dec. 18, 2009, 7:28 p.m. CST
...and again I say that AVATAR is the anti-MATRIX...
by FlickaPoo
...in THE MATRIX, your consciousness is downloaded into a more pleasant, but ultimately artificial and meaningless reality.
In AVATAR you get to escape a meaningless reality of broken bodies and gray corridors and find fulfillment by downloading into a heightened, more beautiful, and ultimately more fulfilling reality.
The two movies seem to be saying opposite things about life, escapism, and the pursuit of a meaningful life.
Dec. 18, 2009, 7:30 p.m. CST
Harry ...you wear glasses right ?
by mr dark
any problems with the 3-d .. also did you see in Imax..
Dec. 18, 2009, 7:32 p.m. CST
I just wondered as I have been reading a few talkbacks
by mr dark
for this and some people have mentioned problems in real d with their glasses..not so much though in Imax..
Dec. 18, 2009, 7:38 p.m. CST
"Because I thought you conservatives were Christians, that value
by cylon_conspiracy

Lol, Harry. You have been misinformed."You liberals" sure love a stereotype, that we're all jesus freaks. Not all conservatives are christian, or even religious.

The conservative ideals are not about Jesus, although there are a few nuts who think it is, and think they speak for all of us. Conservatives are just about small government, and personal liberty.
Dec. 18, 2009, 7:43 p.m. CST
Avatar is just an amazing time at the movies...
by arjaybee
Yes, it's part Tarzan, Matrix, Dances With Wolves, Apacalypto, Jurrasic Park, Titanic, Aliens, Star Wars, etc. And it's all Avatar! I enjoyed every digital 3D moment of it. James Cameron is a great filmmaker and I will see Avatar again without the 3D glasses just to compare the experience. Spielberg said after he screened Avatar on the Fox lot that the last time he felt this way after seeing a movie was when he saw Star Wars...I think Avatar is that good! Ain't it cool? Hell, yes!
Dec. 18, 2009, 7:43 p.m. CST
What story?
by JamieCOTC95
I didn't care one iota for any character in this movie. I didn't care if the ten foot tall blue people lived or died. And the pity is, I wanted to care, but this movie just didn't give me enough to care. It's an amazing thing to look at to be sure but for me, the forest was the best character in the movie. And the fact that every major event in the movie is telegraphed also annoyed the heck out of me too.
Dec. 18, 2009, 7:43 p.m. CST
Your favorite thing about the movie is the story?
by Ironhelix
So let me get this straight... the best part of the movie for you was the part that they obviously spent the absolute least amount of time and effort on? Retard.Fucking RETARD.
Dec. 18, 2009, 7:43 p.m. CST
Hell yeah, Harry...
by ebonic_plague
...we give you lots of shit, but it's always nice to hear some genuine love of movies for their own sake. Well done sir, this is the review that made me want to see HOW Cameron used this story.
Dec. 18, 2009, 7:46 p.m. CST
Mostly Conservatives favor...
by robzass
...sloppy, poopy, butt sex. Your politics will not save you. You will die alone either way.
Dec. 18, 2009, 7:47 p.m. CST
Conservatives= Christians??
by DoctorWho?
Liberals= what...Jews,Atheists??
 Harry, I refuse to believe you are such a one dimensional thinker.
 Yet you challenge that belief regularly.
Dec. 18, 2009, 7:50 p.m. CST
Since in the future we are going to other planets
by Ingeld
to oppress their indigenous peoples and rape their worlds for our resources, then the many movies like this have had NO IMPACT on our social or moral development. In short the movie shows its own irrelevance and the uselessness of presenting its theme.
Dec. 18, 2009, 7:52 p.m. CST
Harry on the NBC Avatar piece. haha. NERD! with
by snakecharmer
a capital NERD. haha. "He has a lot of influence over males..." Nah, never, nada influence. Harry doesn't have influence over me.
Dec. 18, 2009, 7:54 p.m. CST
Avatar: A Grand Failure
by lucasdefender
I cannot believe that Harry says he loves this movie because of the story. COME ON! Just be honest! It is the effects. Thats all it could be. Because every other aspect of this movie was just horrible. I MEAN HORRIBLE. TERRIBLE ACTING. HORRIBLE DIALOGUE. ONE OF THE MOST BORING, SELF IMPORTANT, PREDICTABLE STORIES I HAVE EVER SEEN. All kinds of things were forced upon me that didn't make sense. All kinds of characters say all kinds of cheeeeesy things, "Get some". The Na'vi' have the crappiest Hallmark(the card company) religion of all time. It would even make Oprah cringe. Oh my gosh. The Ballad at the end felt so forced I could just die. DIE! Worst of all though was that I was really a believer going into this and thought it would be spectacular. Yet worse than the worst, I was actually marveling for the first hour. However, the second hour had just so MANY BIG GLARING CONSTANT PROBLEMS that I could not enjoy the visual wonder anymore. Instead. I was left with the last 40 minutes to see an epic, beautifully shot battle that I didn't care about AT ALL! Why? Because I just didn't care about any of the characters or the OBVIOUS STORY that was being weaved together. In other words one of the biggest let downs in my moviegoing history. I will gladly take Episode 1 20 times before I take this collossal failure. At least Lucas knows how to make me surprised with a story when it unfolds unlike the most generic story ever told - AVATAR.
Dec. 18, 2009, 7:56 p.m. CST
by GhostDad
Harry knows LESS about politics than he does about film. Go eat yourself into an early grave.
Dec. 18, 2009, 7:56 p.m. CST
What else would we expect from Harry...?
by Mariusz
That's great, Harry. One more cock to add to the list of cocks you so-gladly continue to suck! But watch out 'cause Sly might get a little jealous.
Dec. 18, 2009, 7:57 p.m. CST
...Conservatives have a very wide stance.
by FlickaPoo
Dec. 18, 2009, 7:58 p.m. CST
...Conservatives love all nature...
by FlickaPoo
...but mostly the Appalachian trail.
Dec. 18, 2009, 7:59 p.m. CST
In 2154 everything is wondrously different. . .
by Ingeld
except bureaucrats still wear ties. And in fact every one dress the way they did 150 years before. This would be like Neil Armstrong putting on his powdered wig to meet the president after returning from the moon.
Dec. 18, 2009, 8 p.m. CST
by onaps6453
This Avatar discussion is getting riDICUlously intense. I'm betting this movie is actually pretty good...
Dec. 18, 2009, 8 p.m. CST
Glad you liked it big guy
by Jaka
And it's really close to being very well written. Close, I say. But it really does have the feeling of someone who waited to read a bunch of other reviews and talkbacks first, then went ahead and contradicted, made apologies for, or aggrandized all the things most people disliked most. Still, I am genuinely happy you liked it as my tastes have often fallen in line with yours over the years I've been frequenting the site (even they are crazed hyperbole). As I've been saying in the last couple reviews: done fighting about it, I'm walking the middle line until Monday when I see it in IMAX 3D. Which, along with digital 3D, is largely where it played last night for anybody who thought the box office numbers were small. It didn't open on 7000 screens like the last HP or Twilight.
Dec. 18, 2009, 8:01 p.m. CST
by Jaka
....even if your reviews are often crazed hyperbole. Says they guy whose been giving you shit about grammar.
Dec. 18, 2009, 8:01 p.m. CST
Historically, Democrats
by GhostDad
were the party that supported slavery and segregation, wasn't until around the time of The New Deal that blacks became democrats, but southern democratic leaders were the most vehemently racist people there were. So no, conservatives aren't all about commerce over human life. Never have been, they just became too "hands off" on race issues while Democrats tried harder to appeal to minority voters.
Dec. 18, 2009, 8:03 p.m. CST
GETTING intense?
by Jaka
Aahahaahaahahahaaa! Seriously, it's actually gotten better since reviews started going up and people have actually seen it.
Dec. 18, 2009, 8:06 p.m. CST
...GhostDad, but the two parties basically traded...
by FlickaPoo
...places on most issues over the years. Comparing either party of 100 years ago to the same party or the other party today is pointless.
Dec. 18, 2009, 8:07 p.m. CST
so Avatar is the G.O.A.T
by JeanGrey_X23_lesboSex
Dec. 18, 2009, 8:12 p.m. CST
by GhostDad
I was responding to Harry's implication that conservative doctrine is about commerce over human life.. 100 (more like 60) years ago still applies if you're going to go after the "doctrine" itself.
Dec. 18, 2009, 8:12 p.m. CST
I know tripe when I see tripe...
by Mariusz
... and that my friends, was TRIPE. Period.Only Star Wars geeks and Trekkies will like this movie. Bunch of fags.
Dec. 18, 2009, 8:13 p.m. CST
View it as a simple parable...
by Red Ned Lynch
...on colonialism, say Independence Day in reverse. See, the humans in this were a lot better than those aliens. Better than the ones in Mars Attacks or War of the Worlds, too. See, we're not so bad fellas. We're compassionate colonialists.
Dec. 18, 2009, 8:13 p.m. CST
by DoctorWho?
Forget 100 years ago. Today's modern liberal was not the liberal of say... JFK's era. I would have been considered a JFK Democrat back in the day. Today that classifies me as 'right wing'.
 Irony can be a funny thing.
Dec. 18, 2009, 8:17 p.m. CST
I loved this review Harry
by TheDark0Knight
all of the reviews of this flick on aicn have been great...even Beaks. AVATAR is by far my favourite film of this year, its flat out fucking magical.
Dec. 18, 2009, 8:17 p.m. CST
by Tighxo
I hardly ever post here (see the vile, never ending hatred of some of the other Avatar talkbacks as one example of why, seriously people you need to calm yourselves down) but just wanted to say great review Harry I totally agree. An amazing experience, ill be seeing it again tomorrow.
Dec. 18, 2009, 8:18 p.m. CST
by MrHyde
we didn't have to hear about harry's childhood. by the way does anyone else think harry knowles sounds like a terrible pituitary disorder? i'd love to go to the pool party but i'm a little ashamed of my harry knowles.
Dec. 18, 2009, 8:18 p.m. CST
I'm sure this has been covered by someone...
by Herbie_the_Lesser
but if you have to sleep for years to get to Pandora, will they make it back in time with the Unobtainium before Earth turns all Mad Max-y?
Dec. 18, 2009, 8:18 p.m. CST
...DoctorWho? Especially ironic because...
by FlickaPoo
...I probably would have been a conservative in the past, but "conservatives" all sound like a bunch of fanatical religious nut jobs who want to try to remake the world in America's image and tell people what they can and can't do in the privacy of their own homes (especially if it involves pink parts).
I got pushed the other way, but I know what you're saying...
Dec. 18, 2009, 8:19 p.m. CST
Hey Mariusz, I haven't seen it yet...
by DoctorWho?
But i'm curious...what's your favorite sci fi movie?
Dec. 18, 2009, 8:20 p.m. CST
by GhostDad
JFK's Era? Try in 2000. Nowadays, you can be liberal on every single social issue and an athiest, but but if you're conservative about one economic policy, you pretty much are a member of Westboro Baptist Church. Hell, look at what's happening to Lieberman.
Dec. 18, 2009, 8:21 p.m. CST
by Red Ned Lynch
...I don't much want to get into politics here, but what you have posted is simply not true, unless you are speaking purely of social wedge issues. The fundamental stance on which such a thing (unless you are simply a social conservative) is decided is the relationship between government and business. Over the last thirty years both conservatives and "liberals" have been working together to change this relationship in a way that would have been hateful to Kennedy, as well as either of the Roosevelts but especially Teddy.
Dec. 18, 2009, 8:24 p.m. CST
by tradeskilz
Cameron hates humans and techology and corporations are evil. RUN FOR YOUR FUCKING LIVES! Just shut the fuck up about politics. Nobody gives a fuck what you think or what your political persuation is. Maybe next time Cameron can make a movie more in tune with your political views. Maybe then you can watch it without getting so incredibly offended. Tools.
Dec. 18, 2009, 8:26 p.m. CST
Well done Harry - it came at last
by Miyamoto_Musashi
Honestly thought you may have just given up work.
Dec. 18, 2009, 8:26 p.m. CST
Great film, great review
by Scorpio
Glad you loved it for many of the same reasons that I did, Harry. I do feel sorry for those who don't. They are missing the forest for the trees, lol
Dec. 18, 2009, 8:28 p.m. CST
YES! An AVATAR review! Finally!
by RICHARD_GERE_RAPED_MY_GERBIL
I thought this site had forgotten about the movie. I haven't seen any reviews of this movie on here for at least an hour.
Dec. 18, 2009, 8:30 p.m. CST
by GhostDad
Nobody is saying that Cameron insulted their political beliefs, the issue here is with Harry's review and when he brings in politics, he has no clue what he's talking about. Just go dig for his (positive) review of Matrix Revolutions, where he glowingly compared Bin Laden to Neo, as evidence that the dude has no clue. This is speaking as someone who has voted democratic his entire life (although I don't like the health care bill in its current form, so I'm pretty much Hitler).
Dec. 18, 2009, 8:30 p.m. CST
But is it your #1 film of 2009, Harry?
by Bastard_In_A_Blanket
Or is it still DISTRICT 9??
Dec. 18, 2009, 8:31 p.m. CST
How does Spielberg come back after seeing AVATAR?
by Bastard_In_A_Blanket
I saw AVATAR today and it overtook JURASSIC PARK as the greatest movie experience of my life. It's much more than a film, it's an experience, and Steven Spielberg knows this, so I wonder how he'll he react after seeing AVATAR because I can bet any money Spielberg will be like Angier when saw Borden's Transported Man trick in THE PRESTIGE, only less obesessive and more friendly feelings to James Cameron's benchmark film. I think Steven Spielberg is the only man who could if, over a time and mega budget could do something like AVATAR, and possibly Peter Jackson. I just wonder what project it would be, though?
 I really, really hope he makes INTERSTELLAR, even it it's not as a big as AVATAR, the premise is.
Dec. 18, 2009, 8:31 p.m. CST
I get it Flickapoo...
by DoctorWho?
But I do believe that is a wild mis characterization but I understand...I would be standing with you if I thought that was the case.
 The second the govt tells me or anyone what to in the privacy of their own home I will join you. You know, like smoking or what types of light bulbs to use.
Dec. 18, 2009, 8:33 p.m. CST
The only thing that I was disappointed about was...
by Bastard_In_A_Blanket
... that future Earth was cut from the film and we never got to see the moon spiderwebbed by lights. That was one of the things that intrigued over the past few years of waiting fot AVATAR - James Cameron's AVATAR future Earth.
 Oh well, AVATAR is a truly great film that lives up to, and surpasses the hype.
 Extraordinary piece of work.
Dec. 18, 2009, 8:34 p.m. CST
well I enjoyed it but...
by aabiohazard1972
Loved the look ,and story though predictable, I found myself surprisingly in a moral quandary; I am a military man myself, at times I rooted for the Earth troops, even to the end, does that make me evil? or just human? without being in that situation myself? I am left with nothing but questions
Dec. 18, 2009, 8:35 p.m. CST
2 Cents of the conservative vs liberal convo
by Jaka
The first thing I thought is that I know just as many religious folk (Christian, Catholic, Mormon and Jew) who consider themselves liberals as they do conservatives. I would say it's just about a 50/50 split for me these days.

 My second thought was that politics has become so closeminded and issue related as to instantly pigeonhole a person as one of the other based on their views of one single issue. Which is of course also part of why the government in the states can't get shit done anymore. Everything is I feel this way on this issue or that, so I'm on that side of the room. And that side of the room refuses to budge on the principal of being defined in that way. It's just ridiculous. There can be, and often is, a HUGE gray area in the middle. A great many people these days are not truly a liberal OR a conservative. Rather, they something else altogether based on a combination of different ideas and feelings about whats going on in the world. But, unfortunately, if you speak out on one of those hot button topics that the "conservatives" don't agree with, you're immediately branded a "liberal". Of course it just as easily goes the other direction as well. But I'm purposely leaving out the issues so we can't all put each other in nice, neat rows. "You can't have any meat if you don't eat your pudding!"
Dec. 18, 2009, 8:36 p.m. CST
And yes, I know I said it backwards.
by Jaka
I hate that I have to say that, though.
Dec. 18, 2009, 8:36 p.m. CST
I know Red Ned Lynch
by DoctorWho?
I don't much want to go there either. Don't have the energy and I'm heading to a dinner date in mere moments.
 I was just recently reading an old JFK speech and was struck by his stance on low taxation. He fought for tax breaks. In this particular speech he was asking for an 11 billion dollar(?) tax cut which at the time must have been fairly significant. No way a modern day liberal goes down that road.
 Gotta run. Thanks for the post.
Dec. 18, 2009, 8:38 p.m. CST
Pocahontas in Spaaaaaace!
by Faine
Though, I admit still entertaining. When they made out under the Tree of Souls, however, I expected Neytiri to break out in a Navi version of "Colors of the Wind." Can you act like a ten foot tall Navi/Can you be as bioluminescent as our skin... You get the idea.
Dec. 18, 2009, 8:39 p.m. CST
Most reviews state the story was the worst part
by Heckles
It's all about the special effects. Story be damned.
Dec. 18, 2009, 8:40 p.m. CST
I'm on vacation in Hawaii
by BadMrWonka
at a resort on the beack. it's 82 degrees. the fan in my bedroom has a remote control.
this does not relate to Avatar in any way, but I just thought you all should know.
Dec. 18, 2009, 8:40 p.m. CST
as for the mech suits
by aabiohazard1972
Well, we could certainly use those in real life! and the gyro-copter? Halo looking things Army needs that stuff, good ideas for military tech comes from Cameron's mind routinely
Dec. 18, 2009, 8:40 p.m. CST
...DoctorWho?, the reason I put Conservative in quotes...
by FlickaPoo
...is because the current Republican party seems anything but conservative. Cool if you're old school, but the crazies seem to have hijacked the party for the foreseeable future.
But don't worry, I'm pretty liberal, but the current Democratic party is a bunch of incompetent leaky pussies...so we're probably even.
Dec. 18, 2009, 8:42 p.m. CST
Also, it was basically just Insurrection
by GhostDad
Am I the only one that was bugged that this was essentially the same plot as "Star Trek: Insurrection," the worst of all the Trek movies?
Dec. 18, 2009, 8:43 p.m. CST
...and DoctorWho?...liberals think you should be able...
by FlickaPoo
...to smoke pot in your own home and have sex with and marry anybody you choose...that's pretty cool, right?
Dec. 18, 2009, 8:43 p.m. CST
by tradeskilz
Hoestly thats a bit fucked up. I too have served my country and i love the gung-ho stuff the humans did in the movie. However if this had been a real situation i couldnt in good faith have followed orders to attack the natives. It is possible though that i would have acted in a similar manner if i had been attached to a mercenary outfit for a long time. With all the facts at hand i certainely wouldnt have.
Dec. 18, 2009, 8:44 p.m. CST
The film is good but not amazing...
by brocknroll
Saw it today. I thought the film was pretty good, but not mind blowing and amazing that most are making it out to be. I thought the special effects, cinematography, and the action scenes were impressive, but I thought the story and the acting could be improved. You gotta admit that it did feel like a live action video game. It was too Terminator and too Transformers. Plus, Cameron making the Na'vi's look like Indians? When Titanic came out, everyone gave it great reviews. Now everyone is hating on it since it's the no. 1 movie in the world. The same would happen to "Avatar" ten years from now, people would get tired of it fast. Don't get me wrong, "Avatar" was good, but I didn't have that thrill like most people. "Avatar" will not be a Best Picture winner for the Oscars, but it will indeed win for Best Special effects and Cinematography, hands down. Is the film worthy for every other category? No. I thought "District 9" was better.
Dec. 18, 2009, 8:46 p.m. CST
Jaka all good points
by Miyamoto_Musashi
But given polls and surveys done it is clear that the fundamentalist christians, i.e. have strong view on homosexuality, abortion, sex education tend to vote republican.
 It has been examined by more politically astute people than myself that it was the support of the more fundamentalist christians that got bush 2 over the line.
 To Harry's point, religion is made up by humans , religions themselves are therefore full of contradictions and we can add blatant hypocrisy as another clear human trait in our history
Dec. 18, 2009, 8:46 p.m. CST
the power ballad,
by frank cotton
like stuffing, is EVIL! and i'm still waiting for the apology for 'celine dion'... and don't forget low-flow toilets, showerheads, etc.
Dec. 18, 2009, 8:46 p.m. CST
by aabiohazard1972
my point exactly, we tend more to think of our buddies next to us, and the conflict before us rather than the "big" picture; unless I was placed in similar circumstances as the "lucky" Marine/alien hybrid, I am going to have to say I would in all likely hood side against the Navi, and do my best to "complete the mission" so again, this movie left me with a moral quandary and gives me something to ponder...
Dec. 18, 2009, 8:46 p.m. CST
TITANIC's plot was ALSO derivative as fuck.
by Vesuvio
The old "rich girl-poor guy" routine comes from as far as Roman Holiday and beyond, all the way through Alladin and keeps going.
 I'm seeing this baby tomorrow, and I'm pretty sure I'll have a hell of a better time than that schmoopi-schmoopi-sink-already-motherfucker boring piece of masterfully produced shit.
Dec. 18, 2009, 8:46 p.m. CST
...BadMrWonka, will you be my avatar? Will you let me...
by FlickaPoo
...download into you?
 I'm neat, quiet, bookish, and fit....and I try to leave all things in better shape than I found them...
Dec. 18, 2009, 8:47 p.m. CST
Not trying to bust Harry's balls, but...
by WhoDis
who didn't see "I love Avatar" coming like 5 years ago?
Dec. 18, 2009, 8:49 p.m. CST
by aabiohazard1972
it is also likely that in case of the pilot turning against her own, similar decisions can be reached even now in war and home fronts; so Movie equals things to think about; that should make Cameron Proud as this is just a bonus effect that may not have been intended
Dec. 18, 2009, 8:49 p.m. CST
by BadMrWonka
if you leave me fit, you can enter me any way you want to! (I need to lose pounds big time)
Dec. 18, 2009, 8:50 p.m. CST
"20" pounds, I meant to say
by BadMrWonka
I am not Jorge Garcia
Dec. 18, 2009, 8:50 p.m. CST
everything but SCIENCE
by frank cotton
is made up by humans. and even some of that is suspect
Dec. 18, 2009, 8:52 p.m. CST
this site is looking much more divisive on Avatar
by Miyamoto_Musashi
than the critics are (rottentomatoes at 83%, 94% for top critics) or am sure the general public will be.

Dec. 18, 2009, 8:53 p.m. CST
...BadMrWonka, "any way you want to"...
by FlickaPoo
...I just chocked on a brussel sprout. Good one.
Dec. 18, 2009, 8:53 p.m. CST
It is because of the story (cough) Bullsh*t!
by imp_fx_com
Now Biff, don't con me!
Dec. 18, 2009, 8:57 p.m. CST
...oh, and BadMrWonka...we love you, but...
by FlickaPoo
Dec. 18, 2009, 8:58 p.m. CST
dude, lose the wisdom teeth
by frank cotton
seriously. frank is proud to say that he can, and does, co-exist with rocks
Dec. 18, 2009, 8:58 p.m. CST
James Cameron didn't try to write a fucking novel
by Anything But Tangerines
He made a 3d sci fi action flick. What is this hullabaloo over "story"?
Dec. 18, 2009, 8:59 p.m. CST
by Jaka
Completely correct for the most part. But I live in the Bay Area in California, where some of those issue lines definitely get blurred, regardless of chosen faith.
Dec. 18, 2009, 9 p.m. CST
But where's the Neil Cumpston review?
by BubbaDestructo
What ever happened to that guy?
Dec. 18, 2009, 9 p.m. CST
Harry is reading way too much into this film's storytelling...
by Shadow16nh
The criticisms regarding the weak characters (Zoe Saldana's Navi princess excluded), dialogue (the biggest offender in this movie; there is rarely anything said by any given character that you wouldn't be able to predict, in addition to a handful of groaners)and story are all valid, but so are the loads of praise heaped on the intricate ecosystem and absolutely unmatched CGI / use of 3D. That could make it sound like a shallow film but as an experience, it's not. As far as artful and exhilarating special effects go, Avatar has no peers; it becomes obvious that there hasn't been anything like this before. I found myself reacting emotionally to the wonders Jake is presented with his first night alone on Pandora. The other elements are disappointingly serviceable, and can only be overlooked because it all becomes so increasingly and vividly real as the movie progresses. MUST see in 3D, of course. The visit to Pandora does stay with me, even if the storytelling doesn't.
Dec. 18, 2009, 9:02 p.m. CST
by Jaka
Seriously! I mean, shit - it's sunset in Hawaii right now! I lived there and never got tired of that place, but I guess it's possible.
Dec. 18, 2009, 9:06 p.m. CST
The thing about aggregate ratings, though..
by Jaka
...is they don't take into account the complaints a reviewer may have had with the film. If a bunch of people give it a B based on how incredible it looks, but all of them were stopped short of giving it an A because the dialogue is weak sauce, you won't get that in an aggregate. But again, I'm not shitting on an average B grade, which seems to be what it's getting (at least) across the board.
Dec. 18, 2009, 9:10 p.m. CST
you try getting a girl ready to leave in less than an hour!
by BadMrWonka
we just got here, I dropped my stuff down, and went to check my internet before we go buy groceries for the week. girls take forever, what can I say?
 oh, and best trade-off ever? I get to see Avatar on Tuesday night, but I have to look at volcanic rock all day beforehand.
Dec. 18, 2009, 9:10 p.m. CST
I don't even think some critics even saw the movie, really
by Anything But Tangerines
It's as if instead of a ticket, the kid in the box office gave them the script, and they just went home to read it and flame it. Either that or their 3D glasses were opaque. Where do such tightasses squeeze out from?
Dec. 18, 2009, 9:11 p.m. CST
"AVATAR is unlike anything I've seen before"
by ebolamonkey
That's funny because it seemed like I had seen it ALL before. From the story to the undersea influences on the flora and fauna ("gill holes" on the animals) to the ships and hardware that looked like they were reused Aliens props - EVERYTHING in this film looked a little familiar. Still, the level of execution was astounding (I haven't wondered how they did something in the movies for years), and props to Cameron for putting together action sequences that can actually be followed. Still, I can't help but think this film won't be as highly regarded once the level of the effects is surpassed by other films in the coming years.
Dec. 18, 2009, 9:11 p.m. CST
DoctorWho? My favorite Sci-Fi flick is...
by Mariusz
...Blade Runner. Not into the soft Disney shit like Star Wars.
Dec. 18, 2009, 9:11 p.m. CST
...yeah, you're set. I take it back. Have fun.
by FlickaPoo
Dec. 18, 2009, 9:13 p.m. CST
Oh, and 3D glasses are a fucking rip-off
by ebolamonkey
You HAVE to buy new ones every time? Then they encourage you to recycle them where they're repackaged and sold back to us AGAIN? Little pissed off about that.
Dec. 18, 2009, 9:13 p.m. CST
Thank You Harry
by LordAcoustic
I was afraid that you weren't going to hit the point that made the film for me, but near the end of the review - you did. The interactions between Jake and Neytiri was really what sold the film for me. The power of the emotional display that these characters had between each other really brought the film together. The subtleties in their faces really compelled the message Cameron was trying to bring across in the script. I don't know if they did this, but they could improve on the nonverbal behaviors between all of the Na'vi characters, beyond what the actors were trying to display. Anyways - Thanks for pointing that out... I'm glad someone did.
Dec. 18, 2009, 9:15 p.m. CST
It's not that the story is badly told...
by blackmantis
It's just that we've seen it A HUNDRED TIMES ALREADY. Same problem as Cinderella Man and Walk The Line. Both very well made, but we've seen the same formula played out over and over. Nothing is at all surprising except for the imagery, which is admittedly amazing.
Dec. 18, 2009, 9:15 p.m. CST
It's not that the story is badly told...
by blackmantis
It's just that we've seen it A HUNDRED TIMES ALREADY. Same problem as Cinderella Man and Walk The Line. Both very well made, but we've seen the same formula played out over and over. Nothing is at all surprising except for the imagery, which is admittedly amazing.
Dec. 18, 2009, 9:15 p.m. CST
by Anything But Tangerines
I doubt that the extra ticket cost is a result of the cheap ass plastic sunglasses they give out. Could it be the dual projectors and specialized screen material?
Dec. 18, 2009, 9:16 p.m. CST
Why are conservatives so pathetic?
by Nabster
And generally of lower intelligence?
Dec. 18, 2009, 9:17 p.m. CST
Why are liberals so hypocritical?
by Anything But Tangerines
And generally so judgmental?
Dec. 18, 2009, 9:17 p.m. CST
nods for movie tech too
by aabiohazard1972
lets not forget the facial expression motion capture that they created for this flick, gave the subtleties that CGI was missing
Dec. 18, 2009, 9:19 p.m. CST
Going back for 2nd viewing on Monday.
by snakecharmer
People can't really have fun at movies anymore. This is one of those movies were you sit back and enjoy the show. If I wanted a character piece, I would pop in my There Will Be Blood blueray. The movie has been sold as a spectacle not a character piece. There is no false advertising.
Dec. 18, 2009, 9:20 p.m. CST
I got to ask....
by inverseruledotcom
How much longer can everyone really take the bad human theme. Guess when it stops making money? And by bad human obviously I mean the general whole race kinda stance.....guess it's almost as funny as how people believe they can shape evolution.....especially those that preach one child families ....
Dec. 18, 2009, 9:20 p.m. CST
Why do PEOPLE put each other in boxes?
by Jaka
Finger pointing and name calling never gets anything done, nor does it REALLY prove any point other than the fact that you know how to point fingers and call each other names. Siiiigh. Me go now. Read book. Ugh.
Dec. 18, 2009, 9:21 p.m. CST
by Anything But Tangerines
escapes you
Dec. 18, 2009, 9:23 p.m. CST
Far right and Far left people are idiots that get in....
by snakecharmer
the way of anything getting done. Democracy functions in the middle.
Dec. 18, 2009, 9:24 p.m. CST
Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow
by Bellam
Well, only the first tomorrow, early show. I am very excited. Then I can actually read whole reviews instead of the first sentence of every fifth paragraph in them.
Dec. 18, 2009, 9:26 p.m. CST
by bobjustbob
In some ways AVATAR is like WAR OF THE WORLDS (speaking mostly of the book) with the roles reversed. Aliens (us) invade another world (Pandora) because they covet resources. Although technically superior to the indigenous population the invaders are eventually defeated by Mother Nature. Of course, HGW used WoW as an analogy for wickedness of colonialism...
Dec. 18, 2009, 9:29 p.m. CST
by all logic, the bad ass colornel with the scars shoulda died h
by Magic Rat
really...if the air is poisonous, then how come he got scraped on his face (which must have went through his mask) and exposed him to the atmosphere - and shoulda killed him. Really, dude shouldn't have lasted day one - not from the scar - but from the atmosphere that he was exposed to. I know he held his beath in a few scenes in Avatar, but he also wasn't clawed in the face by whatever it was that did that. Really poor job of explaining that scar.
Dec. 18, 2009, 9:32 p.m. CST
Most geek were floored by the spectacle in Avatar...
by snakecharmer
the general public who's going in unaware of what a awaits them are going to be in awe on the images on screen. My brother took his girl and she was barely aware of the film. She kept saying wow.
Dec. 18, 2009, 9:33 p.m. CST
The earth running out of resources thing is a myth.
by Ganymede3001
Thanks to the exponential advances in Photovoltaic Solar panels we'll be completely energy independent within the next 50 years, some say sooner. Unlike thermal solar panels that collect heat, the Photovoltaic solar panels converts light photons into electrons. The efficacy of this technology is increasing by 50% a year. The future is nothing to fear fortunately.
Dec. 18, 2009, 9:33 p.m. CST
yeah, yeah, it's a Movie that's killing America and you aren't C
by G100
Those pitiful people who can't handle a Movie without breaking it down into their own paranoid chunks of what they imagine is propaganda should just stop whining or just stop watching movies.

The world isn't all about your pathetic culture war and desperate attempt to score meaningless partisan points in the ever more ludicrous small minded entrenchment of fringe lunatics who get offended if the world is portrayed in any manner other than how they can only see it from their narrow minded viewpoint.

Just keep watching FOX 24/7 and you will never be challenged or upset again. You can also leave the rest of us to enjoy Movies in peace.

Avatar sounds good. It will have some great moments in it. I'm eager to see it. No, it isn't the second coming and Cameron DID overdo the hype but that doesn't mean it can't be a really enjoyable movie.
Dec. 18, 2009, 9:34 p.m. CST
and you aren't Colbert style jokes to be mocked
by G100
Dec. 18, 2009, 9:40 p.m. CST
It's amazing that everything spirals to ignorant political rants
by SuperXY
So to cure the ignorance here are some facts. Classical republicans, like Jefferson and Lincoln are not the same as modern republicans. The idea that because GOP a hundred plus years ago was anti-slavery does not connect it to modern politics. Liberal policy is this: a stance that government must make proactive moves to prevent negative results on a society of citizens. Conservative policy is that of a reactive system. It believes that individual people have the responsibility to make intelligent choices with limited interference from government. Only when things go wrong would government get involved in a conservative system. The problem that no one here seems to recognize, is that over the last decade the definition of conservative policy has changed. A small faction of extremist Christians have taken over. Additionally, they have taken an extreme selective proactive stance. That means they are open to government getting involved, but generally only in situations where the involvement favors positive outcomes to a large conglomerate rather than to an individual citizen. The terms "liberal" and "conservative" are misnomers in modern politics. The reality is that the Republican party of the last decade has employed more "liberal" strategies about policy making than the Democrat party. But, coming to a website and lashing out with no ambition but to drive people further apart doesn't really help either ideology or political base. Those of you who are complaining about political stances without actually understanding them need to... Grow up. Work together. Stop being a bitch. It's Harry's website not yours. If you want to be a whiny bitch because you don't agree with him, then go somewhere else instead of looking for an opportunity to be a bitch, Bitch. You make the talk-backs terrible.
Dec. 18, 2009, 9:41 p.m. CST
And yes that was FOX News obviously
by G100
The irony of Murdoch's FOX Movies releasing this supposed "liberal rant" won't be lost on some.
Dec. 18, 2009, 9:42 p.m. CST
by SuperXY
And the movie rocked. Made me feel like the four year old kid in a theater in 1980 watching Empire Strikes Back. It was my first movie, and the first time I got taken in by a world that was created with the ambition of transporting us to another place. It made me a life-long lover of film, and Avatar reminded me why.
Dec. 18, 2009, 9:44 p.m. CST
JamieCOTC95 is damn right
by _Lizarkeo
Just watched Avatar in IMAX. Too much little empathy and connection with almost everybody and everything in it. And predictable as hell. Since T1, loved every Cameron's movie, yep. But, this time, waited 10 years plus only to discover that ALIENS is still his best movie and script... I felt every death in ALIENS. Even the non-romance between Hicks and Ripley in the Special Edition was more moving and convincing. Even the hardware was way cooler just because...cool military bad-asses were riding in it, not zero-personality evil mercs (where´s Martin Keamy when we need him, heh). And, Powerloader forever: for real, no CG "perfection"... And WTF Ben Afleck (or his sleepy twin brother, heh) was doing in this movie?... Ok, I liked the avatars playing basketball, heh. And Michelle and Sigourney (ok, her avatar!) were foxy... About the new performance-capture technology... Can't wait to see Arnie, Stallone and Bruce in their prime doing together a hardcore sci-fi military action movie, heh. Or Zack Snyder using it in his version of Heavy Metal or Dark Knight Returns, heh.

Well, sigh.
I'm gonna give another try, Jimboy, of course.
Cheers.
Dec. 18, 2009, 9:47 p.m. CST
Anything But Tangerines
by ebolamonkey
Well, I'm not sure where you're seeing it, but I've seen "Real 3D" movies before, and every time we get charged $5 each for the glasses. Nothing unique to Avatar, Real 3D has been around for a while now.
Dec. 18, 2009, 9:49 p.m. CST
Conservatives supported slavery not liberals.
by Ganymede3001
Who gives a fuck what the party was called. You so called tolerant Southern Democrats defected from the party after the civil rights act was passed. The same Southern Confederate Flag waving Nazi's that use to run the Democratic Party converted into Republicans and Dixie-crats. If you look at the US where slavery was allowed, it's the same states that overwhelmingly vote Republican today. I can't believe who fucking stupid conservatives are when they try claim that conservatives were against slavery. It was the North Eastern Liberals that was against the slavery, the same tree huggers you conservatives despise today.
Dec. 18, 2009, 9:50 p.m. CST
Actually, it sounds like a lot of things we've seen before
by kevred
and repeatedly, and even from the same director. All this expense and technology devoted to such a familiar, worn premise.
But it will be hailed as some kind of original work of genius, even though many people should be getting royalties from it who aren't. Just from what I've seen online, I'll add Wendy Pini to that list.
Dec. 18, 2009, 9:51 p.m. CST
Harry, couldn't agree more!!
by antonphd
It's not very often that a film like this comes out. And for me the last ones that came close were Contact and The Abyss. I don't know if I'll be able to save up for a 3D tv in time for the Blue Ray release buy I'm damn sure going to try cause this is meant to be experienced in 3D.
Dec. 18, 2009, 9:52 p.m. CST
about the energy issue...
by gislinexus
Just wanted to point out that nowhere in the film is it stated that earth is running out of energy resources and that the unobtanium has anything to do with energy issues. It's just very valuable (though inflation for over 140 years might make 20 million a kilo less impressive than it would be today!)
Dec. 18, 2009, 9:55 p.m. CST
Liberal rant...
by antonphd
I would say that this film's message, which it clearly has, is that there are 2 types of people... those who respect life and those who respect their selfish ambitions. I don't think that's a liberal position. I grew up conservative home and I'm a liberal as an adult. This has nothing to do with American politics. It's about a personal choice about what's important to you.
Dec. 18, 2009, 9:57 p.m. CST
Wendy Pini
by antonphd
Is in heaven on earth enjoying the hell out of this film. No ifs buts or ands about that.
Dec. 18, 2009, 9:59 p.m. CST
War of the Worlds was also about us...
by antonphd
Dec. 18, 2009, 10:04 p.m. CST
This review was probably written
by Crooooooow
before Harry even saw the movie. There's no way in hell it was gonna be anything but glowing considering the slathering Avatar has been given on this sight for 5 years now.
Dec. 18, 2009, 10:05 p.m. CST
by TheUmpireStrokesBach
Wow antonphd, a true geek reference! Hadn't thought of that one at all, but it's right on the money.

This flick fucking rocked the IMAX i saw it at. The audience was obviously into it. Laughing at some of the few zingers, even groaning at the clunkers, but clearly along for the ride.
Dec. 18, 2009, 10:07 p.m. CST
by TheUmpireStrokesBach
Ooops, it was you who noted Mrs. Pini. Sorry for letting antonphd get all the credit!
Dec. 18, 2009, 10:08 p.m. CST
The Elfquest comments..
by Jaka
...and there has been a couple, really surprise me. But they also get my expectations up a little. It's very nearly my favorite thing on earth. : )
Dec. 18, 2009, 10:11 p.m. CST
Thank so many of you...
by Jaka
...for perfectly proving my point.
Dec. 18, 2009, 10:12 p.m. CST
Anybody else think "Iron Man 2" looks like "Rocky III"?
by The Reluctant Austinite
The "Iron Man 2" trailer = "Rocky III"! I was just watching that "Iron Man 2" trailer again and realized that it's basically "Rocky III"! Stark is recently victorious and now is a superstar of all media, but his arrogance and overconfidence will be his undoing. Rourke's character is basically Clubber Lang, a hungry thug from the rough and dirty streets who prepares for battle in dirty garages, not in billion dollar gyms like Stark. He's going to "bust you up" when he gets ahold of spoiled Stark. Instead of Apollo Creed helping Rocky get his head and body back together, we get Rhodes doing the same thing so they "can win it back together". I love it! This film, truly, has the eye of the tiger.
Dec. 18, 2009, 10:13 p.m. CST
Harry's face melted like the end of Raiders. Ahhh!!!
by Orionsangels
Dec. 18, 2009, 10:20 p.m. CST
To Headgeek RE: "Christians," etc.
by jorson28
Misinformed? No - you just made an ASSUMPTION: I.E., that conservatives are Christian - period. That may be true of most, but to assume it to be true of ALL? Frankly, that doesn't sound very open-minded, which is what I've read that many (though I'm not assuming all) of you liberals (which you've called yourself in the past) claim to be. But don't worry. You haven't made an ass out of yourself AND us conservatives. In any case, you have a right to your opinion, even if it's different than mine - even if it's not conservative. Actually, as I value the two-party system - inherently adversarial and virtually impossible in a socialist / Communist society (sure, it exists, but barely - I mean, Canada??? Really...) - my only regret is that you aren't MORE adamant about your beliefs and, by extension, unapologetic and not so quick to take offense at being confronted with facts about them. If you like the movie, okay. If you WANT movies to be liberal, fine - just don't take so much offense when someone calls it like it is. If anything, you're only making the conservative stance seem stronger. At least we're not so apologetic. At least, when Conservatives and Republicans had the presidency and the majority, they weren't virtually railroaded 6 months into their stint because their own party couldn't agree upon how to circumvent the Constitution so as to make Obama appear like the almost godlike, progressive, second-coming President they want him to be (an assumption, but barely - two plays at this game). Of course, you could argue that it was because Republicans / Conservatives ignored the law, Congressional oversight and all forms of accountability that they succeeded at all, but in the end, it's immaterial. SuperXY's post about the difference between past and present conservatism is right. It's too bad he / she doesn't apply the same analysis to liberalism - which in Kennedy's day fought Communism, thus STARTING the actual war in Vietnam along with any "conservatives" that may have drummed to the same beat, instead of embracing subtly disguised forms of it - but the post is still sound. Now, the Democrats are, for the most part, legally pushing their own unconstitutional policies and taking shortcuts to get their legislation passed (like forcing the House to pass a bill it didn't read - shortcuts which aren't working) and make the Obama presidency the veritable godhood they want everyone to remember it being. 'Trouble is, a few at the top have underestimated the intelligence of the Democratic party as a whole, which KNOWS that things like socialist healthcare and the complete dismantling of private insurance is - while attractive in the same way as, say, everyone on Earth winning the lottery - by its very definition, unconstitutional and, in the long run, very destructive. The proof is in the pudding. One month, they call it a "government option," then only when the measure is dead does a member of the party declare the inevitable end of private insurance because it's no longer needed - a clear sign of their true intentions, I think. The only difference between the two parties nowadays, really, is who lies the best. Neither conclusion would offend me. And that brings me back to my original point, Harry. That you take offense to being called liberal - when you've described yourself in the past as just that - is ridiculous and only hurts your own agenda. It is made worse by your assumption / implication about Conservatives being Christians, which is as good as saying ALL Conservatives are Christians. One more thing... as for "Corporations," that's another assumption. Do you know what a corporation is? It's not inherently evil (do liberals believe in actual evil, or is it only a loosely-used adjective applied to certain white men and corporations?). Actually, it isn't even a physical entity! And, believe it or not, guess who runs corporations - HUMANS! Yeah! Not monkeys or lemurs or little red demons. Human beings that need money just as much as you - that need natural resources every bit as much as the most liberal pot-smoking progressive and that do, on occasion, lie and cheat in ways very similar to the approach recently used by Republicans during the Bush Administration and, now, by those in the Obama Administration to push socialized healthcare / health insurance and will be used to push other so-called "progressive" policies. It's my guess that many of them have not only smoked pot before, but continue to do so now to deal with the pressures of corporate life. Anyhow, relax, Harry. If you're right, the universe will unfold as it should - the liberal way. Right? Otherwise, great site. Kudos, though I think I'll skip "Avatar," thanks. - J...
Dec. 18, 2009, 10:21 p.m. CST
Fundemental flaw in the story
by Dreamfasting
marine: "there can be no peaceful resolution", says it (or words to that effect and thus is the epitome of evil.

 Hum'vi: "there can be no peace with the other side" ... never actually says it, but acts as if it is a given and gets a moral pass?

 In the second half, I found myself constantly rolling my eyes ( even though I'm sympathetic to the anti-imperialistic political point, I don't believe in the "noble savage" who lives in perfect harmony with nature and is divinely vindicated by winning a miraculous military victory ). Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the movie, but personally I would have preferred watching another hour or two of fantasy National Geographic special.
Dec. 18, 2009, 10:26 p.m. CST
by jorson28
Of course, FDR's policies were liberal and, sometimes, socialist. When I say "fought Communism," I mean more than just starting the Vietnam war. I mean not shaking hands and praising idiots like Venazuela's President (Dictator) Hugo Chavez the way Obama did just a few months ago - now declared by Chavez to be undeserving of his Nobel Peace Prize because of Chavez' latest conspiracy theory about U.S. military imperialism - as if the U.S. military is even strong enough after Bush to SUCCESSFULLY launch such campaigns even if anyone wanted them to! LOL
Dec. 18, 2009, 10:28 p.m. CST
theres no way i'd trust harry's review....
by hegele
... after all the personal love Cameron has been giving him and the site. Sorry bud, i still love ya but i'm not even going to read this.
Dec. 18, 2009, 10:34 p.m. CST
Directors's cut was 30+ min longer.
by snakecharmer
Dec. 18, 2009, 10:37 p.m. CST
What were the lines like?
by dawgma
I have tickets for 3:20 tomorrow in Toronto. Can anyone say how early we should like up to get good seats?
Dec. 18, 2009, 10:40 p.m. CST
Get there early.
by snakecharmer
Dec. 18, 2009, 10:41 p.m. CST
by ALLENGUINDON
Is this not a sequel to Titanic?
Dec. 18, 2009, 10:43 p.m. CST
Early like...
by dawgma
an hour early? or closer to two hours?
Dec. 18, 2009, 10:43 p.m. CST
I grew up in a HIGHLY Catholic AND Democratic area...
by blhotz
LOL, so all Christians are definitely NOT conservatives. With that said, can't wait to see this movie tomorrow in IMAX!! ...oh and with politics, sure hope these Democrats get their heads out of their asses and listen to the freaking ppl! ... what morons!
Dec. 18, 2009, 10:44 p.m. CST
re:Dawgma / lines
by Dreamfasting
If you see it on a regular screen, there's no lineup at all ... there were hardly 30 people in an huge almost-empty screening I saw this evening. I'd have shown up late if I'd known there were going to be 10 minutes of ads before we even got to the trailers.
Dec. 18, 2009, 10:49 p.m. CST
Going to see 3D IMAX for sure
by dawgma
And since there are so few of these screens I guess that means we should probably get there at least 2 hours before. If not earlier. Goddamn.
Dec. 18, 2009, 10:53 p.m. CST
are you guys not buying your tickets online?
by Miyamoto_Musashi
Dec. 18, 2009, 10:54 p.m. CST
I can not deny my feelings
by BendersShinyAss
This film was GREAT
Dec. 18, 2009, 10:54 p.m. CST
FUCK conservatives and FUCK christians
by quantize
really..between the pair of them what haven't they fucked up? All thats left is for them to make cheap retarded comments about liberals. Bring it on cocksuckers.
Dec. 18, 2009, 10:55 p.m. CST
No lines
by altwraith
There was only about 25 people in the theater I saw it in. The movie looked great but the story wasn't any good.
Dec. 18, 2009, 10:58 p.m. CST
by TehCreepyThinMan
You know why fucking asswipes like you come bitch about movies like Avatar, which are pro-environment/pro-spiritualism/pro-peace etc…, is because you are soulless monsters that would turn the world into a graveyard if you had half a chance. I'm surprised that you fucking bastards don't bitch about Luke blowing up the Death Star you fucking war mongering fascist cocksuckers.

You hate Avatar because it's a parable about imperialism which even you, with your pea sized brain, recognize that the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA has been engaging in your illegal and murderous occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan, two countries that had NOTHING TO DO WITH 9/11. You can't stand the watching Avatar because it holds up a mirror to your face revealing the endless black pit where a soul should be in people like you that just fucking LOVE war but hate being reminded of the human cost of the oil you covet.

You hide behind the propaganda of "spreading freedom and democracy" which is fucking laughable given that the USA is now a controlled by the Pentagon and Wall Street while your pathetic charade of a two party political system hands hundreds of billions to their corporate/military masters but shaft the American people at every turn as in evidence of this fascist piece of legislation your Government is trying to ram through that says that if you don't buy medical insurance, from corrupt companies that will do anything they can to avoid making payments for your treatment, you will be fined or even GO TO JAIL!

You know, I thought that Obama really was going to bring change but it's clear that he's just a smarter and more articulate version of George W. Bush and is in the pocket of the same people who owned that fucking retards worthless ass. So keep bitching about Avatar wingnuts while your way of life is being taken out from under you. You're all suckers and you'll get everything you deserve, very soon, and the last thing you'll be worried about is a fucking movie about a bunch of Thundersmurfs.
Dec. 18, 2009, 11:05 p.m. CST
The issue here is...
by Mariusz
... way too many eyeballs getting fucked, raped, drilled, banged, etc., etc.. Go get your eyesight checked, you tools! This movie sucks ass, admit it!
Dec. 18, 2009, 11:13 p.m. CST
Yes Harry
by brobdingnag
you are an emotion driven collectivist with no true understanding of the value of anything let alone the value of life.
Dec. 18, 2009, 11:16 p.m. CST
by frank cotton
that fascist legislation is left wing. do try to keep up
Dec. 18, 2009, 11:21 p.m. CST
TehCreepyThinMan needs to eat some Wheaties
by FeralAngel
Hopefuly, they'll grow hair on his chest, thus covering up his man-titties...sheesh.
Dec. 18, 2009, 11:24 p.m. CST
Harry, after you dissed the excellent Astro Boy
by FeralAngel
...I wouldn't pay squat to see this. You have obviously caught George Lucas disease, able to enjoy anything only with your eyeballs. God forbid a film engage your mind and heart. After reading about the "plot" of this movie ("plot" as in "burial") it sounds like Captain Planet on steriods, and I say TO HELL WITH IT.
Dec. 18, 2009, 11:25 p.m. CST
FeralAngel, WHAT WAS THAT YOU DICKLESS FAGGOT?
by TehCreepyThinMan
How about you sign up for Iraq and post us some picture from the front line tough guy? I'd get your Mom to post pics of your coffin coming home but then your Government doesn't allow any to be taken because it doesn't want the sheeple in your country to see the cost of war.
Dec. 18, 2009, 11:26 p.m. CST
Left Wing, Right Wing...
by TheUmpireStrokesBach
Chicken Wing?
Dec. 18, 2009, 11:27 p.m. CST
still waiting for Motoko's review
by Miyamoto_Musashi
Dec. 18, 2009, 11:29 p.m. CST
Enter Quantize and CMT...
by DoctorWho?
Right on cue, slobberingly mad and predictable as ever. All is right in the universe.
Dec. 18, 2009, 11:32 p.m. CST
Funny thing is the East Coast blizzard will affect the box offic
by YackBacker
AVATAR won't be breaking any records if this snowstorm keeps everyone stuck Saturday.
Dec. 18, 2009, 11:32 p.m. CST
No Sequel Planned STORY HERE http://tinyurl.com/ye6czvx
by lovesavatar47
Dec. 18, 2009, 11:33 p.m. CST
by TehCreepyThinMan
You see yourselves as Rebels which is why a bunch of you blew up the Federal Building in Oklahoma in 1995 because you thought Clinton was taking away your Freedom then ironically cheered on Bushco. as they pissed on the Constitution and a Bill of Rights for eight years. You are fascists that wrap yourselves in the flag while holding a bible in one hand and a gun on the other.
Dec. 18, 2009, 11:34 p.m. CST
TehCreepyThinMan needs a nap.
by Godovhellfire
He also needs chili for lunch.
Dec. 18, 2009, 11:35 p.m. CST
CTM- thanks for that EPISODE I review link
by YackBacker
I watched all 7 parts, some a couple of times- fucking classic. Awesome find, my man- I've sent it off to my associates and they all dig it too. Thanks!
Dec. 18, 2009, 11:35 p.m. CST
Avatar fucked my eyeballs!
by The_Crimson_King
no, seriously, this is a really fucking cool movie, I can't imagine someone watching this movie and not being impressed with the beauty of it, Avatar fucked my eyeballs and I liked it!
Dec. 18, 2009, 11:36 p.m. CST
TehCreepyThinMan is posting on NUKETHEFRIDGE.COM
by lovesavatar47
Dec. 18, 2009, 11:40 p.m. CST
Nice review Harry!
by theneonsamurai
Glad to see someone *not* just rehashing the "amazing visuals but weak story" groupthink. I thought the story--and especially the universe--was as interesting as anything else I'd seen this year. But more than that, I fucking love Harry's enthusiasm for all things projected. Thanks for the interesting read to go along with a fantastic flick!
Dec. 18, 2009, 11:41 p.m. CST
CreepyThinMan is at NTF spamming!!!! LOOK
by lovesavatar47
Dec. 18, 2009, 11:42 p.m. CST
DoctorWho? EAT SHIT YOU FUCKING CUNT!!! OKAY, I GUESS...
by TehCreepyThinMan
You wouldn't mind a US drone dropping a bomb on your trailer park, blowing your fat fucking inbred redneck mongoloid family sky high? How about seeing your wife, children, mother, father, brothers, sisters etc… murdered or mutilated by the US Government to put profits into the pockets of military defense contractors and oil companies. Seriously, give me some justification as to why it's okay for the US Government to be in the Middle-East for the last few decades without your talking points about spreading "freedom and democracy" because you cunts didn't seem to care about those when you removed the democratically elected President of Iran in 1953 and installed a dictator, the Shaw, that you supported until the 1979 Iranian revolution. Got anything to say now fuckface?
Dec. 18, 2009, 11:45 p.m. CST
TehCreepyThinMan proves that Ritalyn doesn't work for everyone
by FeralAngel
Geez, chill, sonny boy. I AM a veteran, as it happens, served 2 tours in Afghanistan. I figure I've done my duty. Whereas I bet you get your ass beat in World of Warcraft...by ELVES. You pansy.
Dec. 18, 2009, 11:46 p.m. CST
lovesavatar47, I LEFT ONE MESSAGE AT NUKE THE FRIDGE....
by TehCreepyThinMan
It was because Luis had pictures of himself with James Cameron from a screening of Avatar and I thought it was funny how none of the right wing dipshits there didn't have anything to say about the movies Liberal theme's which they would normally jump all over being a bunch of knuckle dragging conseravtives that they are. I guess kissing Cameron's ass is more important then being honest about how they feel towards the movie.
Dec. 18, 2009, 11:53 p.m. CST
by DoctorWho?
Golly, I guess he sure told me eh?
Dec. 18, 2009, 11:54 p.m. CST
Agree with many of your points Harry
by Engelhast
and I also LOVED Avatar but you must have either been drunk as a skunk or had a stroke before writing this bro. Fucking rambles on and skips back and forth more than Side B of Led Zeppelin's II with a deep scratch in the vinyl.
Dec. 18, 2009, 11:57 p.m. CST
Finally!!! Harry, We Missed You!!!!!
by Media Messiah
Glad to see you are back!!!
Dec. 18, 2009, 11:57 p.m. CST
FeralAngel, YES, OF COURSE YOU'RE A VETERAN.....
by TehCreepyThinMan
That's the same bullshit LIE that every right wing piece of shit like you uses when someone confronts you about being war mongering scum. You weren't in the Army and even if you were, why would I give a fuck? What, you think being a soldier means that you are somehow beyond reproach? Or that "I serve my country" bullshit means anything more then the millions of people who work as cops or fire fighters across North America? I have more respect for them because they aren't used as muscle to wage imperialistic genocide against any indigenous population that sits on a resource that your country wants. You went into the army because it was a fucking job. Only low foreheads like you, fed endless propaganda about how noble it is to serve as a cog in a war machine, actually believe that you are something more then an easily replaceable meat puppet. End. Of. Story.
Dec. 18, 2009, 11:59 p.m. CST
LOOKS GOOD TehCreepyThinMan YOU LOVE NUKE THE FRIDGE~~~~~~
by lovesavatar47
Dec. 19, 2009, 12:01 a.m. CST
YackBacker, GLAD YOU LIKED IT, TOO BAD AICN DOESN'T.....
by TehCreepyThinMan
Report Cool News anymore. Fat bastard, sorry, I mean Harold, can't even bother to get his Avatar review out until one fucking day before the movie comes out which is pathetic considering lardass saw it last fucking week.
Dec. 19, 2009, 12:06 a.m. CST
Creepy, dude....
by Jaka
...my Jedi powers are telling me you should probably start thinking up another new user name. Do you really expect anybody to take you seriously when you spew such nonsensical hatred all over everything you say? And yes. I know. I'm a stupid cunt, blah, blah, blah. But at least I know how to formulate a sentence without mindlessly attacking people. You're like a constant synaptic misfire stuck in the middle of a really bad trip.
Dec. 19, 2009, 12:12 a.m. CST
So is your carpal tunnel acting up, Creepy?
by FeralAngel
Slaying pixels all day long must be a bitch. Heh. Thanks for the laugh.
Dec. 19, 2009, 12:13 a.m. CST
FeralAngel, ONLY TWO TOURS? ARE YOU A HOMO?
by TehCreepyThinMan
Did they broom your candy ass out once they found your stash of Playgirl issues hidden in your duffle bag. That can be the only reason you aren't still there. I though a patriot, like you claim to be, would keep re-enlisting over and over until you "won" in Afghanistan or came home in dozen Ziploc bags. Whatever happened to "I only regret that I have but one life to give for my country" you fucking CHICKEN BOKBOKBOKBOKBOK!!!
Dec. 19, 2009, 12:23 a.m. CST
i liked the slimy dobermans
by StrokerX
they were cool. I liked how a lot..if not all of the animals had those fire-wire things.
 This was meant to be seen in 3-D...from the opening water droplet shot you can just tell it's going to be bad ass.
Dec. 19, 2009, 12:23 a.m. CST
Political stuff...
by The_Breeze
Avatar is a warning. It's a warning of what happens when privately-controlled, paramillitary soldiers join forces with big business accountable to no one. It's a warning of what happens when you take former soldiers and strip away their code of conduct and sense of duty and patriotism and instead just leave a well-trained, profit-driven machine. It's a cautionary tale of where the likes of Blackwater could be leaving us. You see, towards the end, that the mercenaries basically seize control from the greedy but pansy-ass business people. It's the logical extension of millitarism without honor. The mercs look like soldiers and act (in terms of discipline and training) like soldiers, but they aren't really accountable to anyone.
Dec. 19, 2009, 12:23 a.m. CST
Harry, Are You Smoking Crack?
by lalalandlovechild
The weakest link in this movie is the "story". It felt like watching an episode of One Tree Hill that had a budget of $300M. Take away the pomp of the CG (which still looks REALLY CG) and you got NOTHIN'. I swear the people who like this movie have never played videogames because the movie felt like a head-on collision of Warcraft and Halo. It's very good for sure, but great....nah.
Dec. 19, 2009, 12:24 a.m. CST
DoctorWho?, I DIDN'T TELL YOU, I FISTED YOUR FUCKING ASS!!!
by TehCreepyThinMan
It's the reason that you only responded with sarcasm instead of counter-points to rebuke my assertions. You've got NOTHING so EAT SHIT you little bitch. Hey, here's an idea, you can go with FeralAngel to the Army recruitment office, since I'm sure that he's going to reenlist to show me how manly he is, and when your in Iraq you can tell me all about how he pays gay Iraqi locals to fuck him in the ass with his favorite strap-on that he calls the Little-boy as it makes him cum like Hiroshima.
Dec. 19, 2009, 12:28 a.m. CST
If I were Jake, I'd stay too...
by PorkChopXpress
I don't know what it says about me, but I am strangely attracted to Neytiri and I think I'd probably do exactly what he did. She's a hottie, as aliens go. As for the liberal/conservative silliness...Harry injected more of that himself into his writeup than Cameron does, the movie. Not that this should surprise anyone. And incidentally, shouldn't Harry be THIN by now, after lap band surgery? What's with the continued wheelchair/fatty stuff? I lost 100 pounds, myself...without surgery. Just do it, man - then you don't have to think/write about how miserable it is to be physically unfit.
Dec. 19, 2009, 12:31 a.m. CST
Fill Up The Frame With As Much Shit As Possible
by TheJudger
George Lucas has taught you well...
Dec. 19, 2009, 12:31 a.m. CST
by CodeName
True, at least Lucas keeps us guessing and wondering.
Dec. 19, 2009, 12:38 a.m. CST
I got nothing against GL
by TheJudger
But he failed to provide a back story with the same level of character richness that he gave us with the original trilogy, and the reason he fucked that up is because he became more obsessed with birthing and creating technical leaps in cinema. Cameron did the same damn thing with this movie. This isnt this generations OZ or Star Wars- not by a long shot. Instead of leaving that script in a draw for 10+ years well maybe The Planet King should have reworked it some more, and realized that amazing visuals and photoreal fake characters and creatures and foliage doesn;t equal story!
Dec. 19, 2009, 12:43 a.m. CST
Remember when Dire Straits Music Video
by TheJudger
Money For Nothing was amazing visually. Yeah and it looks like ass now. Time will kills this films visual punch. Let's see how much of a story it has then....
Dec. 19, 2009, 12:44 a.m. CST
ITT Liberials.
by DigitalDong
Dec. 19, 2009, 12:45 a.m. CST
AVATAR = FAIL (the numbers are IN!)
by RefutetheHype
Midnight Showing Box Office:

 The Twilight Saga: New Moon $26.3 million
 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince $22.2 million
 The Dark Knight $18.5 million
 Avatar $3.7 million

 THE NUMBERS ARE IN.
Dec. 19, 2009, 12:45 a.m. CST
genuinely moving.
by james_cameron_raped_my_childhood
I really cared about the Na'vi, and the rest of the animals on Pandora. They were real to me & and I don't give a shit about the photoreal argument. There's a couple of moments towards the end that really got me. The eyes of these beings are so expressive! I'm going to see Avatar again & love it even more.
Dec. 19, 2009, 12:52 a.m. CST
"Now, a story isn't just about characters and their actions"
by Glory_Fades_ImMaxFischer
Gee thanks Mr. Knowles..do we have to stay after class and study more about "what is a story" because I don't think I quite understand yet.
Dec. 19, 2009, 12:55 a.m. CST
by RefutetheHype
Without discussing their jobs or what they wear or actions they engage in, can you describe the characters as follow for me: Anakin Skywalker in PHNATOM MENACE, Obi-Wan in PHANTOM MENACE, Qui-Gonn in PHANTOM MENACE, Amidala in PHANTOM MENACE?
Dec. 19, 2009, 12:57 a.m. CST
by JohnnyLaBamba
I played the Ubisoft game and found the Pandorapedia the most interesting part of the game. It explains the tech and the science behind things like unobtanium. If I remember correctly, unobtanium is used to control force fields for anti-matter reactions, which is how earth is producing energy and traveling near-light speeds to distant planets. I do a lot of work with next-generation technology, and it's all about how we can meet our energy needs until mankind can come up with something like this or nuclear fusion.
Dec. 19, 2009, 12:57 a.m. CST
TehCreepyThinMan, you're my new best friend.
by Ganymede3001

"Only low foreheads like you, fed endless propaganda about how noble it is to serve as a cog in a war machine, actually believe that you are something more then an easily replaceable meat puppet. End. Of. Story."
 Thread winner!!!!!!
Dec. 19, 2009, 12:59 a.m. CST
Avatar Earth
by JohnnyLaBamba
I also hope they show future earth if they ever make any more of these. Anybody thoughts on what they might do if there are sequels?
Dec. 19, 2009, 1:01 a.m. CST
I saw AVATAR on IMAX 3-D Friday evening...
by BadWaldosRevenge
Well done, but story kinda contrived, particularly the ludicrously cartoonish villains (Stephen Lang plays his ham-fisted role with a straight face, knowing how farcical his character is; a perfect comic book villain) and towards the ending. I'm very impressed with the visual splendor -- even though some CG scene, especially flying dragons against gorgeous scenery backgrounds, may appear like future PlayStation 4 demo specs. IMAX 3-D is worth seeing because of how damn crisp the movie looks, like seeing a biochemically real film stock running flawlessly on the screen. I notice Tree of Life in AVATAR is uncannily similar to the tree model in Squaresoft's Secret of Mana video game franchise. At least Jim doesn't get that idea from Terry Malick and his forthcoming ambitious movie "Tree of Life." (Terry is a modern-day Luddite who hates television, cell phone, and anything trendy.)
AVATAR is a good movie overall -- great visuals but fairly good story with excellent structure but loaded with obvious liberal bias that could be a problem for some hard-core right-wing Teabagger blowhards. I'm somewhere between left-leaning libertarian and ultra right-wing, and I could see how AVATAR might offend some right-wing and even militant sensibilities...if they love war based on "us versus them" vendetta, lies, and predatory capitalism, believe US-Afghanistan-Iraq War-War on Terror to be right, and take O'Reilly/Hannity/Beck's ill-informed & lunatic rants as gospel truth.
Dances with Thundersmurfs may be an overstatement, but that's pretty much what movie is about, with mind-bending eye candy despite a few instances that may exemplify Jim's shortcoming as a storyteller-cum-screenwriter.
Concerning the flaws, Jim Cameron could at least be a little...more original with story and revise some 'cheddar cheese snack' dialogues. Two sequels in the planning? I think the first AVATAR movie should be enough. Who wants to see blue aliens kick ass two more times? I look forward to Jim doing BATTLE ANGEL with the same and much improved 3-D/photoreal CG technology, if it's still on the plate. AVATAR is not a masterpiece, but a good picture that will undoubtedly win Best Visual Effects and Technical Oscars.
Dec. 19, 2009, 1:01 a.m. CST
by RefutetheHype
Dec. 19, 2009, 1:02 a.m. CST
Best Movie Of 2009
by Mako
And possibly even the decade!! AVATAR is a monumental triumph. Naysayers can eat their own poo and smear it over their faces. If you were not amazed or filled with movie making magic wonder by this movie... you better get to an emergency room fast... cause you have no pulse. Or you're just a troll. And they have no pulse either.
Dec. 19, 2009, 1:03 a.m. CST
I don't think this movie will do well in the box-office.
by Ganymede3001
Even though I thoroughly enjoyed this film, I have to admit that the lines were unusually short at my local theatre. Hopefully word of mouth will give this movie a box office boost.
Dec. 19, 2009, 1:05 a.m. CST
Gah, why am I waiting till tomorrow to see this?
by MattmanReturns
Dec. 19, 2009, 1:05 a.m. CST
by TehCreepyThinMan
Of course when you spend 300 million you'd expect to get some stunning imagery. Now, the problem with Avatar isn't the simplicity of the story because recent movies like The Fountain and Sunshine were hardly complex, nor could you say that they dialogue was any better written, but it was Darren Aronofsky and Danny Boyle's sensibilities that infused those movies with a feeling of ethereal lyricism which Cameron was unable to do so with Avatar. Cameron's movies, like his personality, are very hard/unsubtle and that is reflected in Avatar which, IMHO, was not able to overcome the clichés of the characters or their dialogue and make it all seem fresh and exciting. I admire Avatar as a technical exercise but as a story about the human condition and the nature of the soul, I found it lacking although I probably will see it again just for the spectacle and psychedelic phantasmagoria.
Dec. 19, 2009, 1:09 a.m. CST
CreepyThinMan, how can you live with yourself?
by Coughlins Laws
Dec. 19, 2009, 1:12 a.m. CST
Creepy, did you really just say that a bunch of us
by Coughlins Laws
conservatives blew up the Oklahoma Federal Building? You do know it was just one guy, right? He may have had help from one other person, but it was only Timothy McVeigh who was executed for it. Are you also going to lump in AlGore and the rest of the Environmentalist Crowd in with Ted Kaczynski? The Unabomber Manifesto looks like it could've been written by AlGore himself. Will you also blame every person at Copenhagen as the same as the Unabomber?
Dec. 19, 2009, 1:12 a.m. CST
I knew it and cvalled it months ago!!
by joshuavance1701
FUCK you turgid pricks sucking this movies taint that criticized Trek as shallow and empty! Fuck you running! I knew it, I called it and you cunts can't stand it, this movie is a fucking BOMB of mediocre proportions. Star Trek has kicked the shit out of this inflated overhyped Watchmen turd of a bomb. Hey Assimov and Kwits, how do you like DEM apples raw-ass pricks? Bwaaaaaah hah hah hah does it hurt? Does it?
 Did Cameron fuck your eyeballs Kwitz because he sure fucked his career bwwwah hah hah hah.
Dec. 19, 2009, 1:14 a.m. CST
TheCreepyThinMan - STFU and Go to Bed..
by Brian_Da_Man
It is passed your whiny ass bed time. Shut your trap, take a Vicodin, and QQ some where else you fat fuck. You are a worthless tooled dipshit who has nothing better to do in life that bitch on a forum. You are not from the military, you are a fat chubby little child who has a diaper rash from the shit coming out of his no talent, worthless, cock sucking oriface. AVATAR WAS AMAZING YOU DOUCHE!
Dec. 19, 2009, 1:21 a.m. CST
To Harry: This Film...And A Disabled Hero
by Media Messiah
It is really nice to see such a hero as Jake. So many people are disabled in our society, but they are often ignored, and dismissed as being irrelevant. This is not spoken openly, but how many disabled people are featured as actors, models, newscasters, or in other prominent jobs in our nation, or around the world? That should inform us all about the truth of a quiet discrimination that is felt, but not spoken.

For the disabled to be represented as heroes, or singularly, in the form of Jake Sully, and in a major blockbuster film--someone who dares to show others that he matters, and isn't to be overlooked or dismissed in any way, well, it is just plain beautiful to behold. The only thing that would have been more progressive is to actually see a disabled actor play that role, or such a role.

I didn't know that Harry was in a wheelchair, but I think you are an amazing critic. Now I think of Ebert and his disability, but you both have it where it counts the most, you've got your minds, your hearts, and your spirits, and in a way...computers, and their word processors, have become your Avatars, because they set you free to achieve so many of your dreams. Your writings, thanks to the internet, are instantly made available across the world, anywhere, at any time, and for my money, that may not be as wonderful as running--but, touching so many people's lives in a positive way, as you do, is certainly a close second. Merry Christmas Harry, to you and yours!!!
Dec. 19, 2009, 1:34 a.m. CST
Coulighn Laws, Ted Kaczynski was a luddite.
by Ganymede3001
Al Gore worked tirelessly to bring the internet into the public sector, something that Ted Kaczynski was against. To claim they have share remotely identical views is way off base.
Dec. 19, 2009, 1:34 a.m. CST
by Media Messiah
Great review!!!!
Dec. 19, 2009, 1:51 a.m. CST
The South Park Avatar Episode will be 10x Better...
by Mariusz
...than the actual movie. I can't wait!
Dec. 19, 2009, 1:54 a.m. CST
That's great Media Messiah
by RefutetheHype
Except that while watching AVATAR I thought to myself what a BAD representation Jake Sully is of a disabled hero. Want to know why? Because THE ONLY WAY HE CAN BE A HERO IS TO GET HIS LEGS BACK! That's right. He doesn't show kids that you can be a disabled hero (Barbara Gordon is an example of someone who DOES show this) but instead he shows that anyone with a disability should betray just about everything they believe in on the off chance they might be given freedom from the crippling horror of not being able to walk. And you call this heroic? Unbetitsuckinglievable.
Dec. 19, 2009, 1:55 a.m. CST
Word is pouring in from everywhere
by RefutetheHype
No lines, near-empty Friday night showings. THE PUBLIC HAS SPOKEN AND SAID THEY ARE FUCKING SMARTER THAN JIM CAMERON!
Dec. 19, 2009, 2 a.m. CST
Coughlins Laws, OH, THE OLD "LONE NUT" DEFENSE….
by TehCreepyThinMan
The same one that all conservative use when their endless hate mongering results in peoples deaths. Bill O Reilly used it after spending months painting a big Conservative red target on Dr. Tiller who was murdered IN A CHURCH by Scott Roeder. Or how about "lone nut" Jim David Adkisson who went on a shooting spree at ANOTHER CHURCH after reading Conservative Bernard Goldberg's book? Or how about Richard Poplawski who ambushed and murdered three police officers because Conservative television and talk show hosts said that Obama was coming to take his guns away? Maybe you forgot about 88 year James W. von Brunn who killed a guard at the Holocaust museum? Oh and don't even try comparing Ted Kaczynski to Al Gore or people who try to protect the environment you lying piece of shit. He was one of your anti-Government conservative nuts who hated Leftists/Scientists and despite living in a log cabin he wasn't any hippie tree hugger. Furthermore, the Oklahoma City bombing was done in retaliation against the Government for what happened at the Branch Davidian Compound at Waco Texas, you fucking know it, and it was committed by right wing fucking nutjobs.
Dec. 19, 2009, 2:04 a.m. CST
AVATAR officially a BOMB
by joshuavance1701
bwwwah hah hah hah hah flaccid piece of shit BOMB.
Dec. 19, 2009, 2:09 a.m. CST
Brian_Da_Man, THAT'S RIGHT, I WAS NEVER IN THE MILITARY BECAUSE.
by TehCreepyThinMan
I have a brain that I would rather not have it splattered all over a worthless piece of desert half way around the world just to put profits into the pockets of defense contractors and oil companies. You can have that "honor" dipshit.
Dec. 19, 2009, 2:13 a.m. CST
on opening day
by The_Crimson_King
people are already calling a movie a bomb? huh?
Dec. 19, 2009, 2:15 a.m. CST
so by ur "logic" creepy....
by jay2517
all i have to do is watch CUNTDOWN w/ Kieth Uberdouche or read a Al Gore book or article--- go kill someone-- then it would be THEIR fault i did it...... hmmm ok. heaven forbid someone actually takes INDIVIDUAL responsibility for their actions. oh yea, ur a RADICAL LIBERAL so its everyone's fault they did what they did. ol ted, tim, and brunn were VICTIMS. man thanks for the "enlightenment".....
Dec. 19, 2009, 2:17 a.m. CST
Crimson King
by Miyamoto_Musashi
its hillarious isn't it, the word premature comes to mind.

Dec. 19, 2009, 2:17 a.m. CST
Couldn't have said it better myself, Harry...
by martinjm70
But you can still check out my Avatar movie review at my blog: http://ranting-and-raven.blogspot.com/
Dec. 19, 2009, 2:18 a.m. CST
My URL has a space in it so...
by martinjm70
here it is again: http://ranting-and-raven.blogspot.com/
Dec. 19, 2009, 2:19 a.m. CST
Giant Blue Cat People = Heated Political Discourse
by robzass
God, I would love to get all of you in a room together. Someone should just film an AICN talkback pilot. It would be the Jersey Shore of geekdom.
Dec. 19, 2009, 2:20 a.m. CST
Okay, fine...tinyurl it is then...
by martinjm70
Dec. 19, 2009, 2:21 a.m. CST
by Miyamoto_Musashi
Not sure why you went and watched the movie, your mind was already made up at least a week ago, if not before.
 On the plus side you contributed to the box office.
Dec. 19, 2009, 2:32 a.m. CST
I'd be conservative if they weren'
by Darth_Inedible
Dec. 19, 2009, 2:42 a.m. CST
I dragged my sister and her boyfriend to it...
by melthebloody
....and they loved it. It was weird; I need to see the movie again, because i was watching their reactions the whole time. I thoroughly enjoyed the film. If this movie bombs, it won't take away from what a great moving experience it is. Box office doesn't equal quality: new moon and Transformers 2 is evidence of this. There were some empty seats in my theatre, but the people that were there cheered and applauded afterward. There was a camera crew interviewing people at the end of the movie; and everybody that was interview talkedd about how surprised they were at how good it was. This movie needs good word of mouth, or else is done for. The film as great reviews, now the only thing the trolls and haters have to hoope for is weak box office. fucking sad and pathetic. To think so much time and energy is wasted on hoping for a film with such ambition fail. Fuck you hating assholes!! You don't deserve good sci fi. nuff said
Dec. 19, 2009, 2:43 a.m. CST
jay2517, OKAY, WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME…..
by TehCreepyThinMan
Someone was murdered and it was attributed to Keith Olberman or Al Gore and the person who was killed was named SPECIFICALLY by them in the days, weeks or months before the murder took place? I'd ask you to find such a case but there is no point as it has NEVER HAPPENED or you'd make up some shit like saying that all those right wing fucking psycho's were lefties the way that BillO, Hannity, Malkin, Stossel, Beck, Coulter, Limbaugh etc… always do whenever there is a politically motivated killing by one of you Conservative cocksuckers. Oh and it is sooo deliciously ironic when you worthless fucksticks throw the phrase "responsible for your own actions" around as you pukes fuck up EVERYTHING (the Government, the Military, Iraq, Afghanistan, the worldwide economy etc…) then point the finger at everyone but yourselves and that is because you are the scum of the fucking Earth and it's always left to Liberals and Progressives to clean up your fucking mess.
Dec. 19, 2009, 2:44 a.m. CST
...oh and one more thing...
by melthebloody
...please excuse my errors and typos...
Dec. 19, 2009, 2:47 a.m. CST
by BringingSexyBack
The corporations and their mercs are nothing if not a representation of fascism and totalitarianism.
 If you TRULY value liberty and small governance as I do, there is no chance you could not side with the Na'vi. To call this movie Liberal propaganda is utter ignorance.
 You're basically forfeiting the concepts of justice and morality to the Liberals, you fucking idiots. So if you consider yourself of the Right, kindly shut the fuck up and stop acting stupid. It's embarassing.

Dec. 19, 2009, 2:48 a.m. CST
God Bless
by Magregus
You Harry and God Bless Avatar!!!
Dec. 19, 2009, 2:50 a.m. CST
Aussie, Yank or a Limey?
by AnalFissure
Credit to Worthington for being able to pull off 3 different accents convincingly....but can someone tell him he doesn't have to do them all in the same movie.
Dec. 19, 2009, 2:51 a.m. CST
if u think id be making stuff up....
by jay2517
by simply refuting and dismissing ur points--then-- there is no use in "debating" with u. i just told u the error of ur ways. and in typical raging, radical liberalism-- u start yelling and demeaning people. typical. u need to go on CUNTDOWN or Rachael Mandykes show. u would fit riiight ( or is it left?? ) in crybaby.
Dec. 19, 2009, 2:52 a.m. CST
by BringingSexyBack
issue. It's mind boggling how Republicans have done nothing but heap blame on EVERYTHING on the Dems but take no responsibility for what we have done in 8 years under Bush.
 What can I say - hypocrisy runs through my party like a cancer.
Dec. 19, 2009, 2:57 a.m. CST
by BringingSexyBack
Apparently mental illness runs through my party, too. Sigh.
Dec. 19, 2009, 2:58 a.m. CST
by jay2517
NO ONE on those FOX shows told ANYBODY to murder people. they just state their opinion- thats all. just like the "non-biased" MSNBC anchors do. nobody murdered anyone from Uberbags show or any FOX show because NO ONE told them too. its pretty simple really.
Dec. 19, 2009, 2:58 a.m. CST
WHAT! Harry, you love it because of the story!?
by Spice-Orange
The story is a tale as old as time. its throw-away. its complete paint by numbers. if anything, its the worst part of the movie, next to the so-so acting. Its fun, the effects are great and the mo-cap is top of the line, but we've seen this story 200 million times before. unoriginal. a friend and I agreed that Avatar has nothing you wouldn't see in any large scale video game release in the last 5 years. It looks like a good Final Fantasy FMV. Everything in this movie borrows from just about every genre imaginable. i mean, FUCK. the floating islands are practically cherry picked from Magic the Gathering's latest set. Avatar is the definition of derivative scifi, but very well done none the less. don't praise this movie too much guys- it really isn't anything new. its a great ride, that's all.
Dec. 19, 2009, 3 a.m. CST
by BringingSexyBack
How fucking awesome would that be.
 Answer: Very.
Dec. 19, 2009, 3:04 a.m. CST
hey its was a TYPO...really it was... and "humor"
by jay2517
i meant to type the o in Countdown. but, golly,i just forgot. i mean, if uberbag and 'ol mandyke can "jokingly" call people marching TEABAGGERS and RACISTS then they should be to take their own brand of "humor". and who said i was a republican?
Dec. 19, 2009, 3:04 a.m. CST
This film is VERY dividing.....
by TheWaqman
I think people will either love it with child-like amazement. Or hate it for being too predictable and lazy. I was the former. Not my favorite movie since The Dark Knight, not even my favorite movie of the year. But in terms of an 'experience', it was the best one I've had since Return of the King.
Dec. 19, 2009, 3:09 a.m. CST
Quality review
by MikeCSVU
Nice review. The film does seem to divide people but I loved it. I loved that the story was simple, loved that it was predicatable and loved that it had a happy ending. The visuals were stunning and the female lead stole the entire film. Cameron made me believe she was real. Sometimes all you want is a film to lift you out of your own life and take you soemwhere else, soemwhere fantastic, somewhere where therre's hope, goodness and the good guys win. This did it in style!
Dec. 19, 2009, 3:09 a.m. CST
by BringingSexyBack
I don't think there's a computer powerful enough to capture and process her essense. But no doubt they're working on it.
Dec. 19, 2009, 3:11 a.m. CST
by BringingSexyBack
Maybe by some miracle our house will be cleansed by then.
Dec. 19, 2009, 3:14 a.m. CST
by Spice-Orange
Naming the Macguffin "Unobtainium" is the single biggest insult to the Modern Day Film Goer in the last 50 years. Why don't you have a blur at the start of the movie explaining to me why the movie audience shouldn't get up out of their seats because they're so offended by the writing we're subjected to in the year 2009. Fucking Unobtainium. Jesus Christ. I don't even want to hear anyone defend that. That's just pathetic.
Dec. 19, 2009, 3:20 a.m. CST
BringingSexyBack, THANK YOU FOR YOUR FAIR CONSERVATIVE VIEWS....
by TehCreepyThinMan
I think we want the same things. Liberty, Democracy, Capitalism. But those concepts aren't "owned" by liberals. They're owned by anyone with a sense of fairness and justice. What we should ALL want is a society free of war and starvation. Where no one has to worry about being taken care of when afflicted with disease or illness, where very single child, woman and man is given the opportunity through education and their own determination to make whatever they want out of life. I'm a lefty-liberal type and what I want is to see our species progress. We've managed an amazing amount just in the last 100 years or so. Can you imagine what we could accomplish if we took the 626 billion that the USA will spend on War next year not to mention the 750 billion that was more-or-less given to Wall Street? Over 1.3 TRILLION DOLLARS!!! Think about the incredible things that could be achieved with that money by putting our best scientific minds onto the problems that plague us today.
Dec. 19, 2009, 3:20 a.m. CST
BringingSexyBack, THANK YOU FOR YOUR FAIR CONSERVATIVE VIEWS....
by TehCreepyThinMan
I think we want the same things. Liberty, Democracy, Capitalism. But those concepts aren't "owned" by liberals. They're owned by anyone with a sense of fairness and justice. What we should ALL want is a society free of war and starvation. Where no one has to worry about being taken care of when afflicted with disease or illness, where very single child, woman and man is given the opportunity through education and their own determination to make whatever they want out of life. I'm a lefty-liberal type and what I want is to see our species progress. We've managed an amazing amount just in the last 100 years or so. Can you imagine what we could accomplish if we took the 626 billion that the USA will spend on War next year not to mention the 750 billion that was more-or-less given to Wall Street? Over 1.3 TRILLION DOLLARS!!! Think about the incredible things that could be achieved with that money by putting our best scientific minds onto the problems that plague us today.
Dec. 19, 2009, 3:20 a.m. CST
by TehCreepyThinMan
Dec. 19, 2009, 3:20 a.m. CST
by BringingSexyBack
Like X and Y in algebra. It's appropriately used in Avatar because the element at the center of the story is needed to solve a nigh-impossible problem - providing energy for a dying Earth.
 It's clear Cameron respected his audience's intelligence when he decided to use the term. Unfortunately, he also over-estimated their intelligence, too.
Dec. 19, 2009, 3:24 a.m. CST
by ReportAbuse
"Hold on to your shit, because you'll want to be constipated. Otherwise… it'll be 3D in your pants!" Ah, Harold ... this is why we eagerly await your reviews. Always a classic line or two in every one.
Dec. 19, 2009, 3:29 a.m. CST
by TheWaqman
Hell, for all we fucking know it could have been uttered as a "joke". As in "THIS SHITTY FUCKING MINERAL IS SO HARD TO OBTAIN AND I'M NOT GOING TO FUCKING SAY THE WHOLE SCIENTIFIC NAME FOR THIS WE AINT GOT TIME TO WASTE"
Dec. 19, 2009, 3:29 a.m. CST
by BringingSexyBack
Just because I believe in personal liberty and small(er) government doesn't mean I think we each live in a vacuum, and there is no helpful role for government.
 I believe in a humanistic approach to society, just as you described. If our government INVESTED our tax money into educating our children instead of WASTING it killing people, then of course that's a sensible thing to do.
 What has amazed me in recent days is the opposition to healthcare reform. My party spend 7 years racking up a trillion dollar debt to the Chinese to fund war. Not a peep could be heard from the GOP about that. And never mind the hundreds of thousands killed.
 But spend a dime on ensuring a fair healthcare industry and to cover the uninsured, and they raise holy hell. It's amazing to me.
 There are days I could swear the people on my side of the proverbial aisle truly hate America, and are just plain insane.
Dec. 19, 2009, 3:32 a.m. CST
BringingSexyBack, THE DEMS AREN'T BLAMELESS EITHER....
by TehCreepyThinMan
They're just the lesser of two evils.
Dec. 19, 2009, 3:35 a.m. CST
If you don't like Avatar...
by Wookie_Weed
... then SHUT THE FUCK UP. Seriously, all you haters have been bleating for fucking ever and a day how much Avatar sucks, and 80% of you haven't even fucking seen the film! SHUT. THE. FUCK. UP. So you didn't like Avatar -- well good for you, now just fuck off and stop shoving your opinion down everyone's throats. The Harry-hate is even worse. If you don't fucking like his reviews, then don't fucking read them! Just. FUCK. OFF.
Dec. 19, 2009, 3:35 a.m. CST
by BringingSexyBack
But by and large, and I hate to admit it, the lunatics have taken over the asylum on the Right. I see no hope there.
Dec. 19, 2009, 3:37 a.m. CST
by BringingSexyBack
Just rejoice that the King is back.
Dec. 19, 2009, 3:48 a.m. CST
Harry man.....
by bobbofatz
I can not agree with you politically on nearly any level. I love your verve for film. I have been with you for over ten years, and you always gush about mush. I hope you are right about this one. I love JC and hope for an Aliens or Term impact. Would be even better if it was the feeling like Star Wars ET Jaws or the Matrix put me in. Cheers brother!
Dec. 19, 2009, 3:52 a.m. CST
BringingSexyBack, EXACTLY, MY FRIEND, EXACTLY......
by TehCreepyThinMan
In Canada, we are fucking amazed at the arguments being made against the USA having a publicly funded Healthcare system like ours. The fact that the terms "communism" and "socialism" are being thrown about is fucking ridiculous. The fact that anyone takes them seriously is frightening!?! The reason that you should have a Government controlled healthcare system (that would allow people the option to have private insurance which is the exact same thing we have here) is the same reason that the Government should be in control of making sure our water is clean to drink, that our food is fit to eat, that our air isn't filled with pollutants. Now, should Government be in control of everything? FUCK! NO! But what they can do is legislate and regulate some things that affect every single citizen across the country. I myself have been lobbying the Canadian Government to cover penis enlargements as it seems that women these days just aren't satisfied with ten inches.
Dec. 19, 2009, 3:52 a.m. CST
by --- Emperor ---
I find it very interesting how pretty much all the top critics on rottentomatoes and metacritic lavish this film with the highest praise, some even calling it their favorite film of 09, and nobodies like 'mike russell' and others galore, pan it. I think I am going to go with the top, established critics on this one. So yeah, fuck off mike russell. It seems to me that the lesser known critics just want to grab attention, and in trying to be original, they failed by simply agreeing with every other unestablished, unknown critic. Yep, I'm gonna go with Berardinelli, Ebert, New York Times, Variety, Empire etc. on this one. And all of them gave it the top ratings. So, like i said, fuck off nobodies.
Dec. 19, 2009, 4:06 a.m. CST
Creepy you are right
by bobbofatz
We are silly in the US debating Healthcare. But when does gov intrusion stop? What else do they get their hands in? When do ya draw the line brother?
Dec. 19, 2009, 4:11 a.m. CST
Hey BSB
by bobbofatz
long time no chat
Dec. 19, 2009, 4:26 a.m. CST
--- Emperor ---, "TOP CRITICS" GAVE STAR TREK 95% AT ROTTEN TOMA
by TehCreepyThinMan
While Avatar is sitting at 83%, at this moment. By your definition ST was better then Avatar. Now, would I say Avatar was better then Star Trek? In terms of story structure, Avatar is much better then the convoluted nonsense of ST. Meanwhile, ST had much better performances from its actors and the dialogue was much sharper. For heart pounding action, Avatar gets my money while Star Trek's characterization was much better. I find both movies entertaining but they were nothing that I would say was revolutionary apart from Avatar's technical advances which were good but didn't blow me away like the T-1000 in Terminator 2 or the Dinosaurs of Jurassic Park. I think the novelty of fantastical CGI environments and creatures has worn off as we've been divulged with them within the last decade. Despite all of ST's faults, I really felt the characters while the people in Avatar felt more like ciphers running around a clichéd storyline. Each gave me something the other didn't have but I can't say I liked either better then the other.
Dec. 19, 2009, 4:31 a.m. CST
by kwisatzhaderach
Do you really think Star Trek is better than Avatar? Really? And where is this alternate reality where Avatar is a bomb? Every American critic has praised the film, some as a revolutionary work.
 Nobody remembers Star Trek. It's gone, forgotten. Nowhere on the end of year best lists, nowhere in the awards nominations.
 If you mean the midnight showings prove Avatar is a bomb you know nothing about how the movie industry works. Nice try, keep on trolling!
Dec. 19, 2009, 4:36 a.m. CST
Saw Avatar Tonight
by Spacezilla
Fucking LOVED IT! So beautiful, everything about it. Beautiful.
Dec. 19, 2009, 4:37 a.m. CST
Harry, you were and ARE financially capable of fixing yourself
by smackfu
ironically, the solution is to simply spend less on food. Sounds callous I know, but really, what your saying is like a chain smoker complaining that he can't afford the cost of his bronchitis medication.
Dec. 19, 2009, 4:38 a.m. CST
I actually Feel like I need more time
by Spacezilla
to digest it. Like it hasn't fully sunk in. I really loved it. Thank you Jim!
 And shit it really is like Chinese Democracy. Avatar is fucking awesome.
Dec. 19, 2009, 4:42 a.m. CST
bobbofatz, MAYBE YOU SHOULD HAVE ASKED THAT QUESTION WHEN......
by TehCreepyThinMan
The Bush Administration started tapping the phones and e-mail's of millions of people with no record as to who those people were or why they were being spied on. Look, it's clear that wasn't done to find terrorists. It was done to spy on critics, dissenters and political opponents. This is in Fascist Dictatorship's for Dummies. You're really worried about Government intrusion? What exactly are you afraid will happen with a universal healthcare system? You'll get injured or sick and NOT get a bill? That POOR PEOPLE and ILLEGALS will be getting a free ride? Come on man and use your fucking brain! The US public has been fed that "communism" and "socialism" bullshit for decades and even by that senile old cocksucker Ronnie St. Raygun back when he was shilling for the insurance companies. The ONLY people socialized medicine is a threat to is CORPORATIONS which is why they've been trying to make you afraid of having a healthcare system when virtually every fucking industrialized nation on Earth has one for fuck sakes. Wake the fuck up!
Dec. 19, 2009, 4:42 a.m. CST
by livingwater
I really didn't like it, it sort of is a backstab against Western society, making our army/society out to be greedy and evil while primitive "TERRORISTS" are meant to be spiritually superior. It's like a big, expensive, loud, emotionless computer game, sort of cool but actually really bad and very dark in a way. Cameron, who likes to fire machine guns in the desert with his buddies (until one of them shot himself in the foot and the Police came....an unreported true story) must really hate himself. Here is the news. Nature is every day you live. Before life and after death. There is no "revelation" apart from this experience NOW. The people in the tanks are simply more sophisticated, not more out of touch. What happens in Africa ? you think they ignore guns/technology in favour of disease (unmentioned), lack of good water (unmentioned), lack of food (unmentioned). OF COURSE NOT. EVERYTHING is nature ....AND... ...to suggest Western society has no concern for ecology is just ludicrous. ONE WORD: COPENHAGEN. All this greed and money from Cameron is just to make a point, and the point isn't a valid one. There are huge gaps in the simple, cartoon logic of this movie; if they can make an AVATAR, why is the guy still in a wheelchair then ? it's just an insult to disabled people, making them to be weak as a fascist crux.... in fact, in REALITY, disabled people become stronger in some ways (like the blind person with a greater sense of hearing or touch etc....). The CG is excessive, and two steps above a computer game quality. None of it was as good as Fellowship of the Ring or Titanic. The designs were bizaare and unique but so what........the whole story was an anime/comic book rehash of stolen scenes. What is really "interesting" about this, --Emprer-- is the mass hypnosis. If this was an unknown Japanese director (like Final Fantasy) it would not get anywhere near the recognition level. The last scene is ludicrous..... This type of film doesn't excite me about cinema, it bores me with itself insulting superficiality and mass control due to capitalist investment. If Cameron TRULY believed in his message, why is he living in two mansion in Malibu, with a fleet of Hummers, shooting machine guns for fun etc..... and not living with and learning from the Massai, Yanomami or Pashtun tribes ? Why ? He doesn't believe what he is actually saying. The fact is...it's a cynical money grab by a pudgey bitter power mad hippy with a string of failed marriages under his belt, standing on the hard work and overtime of a league of CG artist, and an excess budget to fuel his ego..... he doesn't want nature, he wants your admiration to make himself feel better than you... not to reconnect with nature. THAT is reality. What you watched was a film that shows Cameron is actually not "KING OF THE WORLD"...... he is "KING OF THE HYPOCRITES".
Dec. 19, 2009, 4:45 a.m. CST
Why is Harry in a wheelchair?
by Nabster
What happened to everybody's favorite fatso?
Dec. 19, 2009, 4:50 a.m. CST
by sonnyfern
Such a GREAT movie! It's a shame people just can't kick back and enjoy it, because it really is a GREAT film, it may be kinda cliche, but fuck so was Star Wars. And is it just me...or did fucking Stephen Lang steal the show? He's one of my favorite actors since way back from BAND of the fucking HAND. He rocked in Public Enemies too, it's great seeing him back getting work again!
Dec. 19, 2009, 4:52 a.m. CST
by kwisatzhaderach
Stephen Lang is THE MAN.
Dec. 19, 2009, 4:52 a.m. CST
by TehCreepyThinMan
An elderly couple who worked all their days, put their kids through school, paid off their home and saved enough to retire comfortably, being struck down by an accident or illness and having to give up everything they worked for their whole lives just to ensure that they can stay alive or keep healthy. I see that shit and it makes me cry my fucking eyes out that the United States of America, the freest, most democratic nation on Earth would allow that to happen to it's people. There is something fundamentally wrong with your country when it can give 1.3 TRILLION FUCKING DOLLARS to the military and Wall Street but can't make sure that people don't have to worry about money when they are sick and at their most vulnerable.
Dec. 19, 2009, 4:57 a.m. CST
by sonnyfern
I hope he gets tons more parts, he's got such a grizzled, hard-core look to him man. He's gotta be in his 60's but shit when he was lifting weights I was like, "That old man can wipe the fucking floor with me." We need more actors like him around hollywood, fucking TOUGH guys. Inspired casting.
Dec. 19, 2009, 5:02 a.m. CST
My review from a Wednesday preview:-
by Kefrif
http://bit.ly/5M0GPO I mostly agree with Harry, it seems.
Dec. 19, 2009, 5:05 a.m. CST
Seriously what happened to Harry?
by Nabster
Why is he in a wheelchair? Come on nerds, I demand an answer.
Dec. 19, 2009, 5:06 a.m. CST
$28 million Friday - $75 million plus weekend
by wildphantom07
That is a fantastic start. The weekend before Christmas and playing in way less theaters than it could be.
 this is flying past $300 million and $800 million worldwide at least.
 suck it haters
Dec. 19, 2009, 5:12 a.m. CST
People gotta hate...
by Tomarru
Been reading a lotta reviews and a lotta talkbacks the past few days and they seem littered with people who just absolutely gotta hate and find any excuse to do so. Giving excuses from derivative to trying to give some subliminal messages that somehow offend them and go as far as to attack their sacred way of life. I don't think i've seen a movie that isnt someway derivative of something else, practically every superhero movie is a carbon copy of each other and yet they regularly escape outright panning for being derivative. Yes, Avatar is a little more obvious and open to its bases but it is no more guilty or worthy of criticism. As for the offensiveness of the "tree hugging," it must be some American thing where people are so far up their own ass and wrapped in their own set of circumstances that they have no cause for concern as to the wellbeing or plight of anyone else. They are the company, they dont know they are, but they are happy enough to be the company. The simple fact is that this situation has gone on forever, conquest of a lesser species. Just because you can wrap the word "terrorist" around it all doesnt make it offensive and a reason to hate. I saw the movie last night and loved it, I went in expecting to be disappointed, I had seen the trailers and been disappointed by them and practically knew the story. It still worked though, big action set pieces, likeable characters, stunning effects, awesome sound, it just worked (except that leona lewis shit at the end). I guess its cause I didn't have some preconception that it was trying to impact my way of life and I wasn't prepared to burden my opinion by any set of staunch political views. I simply saw it as a big budget movie about aliens.
Dec. 19, 2009, 5:22 a.m. CST
Avatar=bestiality ponytail rape
by MacReady452
Jake Sully *jumps on flying red dino bird*: Take it all Bitch!! *crams ponytail in closest dino hole* I loved this movie. Can't wait to see it again.
Dec. 19, 2009, 5:23 a.m. CST
livingwater, YOU LOST ME WITH YOUR ASSERTIONS......
by TehCreepyThinMan
That Avatar was simply railing against Western Civilization. It sounds just like the same arguments made by Conservatives who see this movie and recognize that the human characters are engaging in the same type of scorched-earth campaign that the US is involved with in the Middle-East and whatever tiny bit of conscious you have is bothered by the knowledge that you support war, death and destruction and are, in fact, a poor excuse for a human being for doing so. This is the real problem that you have with Avatar and my thesis is further strengthened by the fact that you actually bring up Cameron's wealth and his marital difficulties which shows you to be a complete, and a-typical, Conservative hypocrite as people like you champion Free-Market capitalism and the sanctity of marriage and yet your kind game the financial markets, causing worldwide economic disaster, and whore around as much as everyone else while most likely engaging in the type of sexual activities that sanctimonious frauds like you claim to be "immoral" such as being diapered by a hooker (David Vitter) or trolling airport bathrooms for gay sex (Larry Craig). At least Cameron isn't a drug addicted pedophile so he's got something over Rush Limbaugh, eh?

Now, do I want us to back to living in caves, give up the advancements that we have made as a society and go Vegan? HELL FUCKING CHRIST NO!!! I like technology (INTERNET PORN!!!), I like cheeseburgers and nature FUCKING BORES ME!!! But this doesn't me that we shouldn't be mindful that we have an impact on our environment and that our resources on this planet are not infinite. There is nothing wrong with so-called Limousine Liberals such as Cameron making a pro-Peace, pro-Environment, anti-Imperialistic messages if it inspires people to work together to make a better future for a more prosperous tomorrow for all of us. If you don't understand what I'm saying then I feel sorry for you.
Dec. 19, 2009, 5:24 a.m. CST
Nabster, ANSWER; HE'S FAT.
by TehCreepyThinMan
Dec. 19, 2009, 5:30 a.m. CST
by TehCreepyThinMan
Dec. 19, 2009, 5:32 a.m. CST
I know i was a hater
by disfigurehead
but when I saw it. Holy shit. My eyeballs were fucked many times over.
Dec. 19, 2009, 5:33 a.m. CST
by technoman
Nice that you invented a new word, Harry, but here is already one for what you are trying to describe. It's - gasp - "Avatar"!
Dec. 19, 2009, 5:40 a.m. CST
Creepy doooood!
by bobbofatz
You went off on a tangent my friend. I no like Bush much either. But they all suck mostly in my book. US did not start the idea of freedom. Everybody gets free health houses and food. It sounds utopian. Who is paying for it, and what do we have to give up to have it?
Dec. 19, 2009, 5:41 a.m. CST
Actually Canadians...
by AudaAbuTayi
...are probably the most polluting people per capita. Still, I don't get why people are focusing on story and politics regarding Avatar. I think you have to read it as a multi-referenced and imaginative allegory, nothing more (nothing less). Also, I hope that some conservatives are respectful of the environment, since it's a meta-political issue. As I'm sure some liberals don't give two shits about conservation. And just for the record, the first person to publicly condemn the industrial-military complex was Republican President Einsenhower in his farewell speech. And he was military, he was a conservative... So, I don't really understand why conservatives would feel Avatar is a liberal's rant: it's a voyage to another planet unlike any other made by a master traveller/film maker. I'm still digesting the shock because I thought I wouldn't enjoy it but this sure felt like a masterpiece to me. I only get that feeling once or twice a year. It will hold up, no matter what quantic computers allow FX people to do fifteen years from now. I rarely get grandiloquent but this is like Cocteau's Beauty and the Beast, like Kubrick's 2001, like Miyazaki's Spirited Away or Jackson's Two Towers. Absolute awe and visceral wonderment. People who don't enjoy it have my sympathies but I just don't get their hang-ups: they seem beside the point considering Cameron's previous works. JC never pretended to be Bergman or Robert Bolt. Avatar's the stuff geeks are made of.
Dec. 19, 2009, 5:42 a.m. CST
Since people are talking about the politics of this film...
by FluffyUnbound
...I'll reiterate my earlier point about it. Ordinarily sci-fi films and books get a complete pass on their politics from me, because if every sci-fi writer could perfectly anticipate the economic and political and social effects of new technologies, every sci-fi work would be exactly the same and describe only one future, and that would be kind of lame. But in this case, I'm a little annoyed, because Cameron's theme is "Western technology and capitalism are so depraved that if they make it into space, they'll go to the one planet where they find any intelligent life and give the aborigines there to try to steal their minerals." And this is pretty stupid. If humanity makes it out of Earth's gravity well, there will be so much mineral wealth available just in the solar system that no mineral of any kind will be worth murdering a bunch of blue guys over. If humanity makes it out of Earth's gravity well, a war of the kind Cameron shows here will never be economically or politically possible ever again, and that change will be the result of the very technologies Cameron is denouncing. So if we could ever make it out there to meet the Navi, everything Cameron has to say about how we would interact with them would be wrong. So yeah, this is a groundbreaking film that deserves to be seen on the basis of its achievements alone, and as an act of visual imagination it has a lot of value, but don't try to defend the story because the story is stupid and just wrong. If Cameron didn't mean us to take it seriously, we could just call it space opera, which is always politically and economically absurd, but Cameron DOES intend us to take it seriously and that makes it stupid.
Dec. 19, 2009, 5:45 a.m. CST
I have not seen Avatar
by bobbofatz
but me and most of you guys know what a good movie is. The dust may need to settle in order to arrive at a real unbiased verdict. How many days until it is Aliens or Matrix worthy? or will it happen?
Dec. 19, 2009, 5:49 a.m. CST
by bobbofatz
I like where youre at. That all made sense, even to a hick like me.
Dec. 19, 2009, 5:50 a.m. CST
What's wrong with limousine liberals...
by FluffyUnbound
...Let's say for a moment that I concede that AGW is a problem, and that we have to reduce the amount of CO2 we're putting into the atmosphere. I would support doing that only if we could do so in a way consistent with the equal protection of the laws, and the only way I can think of that would do that would be to tax CO2 production, from the first molecule, the same amount for everyone. But that will never happen. What will happen instead is that entire categories of CO2 producing activity will simply be banned, while others are allowed; and SOME CO2 production will be taxed, while other production will not be, and SOME people will pay a tax when they produce CO2, while other people will be handed waivers and carbon allowances and emergency permits and carbon credits and every other sort of nonsense that bureaucrats can invent. And the net effect of all of these Rube-Goldberg measures will be that people with connections to the environmental movement and its dominant political personalities will continue to ride around in limousines and take private planes and everything else, while people without such connections will be the ones who will actually have to change their behavior. And that just doesn't cut it with me. I would rather see the fucking sea level rise and drought come and all the rest of it than stand in line outside waiting to take the electric bus while Al Gore still flies around in private planes he's got a special permit to use because he's working on "urgent public business". I would absolutely turn militia before I would stand by and watch that occur.
Dec. 19, 2009, 5:53 a.m. CST
Good point fluffy
by bobbofatz
Sometimes even the greats try to outsmart their audience. How many holes could we find in Star Wars?
Dec. 19, 2009, 5:58 a.m. CST
Yes fluffy
by bobbofatz
This is a scam. Like fucking Prince charles worries about polar bears drownding while eight people wipe his arse!
Dec. 19, 2009, 6:02 a.m. CST
Co2 is plant air!!!!!!
by bobbofatz
Maybe this is the only way to get across to so many followers and earth first cultists.
Dec. 19, 2009, 6:06 a.m. CST
Laughing off "sacred" sites
by thommcg
Reminds me of Uluru / Ayers Rock... http://www.eturbonews.com/11599/uluru-tour-operator-theyre-sg-sacred-site "SYDNEY — Tourists are defecating on Australia's sacred Uluru, or Ayers Rock, a newspaper report said on Tuesday, amid calls for a climbing ban on the iconic desert attraction. Tour operator Andrew Simpson said visitors were often caught short on the long climb up the red monolith, which holds deep religious significance for Australia's Aboriginal community..."
Dec. 19, 2009, 6:07 a.m. CST
polar bears are
by bobbofatz
drownding. But actually orcas and other whales can hunt seal and other pinniped easier with less ice.
Dec. 19, 2009, 6:08 a.m. CST
by FluffyUnbound
The galactic empire in Star Wars, or any other space opera, doesn't make a lot of sense either. There will never be such a thing as interstellar trade, because the amount of energy needed to travel between stars will always be greater than the amount of energy you'd have to expend to just make something on your own planet or in your own system. There can never be a case of comparative advantage on a galactic scale. So there can never be a Trade Federation or a charming, rougeish smuggler or an interstellar big fat crime boss. But none of that matters, because you aren't supposed to take any of that seriously. The basic political setup is "Empire wants to rule, rebels want to be free" and if not a lot of the content attached to that basic idea makes sense, well, so what. But here Cameron thinks he is making an important political point with his sci-fi creation. And the point he is making about scarcity leading to cruelty and heedless destruction when desire is wedded to military force is a very important one, but it only makes sense in an earthbound context. The very technologies he's warning us against will solve the very problems he's worried about, if they ever succeed to the level he's put on the screen here. And as a result, he's complaining about the very thing that will fix the problem he's afraid of. And that's at least a little annoying.
Dec. 19, 2009, 6:10 a.m. CST
Oops. "Rogueish".
by FluffyUnbound
Han Solo did not wear rouge.
Dec. 19, 2009, 6:11 a.m. CST
Look, it is plausible that
by bobbofatz
there are changes going on in cycles. But are we prepared to give away anymore rights to these aholes? What makes you think they know exactly what they are talking about?
Dec. 19, 2009, 6:17 a.m. CST
Alright Fluffy, I'll take the bait...
by AudaAbuTayi
...because it's an interesting one. From a scientific standpoint, you say humanity wouldn't need to mine outside of the solar system if it could manage extraterrestrial epxeditions. I suppose you're referring to Titan's methane oceans (amongst others)? However, the atmospheres on our solar system's sattelites seem truly terrible. Pandora's atmosphere seems more manageable, despite its toxicity. Furthermore, perhaps the unMcGuffinium is actually a super-dense power source, which would make its transport relatively more affordable, despite the six years' hike, than regular old methane. As for the corporate/military hostility towards aliens, I believe it could happen. Unless Levi-Strauss is taught to all kindergardeners like it's the Bible, economic imperatives and survival of the species could still be quite predominant in 2154. Especially if all the natives have to retaliate is a primitive arsenal (that's just amoral pragmatism but it should be factored). Anyway, while I will admit the story felt simple and familiar, I wouldn't call it stupid since its attention to detail and execution are one-of-a-kind. That said, the suspension of disbelief this film generated for me was such that I'm even having trouble criticizing Horner's score (which isn't up to the level). Whatever: I'm no facile fanboy but this struck all kinds of chords in me. So I'm in a child-like denial over its supposed flaws because I've been in a child-like state of wonder ever since I ran away from the screening as soon as that god-awful song came on.
Dec. 19, 2009, 6:20 a.m. CST
by bobbofatz
Good point and well taken. I think JC knew this argument going into it. He made the story simple for his teen audience. Not a slap to us 20s and 30s and beyond, but just to maximize profit potential. He knows we may scoff at the similarities in other stories. I think he also knows we will show up anyway. And from the sound of it, he put a little in there for everybody.
Dec. 19, 2009, 6:22 a.m. CST
AudaAbuTayi, UH, CONSERVATIVES DON'T CARE ABOUT CONSERVATION....
by TehCreepyThinMan
What they really want, not sensible Conservative's like BringingSexyBack but the fucking lunatic Palinites that control the GOP, is regression back to the good old days of slave labour, work houses and debtor prisons. They are essentially aristocratic-ruling-class-elitist's. They want the public kept uninformed and uneducated. A public capable of critical thought doesn't help the Republican Party because those people can't be made to do things based on fear; fear of people who worship other religions, have a different sexual orientation, ethnicities, social backgrounds etc…The modern Conservative movement is all based around FEAR and HATRED towards anything that doesn't conform to their narrow views. They have nothing else and that's because their policies and goals are based on greed and selfishness and they know that flies in the face of Liberal/Progressive politics.

This is the reason why most people who are well educated consider themselves to be politically Liberal. This is also the reason that the right prides itself on its stupidity and derides anyone with more then a high school diploma as an elitist. I'm not going to even get into Arugula and Dijon mustard to save you the embarrassment. Stupid people are easier to scare/control and the political masters of the right know they can rile up the dogs by throwing a few phrases that their mindless followers have been conditioned to react to with illogical and uninformed extremism i.e. KEEP YOUR GOVERNMENT HANDS OFF MY MEDICARE

In your favor I will say that you are an endless supply of comedy GOLD
Dec. 19, 2009, 6:23 a.m. CST
by bobbofatz
So it was good?
Dec. 19, 2009, 6:29 a.m. CST
by bobbofatz
Dude you are a angry probably educated person. You are so wrong about these people you despise. You type in absolutes, but have you every loved or bonded with someone that disagreed with you? People are deeper thn this dogma you thrust upon them.
Dec. 19, 2009, 6:32 a.m. CST
btw BSB is not a Conservative
by bobbofatz
If he is I am a fascist
Dec. 19, 2009, 6:32 a.m. CST
by AsimovLives
Holylwood is certainly helpingthose aristocratic neo-cons. The amount of stupidity released this year in ther shape of blockbusters seems like a deliberate atempt to keep the public dumb. And the level of praise and acceptance thrown at dumb shit like Jar Jar Abrams's SHIT TREK just proves that it's working. Maybe that's the reason so many are resenting AVATAR for having a message, instead of just being about shit blowning up.
Dec. 19, 2009, 6:32 a.m. CST
At least Harry is consistent in his reviews
by AsimovLives
Dec. 19, 2009, 6:34 a.m. CST
bobbofatz, I BASE MY OPINIONS ON WHAT I HAVE SEEN....
by TehCreepyThinMan
And the shit that goes on in Wingnutland is fucking terrifying to anyone who's read about pre-WW2 Germany.
Dec. 19, 2009, 6:36 a.m. CST
by drunkenmonkey73
Look! I've invented a new word.
Dec. 19, 2009, 6:36 a.m. CST
by Tomarru
I'm not so sure about that, from an outsider looking in at how political everything seems to be in America right now everything that creepy has said seems to ring true. Heck, most of the posts against Avatar reinforce that opinion. The hatred and fear seems very deeply rooted, which is I guess something I was trying to get across in my earlier post. Maybe it's unfair to tar EVERYONE with the same brush, but certainly the vocal minority enforce that view.
Dec. 19, 2009, 6:40 a.m. CST
AsimovLives, BUT WATCHING A MOVIE WITH A MESSAGE.....
by TehCreepyThinMan
Is soo much work and I actually have to think. I licked Tranyformers butter bekuz i haz teh stoopidz!*&^
Dec. 19, 2009, 6:41 a.m. CST
by bobbofatz
Whether wrong or right, can you see a fear in an all encroaching government. Maybe we are all wrong. But you can surely call a need for an eye on them. Who will watch the watchers? Do you trust them with everything? When do they go to far?
Dec. 19, 2009, 6:45 a.m. CST
I think Avatar is crap, but it spoke to Harry...
by Alfie Boy
...and that's the gold standard for me in terms of a movie's goal. It spoke to someone. It sparked thought about some issue in the mind of a viewer. Compare it to something like an ID4 that had stunning visuals but I don't think there is anyone with an intellect beyond that of an earthworm (my apologies to AICN's readers who might be earthworms) in whom some second though was generated because of that movie.
Dec. 19, 2009, 6:46 a.m. CST
AsimovLives, ACTUALLY, THE REASON MOVIES ARE GETTING DUMBER.....
by TehCreepyThinMan
Is because they're being made for the broadest possible audience and lowest common denominator. Read my favorite book Easy Riders, Raging Bulls by Peter Biskind and you will know EXACTLY why and how Hollywood has gone right into the shitter after the 1970's which was North American cinema's greatest decade.
Dec. 19, 2009, 6:46 a.m. CST
Avatar is pretty
by bobbofatz
garden variety hollywood propaganda. But Jim knows this, and hopfly it wont matter because overall it ranks with Aliens and Term. I hope so
Dec. 19, 2009, 6:49 a.m. CST
Oh, and on a Spielberg's Artificial Intelligence arc...
by Alfie Boy
..who doesn't think that Tara Reid's Playboy spread doesn't have her looking scarily like one of the Mecha gigolo's and prostitutes???
Dec. 19, 2009, 6:51 a.m. CST
Easy Rage
by bobbofatz
Was a good read. Lota coke and giant egos. Thank the lord above for independent film. I promise it is good
Dec. 19, 2009, 6:51 a.m. CST
Creeping corporatism vs creeping government
by ColonelFatheart
The left sees one, the right sees other. Really, the two monolithic entities are just in a continual process of merging, with an increasingly obvious tilt toward corporatism. Look at Detroit right now. Is it too hard to imagine a massive conglomerate moving in to "fix things up" and "create jobs" that will just create yet another class of wage slaves while shrinking the middle class? This combines the worst instincts of liberalism (something for everybody! progress!) and free-market conservatism (individual rights, even for corporations! Minimal taxation/regulation!). Man, fucking RoboCop was right ... Anyway, let's cut the political debate bullshit. Nobody's going to give any ground anyway.
Dec. 19, 2009, 6:54 a.m. CST
If we're really going into politics...
by AudaAbuTayi
...I'll just say that the Republican Party won't have any mainstream grip if they keep relying on their most extremist wing. I just don't see a majority of the fearful in the US anytime soon. Maybe I'm being idealistic, given the economic crisis that's still waiting to happen, but the Republicans are still in a state of ideological slumber from which they need to wake up. Their outrage is their weakness. While conservatives are not my cup of tea, I find democracies are strongest when both majority and opposition have clear-cut, sensible positions (no matter how stupid Reaganomics turned out to be). To a conservative's mind, greed and selfishness are rationalized as free enterprise and personal prosperity. So moralizing them will probably not work, just as their moral objections won't stop anyone from enjoying a great bowl or aragula with Dijon-flavored vinaigrette (with some finely chopped parmesan on top). But please: let's just go back to Pandora's summer and forget this earthly, wintry mess we live in. How about them bioluminescent, soul-spore thingies? Future technology will have organic parts all over the motherboard.
Dec. 19, 2009, 6:55 a.m. CST
Hollywood ultimately
by bobbofatz
needs to fail, so as to make room for us, the indy artists of the future. After all, are we not Directors in waiting?
Dec. 19, 2009, 7:01 a.m. CST
by ColonelFatheart
Absolutely right. Conservatives in other advanced countries (Canada, France, UK) actually acknowledge the need for conserving the environment while remaining pro-business. They understand it's better that all folks, including homosexuals, have individual rights. They compromise, in other words, a truly conservative trait. And I don't mean this Lieberman-esque baloney that's happening now. He even said he was waffling just to fuck with the liberals, and they took his fucking bait. He was for the Medicare buy-in just three months ago! Oh well. Fuck it. Look at me, asking people to stop talking politics and then I keep blabbing. OH WELL. Back to Avatar. The snow in the Northeast will hurt business this weekend, but I still see a decent haul, and word of mouth can take of the rest.
Dec. 19, 2009, 7:04 a.m. CST
How about no parties!!
by bobbofatz
How about it is us against them. You and me. We disagree on little. Maybe it is not rep vs dem or cons vs. lib. I know we can come together. Why are there forces dividing and distracting us. What really matters? That....we need to talk about!
Dec. 19, 2009, 7:08 a.m. CST
I believe the writing's on the wall for Avatar.
by gingerella
My best bud called me last night to say - I didn't hate it. It's good. In most parts. Some parts suck. I said to him 'that's the exact review you gave me ten years ago for 'the phantom menace.' I think the haters are being proven correct and the lovers are in denial, just as they were with SWPM all those years ago...I will see this tomorrow but my expectations are much lower now. A great film couldn't possibly have this many haters. Cameron's biggest mistake was stealing the story from A massive multi Oscar winning movie that everyone's seen. If you're gonna steal, steal like Tarantino. From some Japanese shit that no-one's heard of. Taking the story from DWW smacks of arrogance.
Dec. 19, 2009, 7:09 a.m. CST
This is from Garth franklin..
by emeraldboy
Dec. 19, 2009, 7:10 a.m. CST
Conservative is a
by bobbofatz
strawman for some of you. You are letting Msnbc and the huffington create your thoughts. They are shaping you and shipping you out like Mcdonalds fucking fries. ou have a preconcieved notion of a Bush world. Stop it. He is gone.
Dec. 19, 2009, 7:12 a.m. CST
Bobbofatz, as you can read from the reactions...
by AudaAbuTayi
...some people have issues with Avatar because it didn't sweep them away; others are still in la-la land because of how pretty, coherent and complete the world they've discovered is. Suspension of disbelief is key because it leads to a suspension of critical thought. And for the record, I often judge films primarily on their screenplays, rarely because on their visuals (and I hate 90% of CGI). However, exceptions can be made, especially when a formula is supremely well executed. Basically, if you're into sci-fi/scuba-diving/ nature docus/ epic action, you have a pretty good chance of embracing this film unconditionally. You don't need to hate white people to enjoy it, you simply need to believe blue aliens exist. And you just might, come Fiona Lewis' indefensible vocalizations.
Dec. 19, 2009, 7:13 a.m. CST
Alfie Boy, TARA REID'S PLAYBOY PICS HAVE MORE CGI THEN ALL OF AV
by TehCreepyThinMan
Dec. 19, 2009, 7:14 a.m. CST
by TehCreepyThinMan
Dec. 19, 2009, 7:17 a.m. CST
So auda
by bobbofatz
is that four stars?
Dec. 19, 2009, 7:18 a.m. CST
AudaAbuTayi, TODAY'S TECHNOLOGY IS ALREADY ORGANIC!!!
by TehCreepyThinMan
How else would you describe monitors and keyboards covered with cum from webporn?
Dec. 19, 2009, 7:20 a.m. CST
For reals
by bobbofatz
I have read good and soso reviews for this movie all day. What would be cool is someone that has seen it with a little cred, tell me if it is in the Aliens Terminator league.
Dec. 19, 2009, 7:21 a.m. CST
the movie turned me into a eunuch!
by cloudrider`
i wish i could say that. i wish my dick really exploded watching the film. i had expected no less from jim, but really... it ended up disappointing to me. derivative is fine as long as the end result becomes a different kind of beast altogether(like say, the matrix). here, it's hard to shake off all its influences, from mononoke hime to dances with wolves. and what happened to cameron's patented double climaxes? that was always the best moment in all his films. instead we got a huge battle with no strategy from both sides, followed by a forgetable machine vs na'vi duel in the jungle. weakest cameron's climax by far.
Dec. 19, 2009, 7:22 a.m. CST
Sick Creepy
by bobbofatz
I thought you were better thn that comment.
Dec. 19, 2009, 7:23 a.m. CST
by TehCreepyThinMan
Future computers take on more organic traits while nerds the world over fuck their hard drives with their 3 1/2 inch floppy dicks
Dec. 19, 2009, 7:24 a.m. CST
bobbofatz, YOU! WERE!! WRONG!!!
by TehCreepyThinMan
Dec. 19, 2009, 7:24 a.m. CST
But Cloud
by bobbofatz
was it his weakest flick to date?
Dec. 19, 2009, 7:25 a.m. CST
More perspective on midnight B.O.
by ColonelFatheart
http://tinyurl.com/ybkjqy4 "More comparable to Avatar would be I Am Legend, the movie that currently holds the December opening weekend record ($77.2 million). Its midnight start was $1.7 million at around 1,100 sites, a mere fraction of its $30.1 million opening day. Another epic adventure with a long runtime like Avatar, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, earned around $4 million in its midnight debut, leading to an $18.2 million first day (though it opened on a Wednesday). Earlier this year, Watchmen logged $4.55 million out of the gate at midnight but fizzled quickly, while Star Trek blasted off with $4 million from Thursday night previews and had generated $79.2 million by Sunday."
Dec. 19, 2009, 7:26 a.m. CST
ok creepy
by bobbofatz
but you have typed very constructive most of the time
Dec. 19, 2009, 7:27 a.m. CST
by AudaAbuTayi
...I made a nine-hour flight to see The Pantomime Mess part I ten years ago. I figured it was a blasphemous piece of shit about twenty minutes in (of course, you should check out the Red Folder Youtube review). Thankfully, I saw Payne's Election right afterwards and made first contact with a great director who revitalized my love for film. You won't want to watch another film for a couple of days after Avatar. I have DVDs of two allegedly great films at home (Twilight Samurai and Let the Right One In) that I really want/ need to see. But it would be unfair to them if I watched them now. Avatar isn't just "good" or "okay." I think people in denial can be found in the middle-of-the-road verdicts as well. To each his own denial but mine sure seems to feel more elating than theirs. Alas, I stutter: Avatar is the stuff geeks are made of.
Dec. 19, 2009, 7:28 a.m. CST
To those that have seen Avatar
by bobbofatz
Will this movie end up in company with some of the best?
Dec. 19, 2009, 7:29 a.m. CST
I'd like to see it again...
by The_Crimson_King
I got some cousins coming down for Christmas, perhaps I can persuade them to get their eyeballs fucked!
Dec. 19, 2009, 7:32 a.m. CST
Thanks Auda
by bobbofatz
just want some input from fellow sfx fans.
Dec. 19, 2009, 7:32 a.m. CST
oh and Stephen Lang fucking rocks
by The_Crimson_King
anyone ever see "The Hard Way"? Stephen Lang plays a crazy villain called The Party Crasher who when he's not shooting people he likes to play a customized PC game (starring himself) while chewing bubble gum and wearing a facial mask
Dec. 19, 2009, 7:36 a.m. CST
Does Avatar
by bobbofatz
belong in the same breath as, Aliens Terminator, Matrix, Predator, Dis9 ?
Dec. 19, 2009, 7:40 a.m. CST
I dont believe some
by bobbofatz
of what I have heard, that it is Star wars or Jaws caliber.
Dec. 19, 2009, 7:43 a.m. CST
Harry - stay out of politics and stick to what you know best....
by Retrace
Don't be "that guy". Every liberal kook on the left that has a little fame has this need to prove his political stupidity to everyone. It's sad.
Dec. 19, 2009, 7:44 a.m. CST
bobbofatz - not cameron's worst
by cloudrider`
but it's not his finest moment either. still fall way short of aliens and T2 in my opinion.
 but he's right about the 3D. it's a new way to see a film. it really brings film as a medium to the next level. your movie screen literally becomes a window to another world. to me, the tech innovation really is a game-changer. i just wish the hardware are applied to a more deserving story. by the time the tech becomes more common place in a few years, this film will lose much of its worth.
Dec. 19, 2009, 7:46 a.m. CST
umh... hey TB loosers...
by spectacles
Looks like Avatar has kicked all sorts of ass at the box office so far. Looks like a lot of you bitter little nerds got this whole "flop" thing completely wrong. Just like you got LOTR being a flop wrong.

 Also, if no one has told you yet, talking about Star Wars is kind of embarrassingly lame these days. It's over nerds. Move on.
Dec. 19, 2009, 7:46 a.m. CST
by bobbofatz
You are right. But it is all sad. They got us all bitchin and complaining. We wont solve anything
Dec. 19, 2009, 7:48 a.m. CST
Thanks Cloud
by bobbofatz
unbiased reviews is good
Dec. 19, 2009, 7:49 a.m. CST
So, as an event movie it sounds better than TF2
by SoylentMean
I'm not expecting anything more than to be entertained by this. I expect eye-rollingly bad dialogue as long as the action and fx are good. If that's the case I'm gonna be happy, even if the Navi look like giant roided up smurf elves.
Dec. 19, 2009, 7:57 a.m. CST
It is incredible the divide on
by bobbofatz
this flick. Some say it is the second coming, and some say meh. Who is right on this one? It will be interesting to find out in time.
Dec. 19, 2009, 8:01 a.m. CST
Cameron is a right-wing left-winger
by sith_rising
meaning he distrusts corporations and human beings in general, and is anti-military and anti-technology. at the same time, like lucas, he is in love with the technology he despises, and like michael mann, loves to shoot shit. in other words, he's a cool guy, and might have an agenda, but at least he's not a pussy about it.
Dec. 19, 2009, 8:02 a.m. CST
Bobbafetz: Aliens / Terminator...
by AudaAbuTayi
...were grittier. But they were less magical. Still, I watch Aliens every six months like it's a religious ceremony... Hard to say. Avatar is a five-star film...to some, myself included. I couldn't spoil it for you if I tried because it is so immersive it needs to be experienced. I will say for certain that this is Cameron's best work since Abyss (which I loved). There, said it: Avatar is better than T2 in my book (but really, what's the point of ranking?). It's your own massive-scaled, personal, nay intimate, trip. Go figure out how it affects you by experiencing it. Forget OPOs (other people's opinions): get the first flight out for Pandora and make your own mind about it. At worse you'll feel you've wasted three hours and twelve bucks. At best, you'll be yearning to travel back to that far, far away planet for the bargain price of bad haircut.
Dec. 19, 2009, 8:04 a.m. CST
Bad dialogue is not an issue.
by bobbofatz
At first did we think "lets rock" would go over very well in Aliens? What about all the cheese in T2 and Titanic? Did the quotes in those movies stop them from becoming iconic? Have not seen it, but the feeling is icon cult on the level of trekkies and 77 Starwars. Could be wrong!
Dec. 19, 2009, 8:07 a.m. CST
Right on AudaAbuTayi
by bobbofatz
Thanks brother, I gotsta go see it for myself!!
Dec. 19, 2009, 8:11 a.m. CST
Just saw it - very short review
by Miyamoto_Musashi
Loved it, movie of 09 for me
Dec. 19, 2009, 8:12 a.m. CST
"bargain price of A bad haircut"
by AudaAbuTayi
And Pandora is a moon, apologies to the nitpickers.
Dec. 19, 2009, 8:13 a.m. CST
Movie critics are like everyone else in that
by Sonny_Williams
they are either "glass half full or empty" type. You either overlook the negatives and focus on what you like about the flick, or you let the negatives overtake you and give the movie a thumbs-down regardless of what's good about it. Also, you either just sit back and let the movie carry you along, or you analyze every scene with a magnifying glass looking for flaws. IMHO, to call yourself a lover of film on one hand and to nit-pick every second of a movie is somehwat contradictory.
Dec. 19, 2009, 8:13 a.m. CST
feel sorry for anyone that can't enjoy it
by Miyamoto_Musashi
Dec. 19, 2009, 8:15 a.m. CST
We (humans) are definetely the best villians of 09
by Miyamoto_Musashi
My second favourite for the year is District 9, another must see
Dec. 19, 2009, 8:24 a.m. CST
Ganymede3001 reads coloring books
by FeralAngel
Man, my aching back, having to stoop to his level.
Dec. 19, 2009, 8:24 a.m. CST
didn't get all the hate re dialogue
by Miyamoto_Musashi
Everyone seemed to speak within character, not too many people spoke like they always had the perfectly worded response. Seemed on par with Aliens, another Cameron movie I loved.
Dec. 19, 2009, 8:25 a.m. CST
TehCreepyThinMan puts dresses on his toy soldiers
by FeralAngel
And dreams of blue pussy. Hey, I'm getting good at shoveling at these nards. Heh. Kinda fun.
Dec. 19, 2009, 8:27 a.m. CST
Few things Harold...
by Sal_Bando
1: 'Left the story of Jesus behind'-really? Didn't leave Dances w/ Wolves Behind that's for damn sure. And how wazzat relevant again?
2: Lang rocks. About time he is in a big hit.
3: Ditto Cameron. Don't stay away so long next time.
3: Harold turning your reviews into Daily Kos defeats the purpose of the review seems.
4: Asslives go fuck yourself. GET OVER ABRAMS TREK. IT WAS A HUGE HIT. BUGGER OFF. GO BACK TO YOUR GOATS.
5: Mikey Bay needs to do the sequel. W/ robots.
Dec. 19, 2009, 8:27 a.m. CST
by AsimovLives
Easy Riders Raging Bulls is one of my favorite books about Hollywood. The other is The Gross by Peter Bart.
Dec. 19, 2009, 8:27 a.m. CST
it's funny to see some people take offense
by cloudrider`
when humans are portrayed as bloodsucking villains hellbent on destroying alien world, but when it's the reverse and we're attacked by alien invaders in movies, we just love giving them some payback. arrogant much?
Dec. 19, 2009, 8:28 a.m. CST
don't really get the Phantom Menace comparrisons
by Miyamoto_Musashi
chalk and cheese really other than on the anticipation front. Princess Mononoke in space might be a better comparrison.
Dec. 19, 2009, 8:30 a.m. CST
by AsimovLives
Huge? not so much. The real huge was the pice of shit made by the other untalented hack, Transformers 2. Even on the realm of hackdoom, your beloved Jar Jar Abrams didn't even scored the biggest dumb movie of the year. And as long there will be retard slike you defending the Jar Jar Abram's SHIT TREK, there will be me putting it in it's right place. Deal with it.
Dec. 19, 2009, 8:30 a.m. CST
by Miyamoto_Musashi
as a rule we aren't very good at taking criticism.
 We are much better at laying blame elsewhere or denying the truth when it requires effort, i.e. climate change
Dec. 19, 2009, 8:35 a.m. CST
Sonny Williams...
by AudaAbuTayi
...I subscribe to your thoughts. Lawrence of Arabia had terrible makeup in the third act; Once Upon a Time in the West had similarly overdone makeup and bad lip-synching on a couple of Italian actors; there's a light-glare in the leopard's eyes in 2001: a space odyssey... yet many of us believe these are seminal, "perfect" films. You gotta love the flaws for making the works more human. Nobody's perfect and no movie ever is (except for Empire Strikes Back, Goodfellas and Sunset Boulevard).
Dec. 19, 2009, 8:36 a.m. CST
Stephen Lang and Zoe Saldana were brilliant
by Miyamoto_Musashi
Sam was ok too, again the hate against him went really overboard, but can understand the comments re american accent, it slipped a lot. But if that is something that you really focus on then you seriously need to get out a bit more, meet a girl/guy
Dec. 19, 2009, 8:36 a.m. CST
Someone gonna post the Iron Man trailer??
by kafka07
Dec. 19, 2009, 8:40 a.m. CST
RefutetheHype: The Disabled Hero
by Media Messiah
Is using a gun a cheat for a hero, after all, it is a device that allows him to do what his body can't do? It becomes and extention of his will. Or what about the use of a knife? It can be said that Batman s part bionic, as he uses gizmos and gadgets to execute his work as a crime fghter...and stop the bad guys, from his utility belt, to his bat-a-rang...Batman is getting an assist from technology. Or what about the Jedi Knights and their use of Light Sabers, Lasers, or other technologies that work outside of the force, or in unison with the force and their wielders to render a desired result, to fight the bad guys and be the heroes. Luke Sky Walker was a disabled hero. He lost his hand in battle with Darth Vader, one that was replaced with a mechanical hand. He used that hand to assist in hiis heroic actions, that same with Anakin Skywalker, but should we negate their efforts, and simply claim that was a cheat?

 As for the film, Avatar, to Jake's Avatar is no more than a car...or a Hum'vi (Humvie), as Harry calls it. Just think of it as a suped-up wheelchair; and we know plenty of disabled people today who use either automated wheelchairs, or some form of them, you'll note--even grocery stores have them for use by the disabled. So my point is this, just because a disabled person uses a mechanical device or biological entity, in the case of the film, to interact with others, and to equal the playing field with others, in the surrounding world, does not diminish what they contribute to the whole of society, through their resulting actions. Jake is a hero, regardless if he is disabled, or not...and if he was a pilot, he'd fly a copter to fight the bad guys, or if he were a computer tech, well...he'd use that. To him...an Avatar is like driving one of the mobile suits which the other able bodied humans were using, no different, save for Jake's mobile suit was, is, biologically grown. It is the mind, spirit, and heart...that makes a person a hero, through ones' expressed actions in how they use those 3 things to positively affect the world. How you get there doesn't matter, or with what device, hell, some could say that using crutches or a wheelchair, or even a cane is a cheat, because they are born of technology, no matter how crude. You shouldn't have to crawl to prove your mettle, or do without the assist of technology, just look at Stephen Hawking for instance, should we deny him his computers, those that assist him to speak, and say that that is a cheat...and that he can't be a real hero without such a device??? And the same with Roger Ebert, should we deny him his word processor...and say that he is somehow a lesser man unless he can do without it? He is still as good a critic as he was before his vocal chords were silenced--he simply uses a word processor as an interface to interact with the rest of the world, much like Jake uses an Avatar to interface with Pandora, and act as he would most like to, to save others, as that is what heroes do. Should that make him, any less of a hero? I think not!
Dec. 19, 2009, 8:42 a.m. CST
Once again the talkbackers get it bass ackwards
by seppukudkurosawa
Avatar doesn't rape your eyeballs- it makes love to them!
 But no way is it going to make its money back...at least not in the usual first weekend way. Even considering the fact that most of this country was snowed in, that theatre was way too empty. Get word-of-mouthing, yo!
Dec. 19, 2009, 8:43 a.m. CST
The movie is ballsy in the sense of it's bold style
by kikuchiyoboy
The things I didn't like about Avatar is the scripts crutch on Jakes narration. The narration really sucked the life out of it. Some of it was obvious and some of it should have been shown to bring us up to speed on "who is Jake Sully". I wish we got to know and empathize with Jake before Pandora. If we saw the withering Earth and Jakes boredom it would have gave the film a little more weight. It also would have been a better lead up to Pandora. I actually even think this was cheesier than Titanic. It had these gigantic operatic moments. I also wish the tribes spoke with different otherworldly phonetics. Like maybe if they spoke in tones or noises.

 Other than that it was a great ride. I actually like the simple story. It was like a wonderfully told fairytale. It's simple nature has a charm to it. Yes it was cheesy at times, but it worked along side of the outlandish colors displayed upon the screen.

 The 3D aspect of it was superbly used. Once we reach the battle in the woods, I really felt as if I was there ducking behind the branches. Right then and there made me realize how much I miss the orchestration of Cameron's action sequences. Kind of like that moment when the big boat, Titanic, goes down.

 I still think Titanic is more epic though. There's was something about the detail in the nature of the world with in Titanic that made it seem more epic. The detail of the workers on the ship with there day to day. The detail in the separation of the classes gave it scope. You really had a sense of the characters on all sides of the ship.

 Here we really didn't get to really know much about some of the members of the tribe. We had many chances too, but he kept needling in his love and wonder aspect of the film. I think it would have felt grander if Jake saw Pandora with different tribe members. It would have shown us Pandora through different eyes and gave weight to the other characters inhabiting it. I kind of wish we had more understanding of a Marines life on Pandora and what it meant to them. If we had Rodriguez's character interacting with the day to day. Seeing the Scientists running off to the jungle, while she sat with in the industry walls could have lent to a more realized world.

 So basically my main complaint is that although told in a grand scope and presented in a grand nature, it just missed the mark of being epic. I love the boldness of Cameron's design. There is definitely no other film that looks like it. It's definitely a worthwhile experience at the movies. There's just little things here and there that a better script writer could have fleshed out. I really hope he collaborates with a scriptwriter on things like Battle Angel Alita.

 I think my favorite scene that really captures the essence of Cameron's film is when he flies his first dragon with Neytiri. It really used the 3D aspect really well and it made you understand Cameron's simple idea to just please the crowd. In that sense it really grounded the film. It wasn't forced. It was a simple scene of a man and his dragon off in world that is only left to dreams. That really made me smile. That's all one can ask for a film of this nature.

 Oh and I'm glad that we had a year in which District 9, Star Trek, Transformers 2, Moon and this all felt monumentally different from each other. Each one had it's own rhythm and style. Whether you liked them or not, it's just wading the water for what's to come.
Dec. 19, 2009, 8:44 a.m. CST
3D in your pants! lmfao
by HarryBlackPotter
quote of the year
Dec. 19, 2009, 8:46 a.m. CST
by cash55
i don't post here all that much. i think it's silly to voice an opinion when opinions are so frivolous. i mean really, should i give a shit what someone else thinks (good or bad) about a movie i like or dislike. should anyone give a fuck if i hate their favorite flick. it's all subjective. now, with that said i need every one to know how much i hate avatar. i hated every frame of this movie. harry says "AVATAR is unlike anything I've seen before" no harry, i say bullshit. avatar is like everything i've ever seen before - and that is just one of 1001 reasons why i hate - dare i say loath this film.
Dec. 19, 2009, 8:48 a.m. CST
One last thing.
by kikuchiyoboy
I really don't think he should make this into a trilogy. I think this works as one time tale. I'd rather see new worlds and different themes from Cameron.
Dec. 19, 2009, 8:56 a.m. CST
sith_rising Cameron isn't anti technology
by happyboy
Like all thinking men he's wary of its excesses and abuses. Every educated and intelligent man has those thoughts in their mind, particularly the men who actually develop and use that technology. Oppenheimer the father of the bomb was the one most wary of its potential. Low class grunts are the ones who blindly follow ideology in lieu of having an individual moral compass on a case by case basis (and I'm pointing the finger at both conservatives and liberals, radicals on both sides basically having the identical personality flaws). I'll put it simply for you. If you're the type who believes as a blanket statement "technology/war is bad" or "technology/war is good" you're one of the low intellects I'm talking about. Technology cannot be good or evil, those are conditions of human behavior. Anthropomorphizing things like technology and war... is a clear sign of an illogical and uneducated mind. Technology nor war can be moral or immoral of itself. The only morality comes in with how a society choses to use a particular technology and for what purpose they conduct war. Supporting a particular war has nothing to do with conservative or liberal, it never has been going back to the time of Athens and the Peloponnesians. Supporting a PARTICULAR war has everything to do with intellect and logic. War is a fundamental human condition. Every great society (including the US with WWII) has risen on the back of victory in war and fallen under the heel of lost or overly costly wars. Any rational man will support any war that supports his national interests and profits the state in the long run in terms of power, prestige and economics and oppose any that profits others or is damaging to the state. Lesser men will cling to a foolish consistency along the lines of "I'm a Liberal so I oppose this and all wars" or "I'm a Conservative so I support any war." As for Avatar, lost in the discussion is the fact that protagonist isn't representative of his culture. Obviously any moral person involved in a expoitative enterprise will have concerns but there's no reason to think that the average "human" would react as he did to the degree that he did. This is a particular case of an individual who basically has reason to feel lost/begrudge his place in his own society (along the lines of disgruntled arab americans who might go join Al Quaeda... it's not representative of all Americans in general or of all arab americans... most of us Americans are happy sitting around eating big macs while our cruise missles bomb out hospitals and schools and kids die from conditions of war that we created). There's no reason to expect that human beings will be sufficiently evolved in a century to actually give a damn any more than we do today... Avatar is a particular story about a particular individual not a blanket statement of any kind. Cameron's message for you dullards isn't that war is bad or that technology is evil but as a nation founded on taking land not only from Indians but the Spanish, Mexicans, French and British is to be AWARE and contemplative of what the costs were. Often advancement does come with a cost. It doesn't mean we go backwards but moral men understand what the cost was. We aint giving back the land to the Indians obviously but every American should at least be reflective of where the land has come from and resolve to be worthy as a nation of that cost
Dec. 19, 2009, 8:57 a.m. CST
A UK Point of View on filmtwats.com
by keelan
Chicks and chaps, if you wanna UK review - check out Glenn's review here http://filmtwats.com/filmtwa1/?p=1432 and Chris' review here http://filmtwats.com/filmtwa1/?p=1427 Let us know what you think? All comments welcome - no reg required.
Dec. 19, 2009, 8:58 a.m. CST
by The_Crimson_King
I can understand your point, but at the same time you have to remember Cameron has given us two of the best sequels ever, Aliens and Terminator 2
Dec. 19, 2009, 9:01 a.m. CST
i agree kikuchiyoboy
by Miyamoto_Musashi
learn from the Matrix example, I loved the movie but want Cameron to use this technology, his imagination and move onto something else.
 Battle Angel would be cool, part of me would want him to adapt Neon Genesis into "live" action. Want to see big robots done well, and I know Jim could pull it off.
Dec. 19, 2009, 9:01 a.m. CST
Cash, you must be from the future...
by AudaAbuTayi
...because I've never seen anything quite like Avatar. And if it's "like everything you've ever seen before," does that mean that you hate everything you've ever seen? Logically, that would be the case, all syllogisms aside.
Dec. 19, 2009, 9:01 a.m. CST
Avatar -like watching a great video game
by j2talk
now lets see what use StarWars puts this tech....more Gungans anybody??????
Dec. 19, 2009, 9:01 a.m. CST
and must be said
by happyboy
2 months ago the firestorm on this site was how the 3D and CGI looked bad in the trailers and how the technology wouldn't live up to the hype. since the bitching and moaning has moved on to cry about Liberal bias and not a peep about bad CGI it's safe to assume all those morons are eating crow?
Dec. 19, 2009, 9:05 a.m. CST
Happy Boy still plenty of morons here
by Miyamoto_Musashi
Dec. 19, 2009, 9:06 a.m. CST
you guys saw blurry foreground objects?
by cloudrider`
in certain scenes foreground objects, like leaves or jellywish would appear blurry. i assume if objects are blurry they're supposed to have 3d effect. but when they stayed blurry, does it mean my theater didnt operate at full capacity? everything else looked great in 3D though, it's just when things are in close foreground that they tend to be blurry.
Dec. 19, 2009, 9:09 a.m. CST
Titanic Opened-Up At 25 Million For Its Opening Weekend...
by Media Messiah
As I recall, 25 million was the entire take for the first weekend of Titanic's release, and it just continued to go. I think the next weekend after that, the film scored another 25 million, and on and on--so to those trying to claim this is a bomb, we won't know until Christmas weekend or well into the first or second week of the New Year.
Dec. 19, 2009, 9:21 a.m. CST
My eyeballs were raped
by AdmiralCainsRazor
Thank you James Cameron. Seriously they were. The visuals in this movie were amazing. I was one of the people who were worried that the Na'vi would end up looking like a bunch of Jar-Jar Binks running around acting like morons. Nothing could be further from the truth. They are entirely believable from the start. I am officially in love with Zoe now. An amazing performance. I thought Jake was a little wooden at times but that is a minor complaint. Sigourney Weaver was amazing as well, kinda scary how much her Avatar really looked like her. Saw this in a standard 3D screena and cannot wait to go back and see it in IMAX. The story is absolotely Dances With Wolves. I take exception that Harry would say that I have a lazy mind. But do not let that stop you from seeing this movie. Dances with Wolves was a great movie. Avatar just brings it to another entirely believable world.
Dec. 19, 2009, 9:23 a.m. CST
Amended--RefutetheHype: The Disabled Hero
by Media Messiah
Is using a gun a cheat for a hero, after all, it is a device that allows him to do what his body can't do? It becomes an extention of his will. Or what about the use of a knife? It can be said that Batman is part bionic, as he uses gizmos and gadgets to execute his work as a crime fghter...and stop the bad guys, from his utility belt, to his bat-a-rang...Batman is getting an assist from technology. Or what about the Jedi Knights and their use of Light Sabers, lasers, or other technologies that work outside of the force, or in unison with the force and their wielders to render a desired result, to fight the bad guys and be the heroes of their tale. Luke Skywalker was a disabled hero. He lost his hand in battle with Darth Vader, one that was replaced with a mechanical hand. He used that hand to assist in his heroic actions, the same with Anakin Skywalker, but should we negate their efforts, and simply claim that, that was a cheat?

 As for the film, Avatar, to Jake, his Avatar is no more than a car, or a Hum'vi (Humvie), as Harry calls it. Just think of it as a suped-up wheelchair; and we know plenty of disabled people today who use either automated wheelchairs, or some form of them, you'll note--even grocery stores have them on hand for use by the disabled. So my point is this, just because a disabled person uses a mechanical device or biological entity, in the case of the film, to interact with others, and to equal the playing field with others, in the surrounding world, does not diminish what they contribute to the whole of society, through their resulting actions. Jake is a hero, regardless if he is disabled, or not...and if he was a pilot, he'd fly a copter to fight the bad guys, or if he were a computer tech, well...he'd use that. To him, an Avatar is like driving one of the mobile suits which the other able bodied humans were using, no different, save for Jake's mobile suit was, is, biologically grown. It is the mind, spirit, and heart...that makes a person a hero, through ones' expressed actions in how they use those 3 things to positively affect the world. How you get there doesn't matter, or with what device, hell, some could say that using crutches or a wheelchair, or even a cane is a cheat, because they are born of technology, no matter how crude. You shouldn't have to crawl to prove your mettle, or do without the assist of technology, just look at Stephen Hawking for instance, should we deny him his computers, those that assist him to speak, and say that this is a cheat...and that he can't be a real hero without such a device??? And the same with Roger Ebert, should we deny him his word processor...and say that he is somehow a lesser man unless he can do without it? He is still as good a critic as he was before his vocal chords were silenced--he simply uses a word processor as an interface to interact with the rest of the world, much like Jake uses an Avatar to interface with Pandora, and act as he would most like to, to save others, as that is what heroes do. Should that make him, any less of a hero? I think not!
Dec. 19, 2009, 9:23 a.m. CST
True. Those are FANTASTIC sequels
by kikuchiyoboy
But, I'm just not sure If I feel the need to revisit this. Unless it's about rebuilding Earth and saving it from total destruction. OR Cameron creates another universe in which humans travel too and suddenly need the Navi's help.
Dec. 19, 2009, 9:24 a.m. CST
Heart and Soul
by DrCaligari111
I really don't get all the hate that's being dumped on this movie, by various movie geek sites. I would rather embrace a movie like "Avatar" or "Star Trek," which brim with passion, heart and soul, than assembly line pieces of junk like "Transformers." And for me, Zoe Saldana just killed in the movie; she practically had me in tears in the story's second half.
Dec. 19, 2009, 9:27 a.m. CST
FeralAngel, if your challenging me, dont't be a pussy.
by Ganymede3001
Act like your packing more than 4 inches you dickless faggot.
Dec. 19, 2009, 9:28 a.m. CST
Happy boy, I hate most CGI...
by AudaAbuTayi
...the most recent example of a resounding success, FX-wise, was Benjamin Button. I felt Star Trek's effects were quite good and haven't seen (won't ever) Transformers 2. Avatar just ranks with the best optical FX ever (Blade Runner, the OT, Aliens, Thing, the analog parts of LOTR). Forget hating on the CGI, it would be mere folly. You can hate the designs, not the rendering. I wasn't a huge fan of the 3D, however, since the film packs so much detail it's a bit much. I am now very impatient to see this Hollywood-liberal's agenda in 2D. Despite the fact that it will brainwash me into tree-hugging submission because I have no mind of my own and I am totally vulnerable to devious pamphlets preaching peace and harmony (like Jesus' pamphlet: The New Testament which I've thankfully never read).
Dec. 19, 2009, 9:30 a.m. CST
Neon Genesis, and Macross definitely are game
by kikuchiyoboy
now.

 I'm still amazed by what was displayed on screen. Especially the scenes in which the characters are submersed with it's environment. The mud on Jake, the ashes falling from the sky onto the bodies, and Jakes leap into the water after the Thenator chase. Amazing detail.

 I love Cameron's attention to detail but what makes it work is also his sense of application. It all feels natural. So I'm CRAZY EXCITED for "Alita". BUT as a screenwriter I'd rather he worked with someone. Someone to push him in another direction. I want to see more from Cameron.
Dec. 19, 2009, 9:32 a.m. CST
Zoe Saldana was no doubt the soul of the film.
by kikuchiyoboy
Even though I felt Cameron pushed the operatic side a bit... she really owned that role.
Dec. 19, 2009, 9:35 a.m. CST
Just an FYI to conservatives
by smackfu
but movies that make statements against things that are universally accepted as evil and immoral can not be 'propaganda' lol. To say it's propaganda insinuates that there is actually a question as to whether or not it's wrong to go to an alien planet, wipe out it's sentient inhabitants, then proceed to harvest all it's resources. It is in fact wrong. There's no question. Ergo, it's not 'propaganda'. That's like saying a movie that rallies against kicking babies is 'liberal propaganda'. All making that statement does is infer that you in some way disagree that it's wrong to kick babies. Which only serves to highlight your own shortcomings.
Dec. 19, 2009, 9:36 a.m. CST
Some Thug does not kill brother - they all die
by WASPFAN
just saying
Dec. 19, 2009, 9:38 a.m. CST
by cloudrider`
someone confirmed to me that in some scenes the jellyfish, little bugs, leaves, etc are supposed to wonder off the screen and into the audience. nothing came out off the screen where i saw it! fuck my theater! i saw it in south east asia by the way.
Dec. 19, 2009, 9:39 a.m. CST
Good box office too?
by thommcg
http://marquee.blogs.cnn.com/2009/12/17/avatar-already-selling-out-weekend-box-offices/ Avatar's enormous budget may well be worth it. The James Cameron 3D adventure flick, opening tonight at midnight, has already sold out hundreds of showtimes across the country, according to online ticket-seller Fandango...
Dec. 19, 2009, 9:42 a.m. CST
by BringingSexyBack
She didn't actually say that. But the sad truth is it's not outside the realm of possibility that she did.
Dec. 19, 2009, 9:46 a.m. CST
How to improve Avatar: repost with additions
by DufusyteII
Jake needed to be wasting away and getting sicker and weaker as he neglects his "real life" and chooses to live more in his avatar. This was hinted at, but it should have been dramatic so that by the time his lover Neytiri finds his real body in the trailer (or whatever it was), she sees just a shriveled weak wasted worm of a man, and nothing like the strong warrior she fell in love with. And then, in that context, she looks upon him and says, "I see you!" and she embraces him with love because she has come to love the spirit of the man, and not just his warrior prowess. And then have him near death at the end, but the tree does its magic and then you have a real happy ending, both a tragedy (his real body dies from neglect) and hope (rebirth at the tree). This would give the film and the love story much more needed punch.

 Otherwise, as it stands, I did not believe the love story. Neytiri seems to just go for the strongest warrior, and that is very superficial on her part. As soon as Jake falls on hard times (suspected as a betrayer) she dumps him. And then as soon as he swoops in on the biggest bird, she loves him again. She is like a girl who goes for whoever is driving the snazziest car. That is just superficial, and I wanted to see her go beyond that, and love Jake even as a worm (see above). That would have been growth in her character; sad it never happened.

 Other gripe is that Cameron likes his women to be Rambo. Ok, you have can one female rambo per movie (e.g. Sarah Connor), but in Avatar *every* woman is rambo: Neytiri, Rodrigez, and Ripley. The film needed someone to play a girl (not a Xena). So I was hoping Neytiri would become somewhat more feminine (in the traditional sense). Even the love scene was cut short. The actress voicing Neytiri seemed to be all venon, and 99% of her lines are spat out. So this hurt the love story aspect, since she was a spitting cat and never became a cuddly cat. And for most humans, it's all about the love story, cf. Titanic, which remains Cameron's greatest triumph, and my favorite.

 Meanwhile the girl Neytiri seemed superficial as noted above, so I didn't really like her, and she is not the kind of girl/character I would ever fall in love with.

 Jake was kind of equivocal since he seemed to be playing both sides, and you get the feeling that if the Marines had beat the Na'vi, then he would have quickly assimilated back into human society. He is duplicitous, and when he gets caught on tape smashing the video cameras, you know he wished he could have remained sneaky, and he would have prefered to have not been outed. So he was very comfortable playing both sides, (which makes him a despicable character) and he was embarrassed to be outed. I would have prefered him to take a stand, rather than been caught on tape to his chagrin. I would have liked him to be wasting away (see above) and then get into a shoving match with Quaritch, which would have shown his courage to take a stand, but it would simultaneously been pathetic since he was a wheel bound skeleton, and then later in the final man to man fight have him enter into a shoving match again with Quaritch, but this time in his avatar body, where the tables are turned. So anyway, the Jake character was kind of spineless, and Quaritch's summary of him is true: he found "local tail" and went with it. In a sense Jake is as superficial as Neytiri: they both side with whoever is winning, with whoever is driving the biggest car, and whoever is paying out the most.

 It's all about the characters, and the character I sympathized the most with was the military dude Quaritch: a fatherly figure trying to protect his people and do his job. You can tell he has a simple mind and does not grasp the treehugger perspective, but you can forgive him that since he is not a man of great enlightenment. You can't fault him for lacking a higher level of consciousness to tune in with the trees. He's meat and potatoes, and it's kind of sad to see him go.

 Quaritch should be on the first expedition (a special one time tag-along so he can "get the tree hugger vibe") when Jake's avatar goes into the forest and meets the hammerhead rhino. In that scene, Quaritch should save Jake's avatar's life by distracting the black panther thing, firing on it and saying, "Come here - come to papa!" and the panther momentarily goes to Quaritch and deals him a blow, but then the panther runs off after Jake's avatar anyway. This way Quaritch effectively saves Jake's avatar's life at risk to his own life and limb. And then when they are flying away at night and Ripley says "He won't last the night," Quaritch should say, "D*mn jungle; I wish it were a parking lot!" Ant the audience should kind of agree with him, and know where Quaritch is coming from when he later starts burning down the forest. Also, this would make Quaritch's final encounter with the black panther a "rematch". And in the final man to man fight with Jake's Avatar, Jake should be telling Quaritch to back off, saying he does not want to kill him (because Quaritch formerly saved his life) and at one moment Jake should be able to slit Quaritch's throat but he refrains because of his respect for Quaritch, but then Quaritch gets the upperhand, unpulgs Jake, and then Neytiri finishes off Quaritch with the bow. This way there is much more dynamic in the relationship between Jake and Quaritch, and more at play in their final fight then just "kill the bad guy." In fact, when Jake comes to and is revived, he should see the dead Quaritch and say, "No, no!" singerely mourning his friend, and Neytiri should say, "You should thank me - I killed him for you!" but he should say "There is nothing to be thankful for here..." forming a bookend to his first encounter with Neytiri when she mourned the death of the little panthers.
Dec. 19, 2009, 9:53 a.m. CST
Wake-up call(s)?
by dcro1
Firstly, I have never felt so immersed in a film and surely that's what escapism is all about? Right? On that level this is the greatest film I have ever seen however I take on board people's reservations about the by the numbers plotline and so so acting (Zoe Zaldana aside) BUT my minor hangup was, how did they know when to wake up Jake on a day by basis. without his Avatar collapsing? Do they go to bed (hammock) at the same time every night?
Dec. 19, 2009, 9:57 a.m. CST
dcro1 probably did
by Miyamoto_Musashi
they didn't have the internet, hence no late night porn
Dec. 19, 2009, 10 a.m. CST
by cloudrider`
your ideas are good, but there are many ways to improve the dynamic of the characters. that's why it's a shame cameron chose to settle on the most obvious and simplistic one.
Dec. 19, 2009, 10:08 a.m. CST
Wake up calls and improvements
by Tomarru
They could wake themselves up, as seen with jake waking up mid fight to hold his breath or the other scientist waking up after his avatar had been shot. As for improvements with avatar, fair enough that you feel that way, a lot of movies could have different additions to change the story but I had no issue with what was there. I don't think neytiri was nescessarily superficial, she grew close to jake while being with him over a period of time. Falling out with him was only natural, he had betrayed her, she was angry, and what was said was easily clouded by emotion at that moment. Also Quaritch may have been easy to sympathise with from a human standpoint, but he was itching for a fight (snapping at jake when he told him about gaining their trust before the ceremony), he may have looked after his own, but he had no concern for what he was destroying either.
Dec. 19, 2009, 10:12 a.m. CST
not a fan of the ponytail rape either
by cloudrider`
taming a wild horse requires patience, skill, understanding, and respect for the creature. the same goes for taming a wild lion, or a grizzly bear, or any other wild beasts. it's not a skill anyone could just acquire overnight. it took years of dedication. but it seems with the na'vi all it needs to tame/bond with any wild creature is just to plug your socket into theirs. and that makes the na'vi less badass than human in my eye.
Dec. 19, 2009, 10:19 a.m. CST
The only disappointment was Cameron
by kikuchiyoboy
had the chance for the first american film to have actual tentacle love on screen. I mean given how the Navi connect with it's universe I'm really surprised he overlooked that.

 Man. That's a giant missed opportunity of tentacle love.
Dec. 19, 2009, 10:21 a.m. CST
I don't even rememberTransformers 2
by smackfu
I remember that Sam was in college, I remember the cool chase scene at the first, the goofy racist robots, I remember seeing the woods at one point, and a pyramid. Other than that, it's a complete blank. I have no recollection of what it was about, how the plot progressed or even what happened at the end. The only other time that happened to me was the movie Solo with Mario Van Peebles. I forgot everything about that movie literally a day after seeing it. Transformers 2 must have really, really sucked.
Dec. 19, 2009, 10:22 a.m. CST
by BringingSexyBack
Technology that serves only to destroy and kill = bad thing
 I don't see how anyone can't make that distinction.
Dec. 19, 2009, 10:23 a.m. CST
but the na'vi plugged their sockets everywhere already
by cloudrider`
wouldnt tentacle love be overkill in this case?
Dec. 19, 2009, 10:26 a.m. CST
by BringingSexyBack
You know you're doing something right. Go Jim.
Dec. 19, 2009, 10:30 a.m. CST
by BringingSexyBack
I felt it most strongly in the Baleback.

Dec. 19, 2009, 10:31 a.m. CST
by BringingSexyBack
Can you smell it through my socket?
Dec. 19, 2009, 10:35 a.m. CST
what is FoxNews saying
by Miyamoto_Musashi
Though if Fox news is talking crap about Avatar its further proof that Fox News is totally about pandering to the paranoid lazy retards of the world, and some of the presenters are actually just crazy and its not all about Murdoch's corporate agenda
Dec. 19, 2009, 10:36 a.m. CST
Did not like 3D
by t9mike
The picture quality really suffered on my screen. RealD with I believe a Sony 4K projector which I think yields 2K in 3D (AMC Northpark 15 Dallas). Just very mutted colors/picture, not enough resolution, and just did not pop. I kind of like the 3D effect, but not at the expense of the overall other aspects of the picture. And that took me out of the story too much. And eye strain. I am 40ish and the changing of focal distance got to me. But I liked the transformation of Jake into a native and stopping of the genocide. I would love to see this in 2D IMAX or 2D 4K digital. But that is impossible I think. Too bad. My guess is I am in some 1% camp and most others will take the 3D good over the bad.
Dec. 19, 2009, 10:36 a.m. CST
I don't know. It's not like it's their sexual organ
by kikuchiyoboy
or anything. It's like a mind hug. Heh. But the visual of the tentacles locking together to form that bond could have been epic.

 We use our hands to gently pet creatures. But it's not the same when you're holding tight someone you love.

 TENTACLE LOVE DAMMIT! Heh.
Dec. 19, 2009, 10:36 a.m. CST
Fox News outrage is part of the marketing
by ColonelFatheart
It generates controversy. Fox and Avatar are both NewsCorp properties. Murdoch is a diabolical genius who created an empire based on cognitive dissonance. The man knows what he's doing, love him or hate him.
Dec. 19, 2009, 10:37 a.m. CST
Should have thrown the socket right on her
by kikuchiyoboy
Dec. 19, 2009, 10:37 a.m. CST
Did this need to be in 3-D???
by theDannerDaliel
I don`t think so..... ok movie overall.
Dec. 19, 2009, 10:39 a.m. CST
by BringingSexyBack
stroking the head of the person sitting in front of you? Embarassing!
Dec. 19, 2009, 10:40 a.m. CST
by BringingSexyBack
Dec. 19, 2009, 10:42 a.m. CST
...SexyBack, that sounds like "Dear Drs. Geek".
by FlickaPoo
Dec. 19, 2009, 10:43 a.m. CST
BringingNaziBack is/was a conservative?!
by Immortal_Fish
Dec. 19, 2009, 10:45 a.m. CST
by BringingSexyBack
The doctors are in!!!
Dec. 19, 2009, 10:46 a.m. CST
...Republicans hunt Na'vi from helicopters.
by FlickaPoo
Dec. 19, 2009, 10:46 a.m. CST
by BringingSexyBack
Dec. 19, 2009, 10:54 a.m. CST
Sam Worthington has no charisma, not Jake.
by the_patriot
That's the problem. People keep trying to make this personality free guy a leading man. And funny, I found this to be more of a review for books by Burroughs or films Cameron has already made. And I've heard more people bitching about either the environmental message or how there aren't any gays or lesbians, or how it portrays this group badly or this group isn't represented, Fox did this or liberals say that - all that does is remind me that regardless of what some of these reviews say, there isn't a story thick enough to be shoveled. Just enough to hold the effects together. A game changer from an F/X point of view, but a truly forgettable story from my POV.
Dec. 19, 2009, 10:55 a.m. CST
James Cameron raped my childhood eyes
by ILikeScotch
Dec. 19, 2009, 10:55 a.m. CST
...Dear Drs. Geek...
by FlickaPoo
..."My problem/question is a little long and complicated, so please bear with me.
I am a recovering incest porn addict. I have been working long and hard...very long, and very hard on my problem. With dedication and the help of my loving family I thought I had finally managed to get my addiction under control.
Recently I saw the movie AVATAR...and found the blue Avatar people overwhelmingly sexy...I can't stop fantasizing about them. Unfortunately, the movie's message that all of nature in interconnected and interrelated has re-ignited my incest porn addiction. I'm getting a blister!...I don't know what do do..."
Signed,
Name Withheld
Dec. 19, 2009, 10:56 a.m. CST
A guy in a wheelchair
by SmokingRobot
loves a movie about a guy in a wheelchair. Who would have figured?
Dec. 19, 2009, 11:01 a.m. CST
Us having lazy minds!!??
by alienindisguise
Cameron's the one who spent 10+ years swiping story elements from several flicks, all better than this tripe. This review is just a spooge fest to Cameron. It's a real shame when so many can't see what's right in front of their faces. This is not a great movie, it barely classifies as good. Once again tech won out over story and character cuz this flick has none of the latter.
Dec. 19, 2009, 11:01 a.m. CST
did gone with the wind need to be in color?
by cloudrider`
did wizard of oz? if you were in charge we would still be watching b&w silent movies.
Dec. 19, 2009, 11:04 a.m. CST
by Miyamoto_Musashi
blue body paint will be flying out of shops
Dec. 19, 2009, 11:04 a.m. CST
by BringingSexyBack
I don't see the problem. You just need lube and some privacy. Enjoy.
 Regards,
 Drs. Geek
Dec. 19, 2009, 11:13 a.m. CST
...Dear Drs. Geek...
by FlickaPoo
..."my boyfriend is obsessed with the movie AVATAR. Not only does he insist I paint my body blue on sex night, but he only wants to rub his penis on my eyeballs. I tried offering him oral and anal and all the other disgusting things he likes, but it's no use. He only wants to touch my eyeballs with his penis. I don't want to do this, and I wear contacts, so it isn't pleasurable for me.
Is there hope for this relationship?
Signed,
Eye Of The Beholder
Dec. 19, 2009, 11:13 a.m. CST
I concur with brabon300
by Rocco Curioso
Bring on Father Geek's review... Free Rome!
Harry, I love your sense of wonder when a movie takes you to a place you've only ever dreamed of. You(a true believer if ever there was one)feel that more acutely than most people, but at bottom it helps to remain GROUNDED. Being swept away by a movie is all good & well, but on some intrinsic level it has to be earned... and IMO "Avatar" failed in that regard.
Dec. 19, 2009, 11:20 a.m. CST
About Warp Drive
by Real Deal
The idea of something like a " Warp Drive " is looking more lkely all the time for future interstellar travel. Harry should watch the Science Channel more. In my lifetime it's gone from " We don't know how it would work " to " It can't work " to an actual equation that shows how it might work. Pretty impressive for 40 years of speculation.
Dec. 19, 2009, 11:21 a.m. CST
harry....im a lib
by brabon300
you probably wont even see this post...but i like liberal rant movies
Dec. 19, 2009, 11:22 a.m. CST
btw, navi in hebrew means prophet
by brabon300
and prophets have always been persecuted
Dec. 19, 2009, 11:26 a.m. CST
i'm not Drs. Geek
by cloudrider`
but i would suggest that if your boyfriend insist on rubbing his dong on your eyeballs, that you also insist back that you want your vagina be rubbed against his nostrils. if he say yes, then he is a man's man and you should be proud to keep him.
Dec. 19, 2009, 11:30 a.m. CST
Really? The story?
by gotilk
Look, EVERYONE should see this, in 3d. I would pick it, at this point in time, as in the top 10 best films of all time. (3d is here to stay and it's my hope that a true cinematic GREAT will emerge as the genius of the format.. maybe even Cameron himself on a future project)But the story? I loved this movie, but it genuinely lifted almost all of it's elements from existing works(which you pretty much say). And there was just a tiny, itty bitty bit of something just.. missing. Miniscule. And it was related to the way the story was told and the characters. However, having said that, I can live with that. Why? Because it wasn't a sequel, it wasn't based on an old tv show, game or comic. It was not a remake. If it was written by the bass player for Molly Hatchet on napkins in a strip club, you should support it. And the payoff is so great visually, why worry about anything else? Just go and enjoy the hell out of it because it's the closest we've ever been to being IN a place that does not exist in physical space. And that's pretty damned revolutionary. It took guts, talent, vision and real work to get this baby up on screen. And it shows. No hype. It's just worth trying.
Dec. 19, 2009, 11:30 a.m. CST
Horrible Music
by AdmiralCainsRazor
I forgot to mention this earlier, but when the credits rolled and that GOD AWFUL SONG started I had to sit thru the credits to see who was responsible for such a horrid piece of shit. Is that really what Cameron wanted to leave his audience with as they left the theaters?? Total fucking sellout. BTW it was Leona Lewis. Why James, WHY????
Dec. 19, 2009, 11:30 a.m. CST
by BringingSexyBack
All I can advise is to kiss and lick the balls. It'll speed things up. Keep Visine at the ready and remember, if you don't do it for your man, some other chick will.
 Respectfully, Drs. Geek
Dec. 19, 2009, 11:38 a.m. CST
by kwisatzhaderach
Is a $75 million opening weekend a bomb? Idiot. Think before you type next time.
Dec. 19, 2009, 11:39 a.m. CST
Didn't know Harry was wheelchair-bound
by AsimovDiedOfAIDS
I knew he had a golfcart full of comics run over him or something. Don't laugh... just one longbox-full of those suckers is pretty fn heavy! I just thought because of his uh... gravitational density, he had to use a Hov-A-Round at times. Man, stuck in a chair 24-7... sux, man. And I can see why having his own Avatar would be an ideal for the Big Guy and influence his review. I could just imagine what he could do with the Na'Vi's "bio/botanical internet", too. All the clumsier, socially awkward Na'Vi who are useless as warriors would find their savior in good ol' Harry and "Ain't It Fan-dora News". Anyway, haven't seen the film yet because I'm stuck in the Blizzard of '09 and everything is impassable out there. Maybe next week. Sux. I need a frigging giant snowbeast-avatar.
Dec. 19, 2009, 11:43 a.m. CST
...Dear Drs. Geek...
by FlickaPoo
"I'm really into the new movie AVATAR and I like my girlfriend to paint herself blue on sex night. I also want to touch her eyeballs with my penis (it has to do with my addiction to talkbacks on a certain website, but that's a separate problem). Anyway, I'm very gentle, so I don't see why this should be a problem.
Recently she has started wearing novelty sunglasses, the kind with big googly eyes painted on them and goofy Elton John style windshield wipers during sex (http://tinyurl.com/nog8so and http://tinyurl.com/ygxm344).
This is a big turnoff for me, it's just not the same thing. How do I get her to satisfy my needs? Is this normal?".
Signed,
Eye Dr. Feelgood
Dec. 19, 2009, noon CST
by Rocco Curioso
OK... Okay. So this girl is a total zero. That's true. But just think back to when you guys were AICN freshmen:
BSB... you had a face like a pizza. A nice, big pepperoni pizza. With mushrooms... but no anchovies; I hate anchovies. And Ebonic_Plague. Everybody thought the Plague was brain damaged. I myself was so obnoxious, Mr. Beaks used to beat me up once a week. So this girl is a total loser? Well let me tell you the story of another loser...
(phantom mention of Script Girl, and I avoid hexing us all by putting this in parentheses).
Dec. 19, 2009, 12:05 p.m. CST
LOL @ Auda
by PorkChopXpress
"And for the record, I often judge films primarily on their screenplays..." That's like going house-hunting by looking at a bunch of blueprints.
Dec. 19, 2009, 12:22 p.m. CST
No, brabon300
by PTSDPete
It means this one resembles an actual great film.
 And you can go fuck yourself.

Dec. 19, 2009, 12:23 p.m. CST
Neo-Cons = Poison To Human Intellect
by PTSDPete
Dec. 19, 2009, 12:25 p.m. CST
by PTSDPete
Dec. 19, 2009, 12:42 p.m. CST
The real future of avatars time
by TheJudger
Computers inside of human bodies that stimulate nerves and chemical receptors. That read record and decipher the chemical and electrical signals your body makes to read your mind, and record and transmit your emotions and physical sensations to others.
 A body/mind/inner visual Internet if you will.
 A computer inside you that can literally decipher your inner thoughts and voice and transmit it to others you wish to share with. Everything you feel and experience. Down to your 1:1 retention of what you saw/are seeing- even how you move, all of it can be sent 1:1 to others you want to share it with. Inner secrets no longer possible, your opinions and thoughts including your feelings are no longer yours alone. This computer can stimulate everything it monitors inside the body. Including the visual cortex of the mind. It is capable of transmitting images directly to the brain. Thing is the computer inside the body is small and not as complex as you would think it would be. It's more like a receiver and transmitter that's wireless linked to bigger real world computers outside of the body. They will be everywhere like wifi is, or cellphone towers. It really and truly will be a new type of Internet and entertainment experience. You are hurt in some way and your partner or family will sense the same pain. Ir face recognition GPS internal devices- where you are who you are what you are doing what you are thinking how you are feeling, all of it knowable in milliseconds.
 What you see is recorded and future tech is able to decipher it as a total object from your limited view of it. this can be rebroadcast it in complete spatial 3d dimensions to anyone you wish to share it with. The way you watch movies or play video games- Well, they sort of converge into one medium. These would be entertainment packages that you would experience with in your environment. no one will watch tv's anymore, they wont make any sense in this world. Surfing the net would be no different I mean all you have to do is wonder about something and this computer will access that information and provide it to you right into your mind. You will heard the answer or see the answer to your ponder.
 Ok so the whole movie game thing,,,,, As I said no more. You receive entertainment packages. and these package's are literally virtual experience's. Since the computer can stream images directly to the brain. You could download a murder/horror mystery with your friends and family as the victims, and it would seem as if they really are being killed as the package plays out when in actually they are fine, stuff like that. The virtual characters streamed into your reality will appear to be as real as anything real actually is. Unlike a ghost image if they actually walk into something and it's supposed to fall over- in the real world it wont fall over- but here's where it gets strange- the computers recording your visual stream it deciphers that object and it knocks it over as an image in your mind, even as your field of view moves around the computer knows how to display it knocked over and it remains that way no even as your field of view and view location changes. This is a very primitive example. If the pack decided to place a hole in the floor- and you walked over it you would fall into the hole and the computer would stimulate the fluid pressure in your inner ear giving you the sensation of falling. the computer would monitor your real environment to protect you from walking into to something and it would curtain over your real environment with the fake one. If your in danger of walking into something it will trick your mind into thinking you are walking when in actually it you are not. Basically anything actual can be tampered with and the experiences you play will seem as real as reality it self. In fact some people may wonder around with a false companions or aid at all times. So really no more films or games just 1:1 experiences with virtual scenarios that are visually and psychically as real as reality itself, and can interact with you and your environment at a 1:1 level. Remember I said the computer also stimulates nerves and receptors in the brain as well. If the character touches you or hits you, you will feel it. It's going to be a strange world indeed. There will be literally no privacy at all, but the way in which you can communicate with others will be so inner personal- it may very well advance us into the peace we strive for amongst one another. Cancer will be defeated completely by this time. We will find ways to trigger cellular changes to fix cells that are doing bad things. No one will be in wheelchairs and no one will be permanently deformed or damaged. We may very well live to be 3-5 times older than we do now and never psychically age on the outside. Energy as someone else said will all come from the sun. Water filters will make all types of water reusable, and water will power engines. It already has been done- but that guy was killed. Oils will be made from other freely available resources. We already make tires out of oranges. The future will not be a scary place of depleted resources/dying environment. It will be a utopia, and this Internet will be seen as a very crude level of communication and information sharing.
Dec. 19, 2009, 12:42 p.m. CST
by ITraveledBackInTimeToTeaBagAbrahamLincolnInTheFace
yeah that's a word I coined myself to better describe the world Jim has created. I sent out an email blast to Peter, Zach, and Jim to see what they thought....it all bounced back....but that's beyond the point. In Avaturd lore that phrase has now been coined, by me, so from now on that is how we will refer to humans in their Na'vi form.
Dec. 19, 2009, 12:52 p.m. CST
Avatar is an expensive "Fern Gully"
by TooWhippy
But I liked it. Fun movie. The villains were too simplified, much like Titanic.
Dec. 19, 2009, 12:57 p.m. CST
havent read
by 40ozToFreedom
what harry has to say yet, but if he describes this movie as "absolute bliss" just once, i'm outta here.
Dec. 19, 2009, 1:06 p.m. CST
$27 million so far in the US. Internations will be big.
by snakecharmer
Dec. 19, 2009, 1:10 p.m. CST
'Avatar' lands $27 million at box office on Friday
by Rectal Blowout
Dec. 19, 2009, 1:22 p.m. CST
Avatar will have haters because of the cost.
by Quake II
Regardless of how good it is, no film should cost 300 million plus with today's economy. It's absurd. No movie should cost more than 150 million. I think there should be a salary cap for actors and a budget cap for filmmakers. It forces imagination and skill to kick in, discourages laziness and eliminates the "throw money at the problem" solution. Most of my favorite movies of all time cost under 25 million. If there was a budget cap, we could have been spared Transformers 1 & 2.
Dec. 19, 2009, 1:22 p.m. CST
PANDORA for best actress OSCAR
by iwontwin
seriously, the movie blew my mind....its so beautiful, epic, spiritual.....stunning STUNNING entertainment.
Dec. 19, 2009, 1:25 p.m. CST
by Tomarru
Sort of, at least for most of us we got a decent movie out of it. Doesn't excuse terminator salvation and transformers 2 though. Decent directors should be rewarded with higher budgets, provided they at least show it on screen. For similar money we got the jumbled mess action scenes of transformers and the only highlight of all of T:S, a 30 second cameo from arnie.
Dec. 19, 2009, 1:32 p.m. CST
by alcester
looks like cgi overload to me, i'll pass.
Dec. 19, 2009, 1:34 p.m. CST
Keep in mind too
by Rectal Blowout
that with its length it's limited to 4 showings a day rather then 5-6 normally. I've heard about $367 million approx cost not the $500 mil a lot of fuckers are saying. The shit invented for this movie will help lower the cost for future movies, especially Cameron's movies, like Avatar II and III (if Avatar is profitable).
Dec. 19, 2009, 1:46 p.m. CST
Avatar Will be Profitable
by Crow3711
It will break records internationally, and make plenty of money over the Holiday weeks here. 80 million on the first weekend for a movie with no source material (lets be honest, to break 100 million on the first weekend, you have to be a superhero movie, will smith, or based on a fantasy book), so considering its based on basically nothing and will still make that much, along with mostly positive word of mouth...Avatar is a success. It's not going to be Titanic successful, but itll make a nice profit. Good riddance to the foolish haters. I'm going to see it tonight.
Dec. 19, 2009, 1:51 p.m. CST
$500 is a number that Cameron has said is wrong.
by snakecharmer
Cameron and budgets: Terminator 2 was the first movie with a budget over $100 million. People made all sorts of comments then and that movie has a huge hit. Titanic: Another movie that had a huge budget and tons of talk of how crazy the budget/budget was. Biggest film of all time. Avatar: Another big budget. Cameron needs bigger budgets because the stuff he attempts to do is so hard. His advances in film usually end up working their way to a lot of following films.
Dec. 19, 2009, 1:53 p.m. CST
Hey creepy, are you dannyglover------blood reincarnated?
by Coughlins Laws
I just really don't understand liberals. They preach tolerance and acceptance of others, but when it comes down to it, they are the most intolerant and use more stereotypes than anyone else...
Anyway, I don't think it's unreasonable to look at the politics of a movie and decide if you want to see it based on that. James Cameron is going out of his way to talk about the political message of his movie and he obviously wants us to notice it. Well, a large portion of his potential audience reject the message he's trying to get across. And I think he's greatly hurting his chances at breaking even with this movie because of it. I read that this movie has to make over $700 million JUST TO BREAK EVEN!!! Now, that's certainly plausible to happen worldwide, but I think only a handful of movies in history have made that much, and if this lukewarm word of mouth continues, I think, at least statewide, he's going to have trouble. Because even the folks on here who say they liked the movie, it doesn't seem like many of them will watch it more than once...
Dec. 19, 2009, 1:53 p.m. CST
The only Avatar Movie worth watching (YOUTUBE)
by Squashua
Is this one: http://bit.ly/4xP5bV
Dec. 19, 2009, 1:54 p.m. CST
this is a new record for me to stop reading your review
by BMacSmith
"i like it for the story-" the end. thats all i needed to hear from you thanks.
Dec. 19, 2009, 1:55 p.m. CST
Anyone here speak Russian?
by YackBacker
This fucking bootleg is killing me!
Dec. 19, 2009, 1:55 p.m. CST
BSB stands for "liberty and small governance"???????
by DoctorWho?
LOL!
 Who are you and how did you get BSB's username???
 Identify yourself!!!
Dec. 19, 2009, 2:08 p.m. CST
Just got back
by Bellam
from PANDORA and holy shit. Haters can suck a nut on this one - beautiful to behold, thrilling to experience and surprisingly heartfelt. The story doesn't win any points for originality but it is well told. I was completely transported and entirely blown away. I'm actually glad I jumped into these talkbacks because the vitriol and acrimony had me severely lower my expectations, and maybe that's why I loved it so much - but love it I did. When the credits rolled I was disappointed there wasn't more. I will see this again in the theatre. Wow.
Dec. 19, 2009, 2:16 p.m. CST
Sherlock Holmes will blow this
by Human_Bean_Juice_
movie away next weekend.
Dec. 19, 2009, 2:17 p.m. CST
by theplant
Dec. 19, 2009, 2:17 p.m. CST
Dear MadEyeMongo:
by lucasdefender
Thank you for that review you posted over at ruthlessreviews. Good to see somebody being honest with this crappy movie with great visuals.
Dec. 19, 2009, 2:17 p.m. CST
Why is everything an argument...
by unnecessary_expletive

...about the political spectrum? Americans are ridiculous when it comes to this. Not everything should be reducible to liberal and conservative story strands/themes, can't you just appreciate a movie that relates to the destruction of the natural world?

Why is that an inherently liberal storyline? Why is a story of human colonisation and oppression of others necessarily anti-American or anti-right wing? Red Dawn is about military oppression and that's essentially NRA gun-totting, right-wing paranoid political propaganda!

Seriously, just have another revolution and get rid of the losing political perspective. So tired of hearing left-wing vs. right-wing arguments.

Dec. 19, 2009, 2:23 p.m. CST
Mammaries Got his Goat(TM)
by Sal_Bando
Actually he's got all 57 of'em, every size, shape and color. Yessir it's a fair exchange--he gives'em aids and they in turn give him anthrax. Almada's very own Trekkie member of the local leper colony, bestiality section. Way To Fucking Go there Mammaries!
 Xiphos sends you his regards. Ditto Jarv.
Dec. 19, 2009, 2:29 p.m. CST
As far as movies with conservative messages, they can
by Coughlins Laws
make a lot of money. I was just looking at the Top 20 movies of all time and you can find a conservative message in almost all of them:
The Dark Knight was an obvious allegory about the War on Terror and Batman had to use the same tactics that the US used to stop terrorism in the US for the last 8 years
Star Wars and it's sequels is a classic "Good vs. Evil" story about doing the right thing, making the right choices when tempted by "The Dark Side", showed the importance of family, loyalty, devotion to religion, showed love can conquer all, etc, etc, etc.
The Shrek movies are about Love Conquering all, despite what one looks like. They also show the danger of a monarchy having too much power.
E.T. shows the dangers of what divorce can do to a family and the problems it brings to kids, including loneliness and having to look outside the family for love, it also shows how unfeeling and cold Government Burueacrats can be...
The Spiderman movies also show the importance of a solid family and a classic "Good vs. Evil". Liberals today usually want to deny that there is any evil in the world. Well, there is, and sometimes you have to fight it...
The Passion of the Christ.
Jurassic Park shows that man shouldn't be tinkering with nature. Nature (or God) has chosen Dinosaurs to go extinct. Man has no right to mettle with cloning or anything of that nature...
Finding Nemo is yet another movie that shows the importance of family and how they should be together...
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy is about having to stand up and fight back against one-minded religious zealots whose sole purpose is the destruction of our society...
The Phantom Menace is about unfair taxation and the evils of a vast Government Bureuacracy...
And Forrest Gump, well, enough said. He's the most rigthteous character of the last 25 years and always does what he thinks is right, including protecting his mother and his girlfriend. He hates hippies, he fought for his country, he's a capitalist, he's a patriot, he's a devoted family man, he's a self-made entrepeneur, he's a pro-lifer, and he's a leader among men.
I'd say that films with conservative messages CAN be very profitable and it's a HUGE RISK to make a film with a clearly liberal message. Look at all the anti-American, anti-military, anti-War movies that have bombed in the last 2 or 3 years?
Dec. 19, 2009, 2:30 p.m. CST
Ponytail AIDS running rampant on Pandora
by MacReady452
This happens when you wrap your tendrils around any beast, tree or sexual deviant within a 10 foot radius.
Dec. 19, 2009, 2:31 p.m. CST
Holmes is already at 68% on RT
by Rectal Blowout
Avatar will have a 3 month run in IMAX till Alice in Wonderland starts in March. There will plenty of time for repeat business by then. Even if it didn't make a profit its value for paving the way for future movies is priceless.
Dec. 19, 2009, 2:56 p.m. CST
Avatar has libertarian themes more
by Shaner Jedi
than anything liberal. Modern-day liberals are ultra-authoritarians just like their social conservative counterparts. And they've both done a fantastic job of bankrupting this country. Thanks.
Dec. 19, 2009, 2:59 p.m. CST
FX aside, one of the worst films this year.
by TheLastCleric
I don't really care if people enjoy this film though. What irks me is that so many other filmmakers get trashed for making similar types of films and yet this movie, which really is a bloated, pretentious and incredibly clichéd endeavor, gets hailed by many of these same hypocrites as visionary and spectacular when in reality the story is hackneyed and paper-thin. This isn't merely a weak narrative; we're talking about some of the most painfully overused conventions being recycled with as little variation and originality as possible, almost to the point where certain segments approached satirical levels of contrivances. There wasn't a single beat, plot thread or complication that wasn't telegraphed a mile away and there wasn't a single aspect of this film that couldn't have been written by a fifteen year old dabbling in sci fi conventions. I love Cameron but I cannot, for the life of me, fathom why this vapid, insipid script was ever shot and why so many resources were pissed away in telling a story that was already overdone and stale ten years ago. I don't think I've ever seen such a rigid adherence to a template as what Avatar presents to the viewer; I was literally laughing at many of the "emotional" scenes like his Braveheart speech. And that scene where Michelle Rodriguez's character enters the fray with her ship painted (God forbid she blends in and surprises the enemy; why worry about tactical advantage when you can paint your ship up to look cool) and wearing war paint in the cockpit might literally be Cameron's career-spanning low point. Yeah, the effects were brilliant and the 3D amazing but there is nothing else to this film which ironically is what so many of you net-dwelling movie elitists claim you loathe: big budget CGI spectacles with no soul. AVATAR might quite literally be the definitive example of confection cinema: all flash and zero substance. Love the film and extol it if you must be the next time you start slamming Lucas or even Bay bear in mind that thematically and structurally, Avatar is amateur hour, brilliant FX notwithstanding.
Dec. 19, 2009, 3:05 p.m. CST
TheLastCleric... so you didn't like it?
by snakecharmer
Dec. 19, 2009, 3:08 p.m. CST
snakecharmer, I think he's mad at it
by Bellam
Like, he's had a crush on it and it shot him down. Poor guy.
Dec. 19, 2009, 3:13 p.m. CST
Bellam - haha.
by snakecharmer
I never get when people get angry about a film. It's either for you or not. Don't go see it.
Dec. 19, 2009, 3:15 p.m. CST
I'm really upset with what I'm reading. I'm used to watching
by Coughlins Laws
movies with political messages I don't agree with and I won't avoid a movie because of it, simply because I expect it now. But the reasons alot of these people are giving for not liking it are scaring me. If the movie was 2 hours, maybe 2 and a half, I think I'd be fine. But I hate sitting in a theatre for 3 and a half hours when the movie is horrible. I hope you people are just being hypercritical. Plus, I don't know about anyone else, but did this cause anyone naseua seeing it in 3D? I sometimes have trouble like this and couldn't sit all the way through Cloverfield in the theatre...
Dec. 19, 2009, 3:15 p.m. CST
I dream of the day Harry gets off his fat ass
by JackRabbitSlim
Please - delude yourself into thinking you are making this world a better place by defending economically-bloated egotrips like this viz-porn of a movie.
Dec. 19, 2009, 3:19 p.m. CST
Navi in Swahili is "noble dusky savage"
by JackRabbitSlim
Ah yes - the Navi joining John Coffey in "the Green Mile", Will Smith in "Bagger Vance" and every injun in every movie of the last 30 years in teaching the jaded white man the error of his materialistic ways and join them in a dumber ... err ... simpler life.
Dec. 19, 2009, 3:22 p.m. CST
Harry Did You Have To Spoil The End
by MANNZILLA
Dec. 19, 2009, 3:23 p.m. CST
And not every Conservative is a Xian
by JackRabbitSlim
I'll leave the groveling and scraping to the made-up-man-in-the-sky to those PRAISIN JESUS in Ebenezer Baptist ever-ey Sunnay Mornin, tanks be to GAWWWWD.
Dec. 19, 2009, 3:27 p.m. CST
FOX, CNN, MSNBC have all run stories on Avatar today.
by snakecharmer
Dec. 19, 2009, 3:29 p.m. CST
Release the Nerds.
by Mr Soze
What was the talk on this site 10 years ago with Phantom Menace? This certainly has us Geeks talking. The 1st hour I was blown away, then I just got used to what I was seeing. Very good, Very Entertainig but I don't have to see it again immediatley. I will say this though, give Jimmy Cameron the keys to anything he want's.
Dec. 19, 2009, 3:31 p.m. CST
Attention: TheJudger
by zinc_chameleon
Pick up a copy of Richard Morgan's "Altered Carbon", and you'll get a feel for how awful our techno-future could be. Sin has not yet be repealed, or eliminated.
Dec. 19, 2009, 3:34 p.m. CST
by ominus
thank you for your wonderful review,and thank you for loving this masterpiece.
Dec. 19, 2009, 3:35 p.m. CST
FOX CNN and MSNBC ran story on dog w/ 20 puppies!
by JackRabbitSlim
Its called "human interest" aka filler. Because, of course, why would they possibly run stories on, oh, I dunno, the war with the highest body count of the last decade.
 (watch all the morons think its Iraq. It aint.)
Dec. 19, 2009, 3:40 p.m. CST
i missed my open window
by Kammich
I had a pretty limited, albeit self-imposed window for seeing this movie in theatres. honestly, I really wasn't that hyped about it, but I planned on doing some christmas shopping Friday afternoon and then hitting the realD 3d showing that night. unfortunately, we're getting smacked by the winter storm hitting the eastern shore, so i was holed up in the house last night. i work tonight, the eagles play tomorrow, and then after that point i'll probably just forget about it. *shrug* bring on "Daybreakers."
Dec. 19, 2009, 3:42 p.m. CST
CNN is about to run their review.
by snakecharmer
It get more people in the theater. that's why I mentioned that they large news outlets were talking about it.
Dec. 19, 2009, 3:45 p.m. CST
I LOVED it
by BurnHollywood
My take: http://tinyurl.com/yhl9jye
Dec. 19, 2009, 3:47 p.m. CST
yeah, well, hes right...
by Funcoflipper
Im so glad you said you liked the story. When I hear people whining about the story, I feel that they simply want to stand out in a crowd. Avatar does not have a weak story in any way shape or form. And to say the story has been done is simply not true. Because if it is, please direct me to where I can see it told in another way. I would enjoy seeing another interpretation of "Disabled war hero goes to another planet where his mind is put into a genetically created alien body to assimilate into the alien society and convince the aliens to move their location so that an Earth based corporation can mine the area. After failing to convince them to move, our hero joins their cause and helps them triumph over the evil corporations attempts to destroy them". Please tell me what DVD's to rent so that I can see this………. Avatar is no more a retelling of the same story than about 98% of every movie, book, story, comic, and story ever told. I mean, ok, so it's about the weaker good triumphing over the stronger evil. So what? That does not mean it's the same story. If you want to describe it as "An earthling, considered potentially weak by some, travels to another world of strange beings, where earthling rises to the task of joining the local people and leading them on the almost impossible task of destroying a great evil". There, that's Avatar. No wait……..Isnt that the Wizard of Oz? James Cameron has copied the Wizard of Oz!!! Don't go see the movie!! Come on now, how blind must one be to not see Avatar as groundbreaking? To whine about the story being weak or retold is ridiculous. I mean, are you really going to blame Cameron for not making the story "Evil triumphs over good"? Who wants to see that? It happens every day to us. That's not why we go to the movies. And even if he did, its already been done. Avatar is the closest thing to the holodeck in Star Trek that we have come to in our history of entertainment. The 3D computer world he has created is the best that has ever been done. The 3D effects are the best that have ever been done. Many of the ideas in the movie are there for the first time ever. He has created biology that has never existed. Even the hard SciFi in the movie works. The biology, the planetary science, all of it. It is a perfect combination of Sci/Fi and Fantasy. Are you people going to try to tell me that you wont see this movie? That you didn't like it? That you don't want to go again? I don't believe any one who says that.
Dec. 19, 2009, 3:52 p.m. CST
Based on my facebook female friends...
by CodeName
I think this film will do very well. I haven't heard much from the guys, but the girls are eating it up. Via word of mouth through facebook statuses, they're convincing more of their friends to go see it.I kid you not, ninety percent of Avatar-related comments are coming from the girls. Not that that's bad, or anything. The Titanic formula seems to be working again here for Avatar. It would be interesting to hear from other facebookers, too. Are the girls on your facebook network chewing it up? Based on the statuses I've read so far; there will be more girls going to see this (and if they have boyfriends, they're going, too), one of the girls who have seen it already wants to go again. Weird. New updates from the girls are also popping up favoring Avatar as I write this.
Dec. 19, 2009, 3:57 p.m. CST
Just got back from Avatar.
by Orionsangels
It was real good. I do think it's overhyped though. The special effects are amazing, but they look so real. That after a while seeing them becomes second nature and it kind of loses it's ability to impress you anymore. I guess that's a good thing? Although, The final battle turns it up a notch and kicks your ass. The story and characters were ok. The Navi themselves are freaky looking, watching them walk around and talk for long periods of time, well it's hard to describe. It takes the eyes a little bit to adjust to what you're seeing. The 3D was real nice, but it wasn't any more special than any other recent 3D movie you've seen. The only part that really moved me, was the ending with the "I see you" message. It came full circle and hit home. So yeah, it's a real good movie, but I don't see it changing how movies are made or 3D becoming the norm.
Dec. 19, 2009, 4:03 p.m. CST
Oh and one last thing about the 3D.
by Orionsangels
This bothers me with all the 3D movies. Sometimes the action is so fast, that the 3D can't keep up with the frames and it's hard to tell what's going on. For example the Thanator chase scene.
Dec. 19, 2009, 4:05 p.m. CST
by theplant
Dec. 19, 2009, 4:06 p.m. CST
by theplant
Dec. 19, 2009, 4:06 p.m. CST
60 minutes into it...
by YackBacker
It's not blowing me away. It's not bad but it's kinda slow so far.
Dec. 19, 2009, 4:06 p.m. CST
The story is far too simplistitic.
by jae683
I mean, this blatantly rips off Dances With Wolves, then Braveheart, and then it tries to force-feed us some over-simplified political rant. The military is almost all evil, Corporations are bad, and people hiding in mountains fighting guerrilla warfare are the good guys. hmmm. Oh yeah, there's even a mention of a 'Shock and Awe' campaign--Liberals boogy-man word of the century. I mean, at least Cameron could have tried to hide his story influences, at least a little.
Dec. 19, 2009, 4:07 p.m. CST
by Dude_Abides
I am curious, is this supposed to be a review or a blog about the movie. Now I don't want to get on a spoiler rant here but for some reason, every time there is a big movie that comes out, spoiler tag or not, you start to dive into details that aren't needed for a legit review. It's like, why go see the movie if i can just read your review. The point I am trying to make here is just tell us what you thought of the movie, good, bad, shit, worse, whatever. You don't have to start telling the story of the movie to get your point across, I am just not sure why you do it.
Dec. 19, 2009, 4:18 p.m. CST
by Anti-fanboy
Dec. 19, 2009, 4:18 p.m. CST
by Anti-fanboy
Dec. 19, 2009, 4:19 p.m. CST
by Anti-fanboy
Dec. 19, 2009, 4:19 p.m. CST
by Anti-fanboy
Dec. 19, 2009, 4:20 p.m. CST
by Anti-fanboy
Dec. 19, 2009, 4:20 p.m. CST
YackBackeR GET THE FUCK OFF YOUR PHONE.
by snakecharmer
I would punch you if sat near me and used your phone during the movie.
Dec. 19, 2009, 4:20 p.m. CST
YackBackeR GET THE FUCK OFF YOUR PHONE.
by snakecharmer
I would punch you if sat near me and used your phone during the movie.
Dec. 19, 2009, 4:20 p.m. CST
by Anti-fanboy
Dec. 19, 2009, 4:21 p.m. CST
by Anti-fanboy
Dec. 19, 2009, 4:22 p.m. CST
by Anti-fanboy
Dec. 19, 2009, 4:23 p.m. CST
by Anti-fanboy
Dec. 19, 2009, 4:24 p.m. CST
by Anti-fanboy
Dec. 19, 2009, 4:34 p.m. CST
snake, I'm not using my phone in the theater
by YackBacker
I am not that kind of an asshole.
Dec. 19, 2009, 4:35 p.m. CST
LOL, gotta agree with snakecharmer
by Chakraborty
Get off your phone, dude. This talkback will be waiting for you when it's done.
Dec. 19, 2009, 4:35 p.m. CST
Where are you, then?
by Chakraborty
Dec. 19, 2009, 4:36 p.m. CST
You better not be watching a download on your computer....
by Chakraborty
Dec. 19, 2009, 4:37 p.m. CST
Coughlins Laws
by BurnHollywood
So, um, when Trudy Chacon uses a pistol to liberate her pals in order to assist the Na'vi...does that make this movie "pro-gun"? Maybe the NRA could therefore endorse it? I mean, in general, the Na'vi seem to pretty dedicated to their right to bear arms...wouldn't you say that's a good thing?
 Joking of course...your list is hilarious, especially given that it includes movies by notoriously liberal directors and starring outspoken liberal actors...
Dec. 19, 2009, 4:37 p.m. CST
I'm on Pandora!!!!
by YackBacker
Let's chat in an hour or so.
Dec. 19, 2009, 4:39 p.m. CST
Filmmakers react to Avatar
by ominus
Dec. 19, 2009, 4:50 p.m. CST
by ccchhhrrriiisssm
You have been misinformed. Not all Conservatives are Christians (although most Christians are Conservatives).
 Besides, I think that the point is that Hollywood attempts to stereotype corporations as being given to excessive GREED. If there were any industries that seemed to be full of greed, it would be HOLLYWOOD and TRIAL LAWYERS -- the main funding base of the Democratic Party.
 That said: I look forward to this film! It isn't because I agree with James Cameron's simplistic and subtle notions of liberal socioeconomic ideology. Those things are present in most of his films (The Abyss, Aliens, and even Titanic). Rather, I just like his films. I look forward to seeing it on Monday.
Dec. 19, 2009, 4:55 p.m. CST
So Harry can't walk because of Christian conservatives and corpo
by p0llk4t
...at least that's what I got out of that mess of a review.
Dec. 19, 2009, 4:56 p.m. CST
Film has issues
by Son of the Suns
This film is not a 5 star film. It's getting top ratings because 1. It's in 3D 2. It's really expensive and 3. James Cameron made it. The trouble is the 3D tech is flawed. Things too close to the camera blur, as do fast moving objects. The story is too long and too simple, too cliche. The FX are good but nothing I hadn't seen before. A few years back a lot of critics gave King Kong 5 star, just because it was a famous director that they liked making a big film. They were wrong. The same is happening here.
Dec. 19, 2009, 5:04 p.m. CST
Funcoflipper: the uncanny valley of plots
by Dreamfasting
"I would enjoy seeing another interpretation of "Disabled war hero goes to another planet where his mind is put into a genetically created alien body to assimilate into the alien society and convince the aliens to move their location so that an Earth based corporation can mine the area."

 See Dances with Wolves, a better example of the troubled-soldier-goes-native story archetype (Avatar does have a wonderful fantasy ecology but DwW was none too shabby in portraying the buffalo herds).

 If you want to argue that I'm critiquing a feel-good hero story far too seriously, that's fair - with a $300M budget on the line, I only expect a well-made version of a known story type. But I think that just like there's an uncanny valley for CGI human faces, there's a similar uncanny valley that applies to plots: if you're sketching out a high-mind historical parallel, but come off too simplistic, its just as creepy.
Dec. 19, 2009, 5:06 p.m. CST
Son of the Suns, You are Wrong
by Spacezilla
Unlike the King Kong Remake Boring Shitfest, Avatar Fucking rules. I love Avatar and was bored to shit during KK. That was long and boring. Avatar Flew By. When Jake awoke at the end, and the movie ended, I was so fucking bummed. I didn't want to leave Pandora yet. I also have a pretty wife who is cool as hell, my soul mate... but I fell in love with Neytiri. This movie is so fucking good. You don't think so, I am sorry for you. And you suck.
Dec. 19, 2009, 5:10 p.m. CST
Read the comment by TheLastCleric
by Son of the Suns
It's the most accurate review of this film I've read.
Dec. 19, 2009, 5:12 p.m. CST
by Son of the Suns
What exactly was it that ruled?
Dec. 19, 2009, 5:14 p.m. CST
a film which makes you cry,is one of the most
by ominus
worst films of the year.
WELL DONE HATERS,YOUR DETERMINATION IS RESPECTABLE.GFYSN.
Dec. 19, 2009, 5:16 p.m. CST
son of the suns have you read my review?
by ominus
here it is mate:
Finally the long-awaited day for the Avatar premiere came,and losing no time i grabbed my ticket for the first screening today. First of all I would like to state that i am a long-time huge fan of Cameron's work,i love all his films and i was sure from the start that Avatar was not going to let me down in any way. But dont misunderstand me,I might be a fanboy of specific franchises,genres,works or artists,but i have never let that cloud my judgment over the movies i watch. I am a cinephil,i love movies,and when i spend my time on a movie,i want the movie to worthy of it,i dont want to disappoint me,otherwise i will trash it regardless of who made it. So enough with the clarification,lets get to the review.
Lets start from the most obvious question. Is it the visual awesomeness that Cameron promised us? you already know the answer for that which is a huge affirmative. Cameron has delivered 100% what he promised in the technical part of the movie. He was not lying when he was talking about jaw-breaking visuals,CGI quality never seen before. The CGI is simply the best i have ever seen in a movie (or videogame) until now. Simply the best,period. It sets the bar for the sfx a lot higher,and it will become the reference point of measurement for the upcoming spectacle movies of the next decade (yes decade). It was obvious from the start,that the real protagonist of the movie is Pandora itself. And the CGI does the best job to give bones and flesh to the vivid imagination of Cameron's cgi artists,who must be applauded for their magnificent work,in order to create a visceral,living and complex ecosystem of grand proportions,both fascinating and threatening. Dense,lustful vegetation,rich wildlife,living creatures climbing,eating,drinking,playing with their youngs,enormous detail in everything,from the small leafs flying here and there,tree branches moving because of the wind,water drops falling from flowers and insects crawling on tree trunks. But that is just Pandora at the day. At night the same environment changes,becomes something entirely different. Its then when the bio-luminescence kicks in and the unlimited imagination of the cgi artists is fully unleashed: vivid colors,dreamlike scenery sequences (my favorite is when they are walking on the tree trunk,and in the background you watch Pandora's enormous and luminous primary planet),wonderful play of lighting and shadow,again huge detail in everything,like when Jake walks,and the dark green grass under his every footstep,glows.
But imho where CGI stands as the best work of photo-realism in a movie,is during the scenes in the floating mountains and especially when Jake and Neutiri fly together with their Banshees. I just cant describe it with words,i really could not tell if the scenery was real or not.And then we have the Navi,the unfortunate target of a much dismay from Cameron's doubters. Well once again they were wrong. Just like with Pandora's environment,the CGI artists have also made a terrific work with the creation of the Navi. Although when you see them for the first time,interacting with the humans,they bring an impression of fake,after a while you and specifically when Jake enters the forest ,its then that you compl forget about being fake,weird or cartoony. Their detailed texture,their muscular movement,their facial expression,their big,very detailed,living eyes (the most difficult thing to cgi draw),the way they walk,they interact,all these things are wonderfully orchestrated together in order to create the most living,breathing cgi characters you have witnessed in a film. And these Navi are not just a replica of each other,with small difference just to give the impression of variety. No,the artists werent lazy,they tried to make every Navi as an individual with its own physical distinguishness .From all the Navi, Neutiri is the most detailed and expressive (and sexy too) Navi,with Jake coming as second.
And finally we have the 3D aspect of the film. Many doubters accused Cameron of using the 3D as a gimmick,a bait for the spectacle lovers. But yet again they were wrong. I have to admit that when i watched the movie's screen preview on August,although i was thrilled by the CGI photo-realistic visuals,i was very disappointed with the 3D view of the film. Well i watched the movie in a different theater with a bigger screen (unfortunately not IMAX :( ) and better 3D equipment,and i have to say that the experience is completely different and that the 3D is truly an integrated part of the movie.
I have to remind you that Cameron said in an old interview of his,that he was not going to use the 3D excessively but only when he thought it was necessary for the narration of the story,with the classic 2D filming used in other parts of the film which didnt require 3D.And he did just that. For instance the indoor sequences although they have some 3d perspective (like when Quaritch debriefs the marines),you might say that it only works as a gimiick,it really is not needed. But its when Jake gets to his Avatar body and gets outdoors,it is then that 3D shows his teeth.
First of all when Jake wakes up in his Avatar body,through his eyes we immediately get the POV perception of a 3meter tall bipedal creature,height,depth,his relative size with the humans,everything registers quickly in our brain with the help of 3D.The immersion is strong and gets stronger when Jake get out to the open environment of Pandora. The camera angles and the rotation of the camera are used in such a way that the 3d perspective gives the impression to the movie viewer that he is Jake's place,in the center of the environment,and from his perspective he witnesses the beauty and the richness of his surroundings. For me the most obvious scene of that,was during the night,when Jake started to observe the bio-luminescence of the forest.,and the camera started rotating around his body. I really felt that i was in his place.
But i believe that the use of 3D apart from creating a more immersive, experience of the realistic and living Pandorian natural environment, it also helps in another level: i have already said that the Pandora ecosystem reeks of life,there is a lot of detail and a lot of motion. Imho the same scenes of Pandora in 2D would have become crowded,noisy with all that plethora of information. But 3D separates the scenes into three levels: in the foreground we have small elements like the flying bugs or leafs,or the flowers at the edges of the screen which enhance the perspective of depth,there is the middle level where the main scenery exists and then there is the background where we watch the rest of the detail of it. I think that helps to separate the information,and help the audience to grasp and marvel better the beauty of Pandora,since they can assimilate the rich images quicker.
So was the 3D CGI perfect? Ofc not,for example I though that some animals like the wild dogs,the rhinos and especially Thanator didnt have a very detailed texture,it looked a bit plastic. On the other hand the Banshees and the Horses were beautifully drawn and animated. The chase scene with Thanator was very thrilling and immersive (I really bent my head during the chase to avoid a leaf thrown at me,when Thanator reaped a tree),but the camera was very close to the creature,the action was rapid,and I was getting a blurry view of what happening,the chase scene looked like out of focus. But that maybe it was because I wear glasses,i asked my friend if he had the same problem which he denied.
But at the end you dont care for such minor flaws,not when you get to witness the most breath-taking,beautiful and strongest scene in the entire film. Its when Jake and Neutiri fly together with their banshees around the flying mountains. I can not describe that scene,you have to see it with your own eyes,to experience it yourself. I understand why Cameron considers it his most favorite one. (and btw Raimi and Blizzard take notice on that specific scene)
Thats all for the technical part of the movie. Now its time for the important part,the story of the movie.
I have to agree that the story is not original,yes its like Pocahontas/Dancing with Wolves,yes the characters are your expected archetypes (but not stereotypes) from such a story,yes it has the cliche messages about how bad capitalism/imperialism is,the safe-guarding of our planet,the respect of the different cultures etc,yes the dialogue is a bit hockey at some times,yes the film is not as much scifi/action driven as some hardcore fans of Cameron would want to be Frankly all these things are a small part of the whole package,the greatness of the movie manages to outshine all its minor flaws. and I also believe that all the stories have already been told during the humankind's history,and that nowadays we repeat the same old stories,again and again,doing it with unlimited different ways. And how well you tell a story is more important than the story itself. And Cameron is a master storyteller and with this movie,he proves that he still is.
As it is Cameron's trademark,the movie starts immediately,no intro credits,not even the title. With the use of Jake's personal diary and flashbacks we immediately get the necessary information about the who,the what,the why,etc.The people who were nagging all the time about the 'obvious' plot holes and inconsistencies of the movie,like the wheelchair,the treatment of his legs,etc,should relax and understand that Cameron has make a tremendous effort to create a believable world,with everything making sense and establishing strongly the Verisimilitude of the movie (you hear that director of the much overrated Distric 9?) The story is divided,lets say,in two parallel routes or parts. There is the story from the human side,and then there is the story the Navi side,and in the middle there is the protagonist of the movie,Jake Sully.Apart from the main story,we get smaller stories for the secondary characters which give depth to their personalities and explain the motives of their actions. For example there is a scene where through some photographs and a bit monologue from Sully we discover a more sensitive side of the Weaver's strict character,we learn her relationship with the Navi and what happened before the events of the movie. And all that from a small scene. But that scene is not only for character disclosure,but it plays its own role in the development of the story. Its all these small details,some photographs,the scars in Quaritch's head,etc,all these small things during the movie,which Cameron uses all together masterfully in his storytelling, in order to develop his characters and progress his story.
I do have some personal grips with the story. Unfortunately the characters of Ribisi and Rodriguez are in the background of the events,most of the time in the film.I really wanted more exposition from them,especially Ribisi's character.
The other problem I had,is that Cameron at some points of the film,he transcends from one scene to another in a bit of sudden way. Two examples: Sigourney when learns that Jake has replaced his dead brother in her project,she goes to Ribisi,who is the boss of the whole operation,to complain,and while you would expect,as usually happens in most of the movies,a long and loud confrontation between them,what happens is Ribisi immediately goes to his office,shows his flying rock on his desk,explains the reason why they are on Pandora and the sequence stops exactly there with Weaver looking at him with an annoyed face. Another similar example is when Jake is introduce to Neutiri's tribe. At first they dont want him there,but when Neutiri tells to her parents,who are the leaders of their tribe,that she witnessed an omen about Jack,they immediately decide to give him a chance and command Neutiri to teach him their ways. You would expect that the leader and at least some of the elder clan members would want to talk first about the subject,before taking any kind of decision,but that didnt happen,the decision was made very quickly.
I believe Cameron considered these scenes as time consuming,and for time saving reasons he gave them little gravitas in order to get fast in the important parts of the story and to have enough time to show to the audience the spectacle of Pandora .Besides he doesnt overdone with it,he only does these quick jumps in the story 2 or 3 times,they dont become irritating.
But what is Cameron's true achievement in the movie,is that he managed to create real characters out of CGI constructions. His Navi dont only look and feel alive,but they ARE individual characters with their own distinctive personalities,they are characters that you care for,that you might relate to and that you want to learn what it will happen to them during the movie.
How Cameron achieves that? He uses masterfully the facial and body movements of Navi during their interaction,he focuses on small details which might be simple,but are very common to us humans. For instance there is a scene where Neutiri watches Jake-Navi and her eyes give a hint of a hidden attraction for Jake. Later when she and Jake talk together,you can understand from the way they smile and look to each other,that now exists a mutual attraction. But at the some time,we get a shot of the rival,who watches this,and his facial expression betrays his anger about the developing situation. There is the scene before Neutiri and Jake make love,where they walk,and Jake being a bad boy grabs her tail to annoy her,and Neutiry runs smiling. And that specific scene for me at least,gives the best example of why Cameron waited so many years for the technology to mature. The movement and the interaction of the characters in that scene is so fluent,so natural,their smiling,how the look,they laugh,that a lesser photo-realistic CGI and motion capture technique would have negate the emotion and the realism of the human behavior,which those two cgi characters bring in that specific scene.
Its all these delicate details,small movements in the face,the eyes,the smile,its through all these that the emotional status of the Navi is expressed and makes them so human,so real,so alive.
I would like to make a comment here though. I was a bit disappointed with the love scene between Jake and Neutiri. It was very short and cut abruptly even before it started. No dont laugh,i am not a pervert,but Cameron did one of the most erotic love scenes in cinema,in his Titanic movie,and i was very interested to see how would approach the first love scene between two CGI characters in his new movie. and since Jake makes love with an alien female,using an alien body,it would be interesting to see his reaction from a scifi point of view.I dont know,but maybe Cameron did film a bigger version of the scene,but then he decided that the audience was not ready to watch that kind of interaction between two CGI characters (yes i know the Japanese dont have such problems) and probably would laugh,ignoring the true purpose of the scene. So he decided to cut it in a shorted version,and his decision is not wrong. Regardless, it doesnt matter,because imho,Cameron immediately after the love scene,gives us but the most scifi and character exposed,scene in the entire film.The scene is short with a brief monologue,but i dont know,it really did it for me as a scifi geek.
About the actors. Well as you expect from such a talented assembly,they all did solid performances. As it was obvious from the start,Weaver incarnates again her iconic character,Ripley,She is a geek scientist,but like Ripley she is tough,non compromising,persistent and with a strong maternal instict. Moreover her Navi version is the most identical (and sexier!) to her human physical appearance,and its really like watching Weaver in blue makeup acting. Impressive.
Ribisi is,you guessed,Burke from Aliens. He does a great job with it,despite his limited time in the movie. Rodriguez once again proves why she usually gets roles of tough but hot women.
Sam does a good job as the melancholic but proud marine,and he really transfers to the audience,his emotional status while being torn between his human comrades and his Navi friends. And dont forget that the Navi are motion captured actors,thus their movements and expressions are based on the real actors. Jake and Neutiri (especially her) do a wonderful job as the Navi,they really help the whole procedure to bring humanity in their cgi counterparts.
But the real star of the movie,is Strephen Lang. Lang, a very talented but underrated actor,literally steals every scene he is in,he simply outshines everyone else. He is the epitome of bad-ass,hard as nail,military leader who is determined to do the job regardless the cost. What Lang manages to pull out,is that although he is an cold blood,bad ass motherfucker,he is so cool,crafty and determined to to do his job,that not only you like him but you even cheer for him to win. Besides,Lang's Quaritch is not a bad guy,as many wrongly assume. Like Judge Dredd or Inspector Javert,he is a man of qualities and strong personality,but because of fate, he ended up serving the wrong system. And Lang,through his masterful acting,manages to bring that kind of villain in the big screen.
I wont bother to talk about the action,Cameron is and remains a master of the art of action,his action set pieces are big,massive,they reek of adrenaline,excitement and coolness,while remaining comprehensible,you can follow the action because he doesnt use at all the shaky camera stylization (you hear that Bay and co?),and he uses slow-mo rarely and only when its necessary to watch the character's specific reaction during a action sequence. In the last part of the movie,all hell breaks out,i wont say anything else than its one of the most epic fantasy/scifi battles you have ever witnessed in the big screen (you hear that Lucas?).As someone correctly said ,its the mother of all battles.
To sum up what Cameron manages,is to tell a story with engaging storytelling in a awe-inspiring fantasy world. His story remains interesting during the whole time of movie,the pacing and the buildup is well crafted,the story never becomes bloated or shallow,never too slow or too fast to follow. He develops interesting ,both navi and humans,characters,which you care for and you want to know what will happen to them during the movie. And finally he gives diachronic social,ecological and universal (but no political) messages without becoming preachy. And all the above are happening in a mythical,wondrous world,which he fully explores bringing in the big screen breath-taking images of amazing imagination.
So the final question is: Is Cameron's Avatar a game-changer which revolutionizes the cinema?
Lets clarify something first. the art of cinema has not changed much for the last forty years. Despite the birth of new genres or film-making techniques or cinematography styles,the quintessential artistic rules of creating a movie (how you set your frame,montage,etc,) remain the same,and frankly i dont think that they will ever change,just like the basic rules in music,literature,painting,etc have not changed.
Cameron has never claimed in his interviews that his goal with Avatar is to rewrite the book of film-making. What he wants to achieve with Avatar is to bring the people back to the cinema,to understand that they will never receive the full experience of the movie,if they watch it in a downloaded,pirate copy on their pc monitors. And I believe he succeed on that.
He proved that the 3D CGI is more than a technology used only as a gimmick for the movies,an extra eye-candy bonus for the audience. It is a tool which can be used effectively to create a visceral,life-like world,where imaginary but real-like characters inhabit it,and in a very immersive way you experience their stories. He also proved that such an experience is impossible to be achieved in its full degree,nowhere else than in a well-equipped cinema. The medium (cinema here) regains its role of defining the final shape of the artist's work and its importance in delivering and enhancing the full experience of the artwork to the audience.
An artist is restrained by its tools. And every tool which liberates the artistic skills and the full vision of an artist,is a welcomed gift. Its a fact that legendary film-maker acknowledge (Kubrick comes to my mind) and if film-makers like Lucas,Spielberg,etc understand Cameron's true meaning of its achievement,realize the full potential of the 3D CGI technology and start using seriously it as a tool for enhanced storytelling and immersive experience for their audience,and not just for visuals,then this will lead to a new era of cinematic spectacle with content,and yes its then that Avatar can be considered as a game-changer.
Final words.
Avatar is a visionary masterpiece.period. It has flaws but they are trivial .What really matters is that,apart from its epic spectacle,it has BALANCE and SOUL. It does deserve oscar nominations,apart from the obvious technical ones,for best film and best director. it wont get them,and maybe it doesnt deserve to. Lang must get an oscar nomination for supporting male actor. It revolutionizes the sfxs to their next level and show new boundaries for the film-makers to reach. It also proves that Cameron has the balls,in an era of endless remakes,comic adaptations,sequels,prequels and reboots,to make a huge film with original story and cgi characters as his protagonists.
Avatar is targeted at everyone,the kids,the adults,the elders,it has something to offer to each and everyone of the them So leave your prejudice for the cartoony NavI and your nitpicking outside,open your mind,get your friends,your family,your partners and go watch it,preferably in a 3D IMAX theater or wherever you can.
Go,watch it,enjoy it.
Dec. 19, 2009, 5:19 p.m. CST
by Son of the Suns
"It does deserve oscar nominations,apart from the obvious technical ones,for best film and best director. it wont get them,and maybe it doesnt deserve to.".... No offence dude, but that doesn't make any sense.
Dec. 19, 2009, 5:28 p.m. CST
ominus, I appreciate your opinions, but I disagree
by YackBacker
There was nothing in this movie that moved me. It's not a bad movie, it just doesn't connect with me on any emotional level. If I was a young kid, I'm sure this would have been one of those eye-opening film experiences. But having seen thousands of films at this point in my life, I felt too much of the writer's presence here in AVATAR. While the visuals were believable and engrossing, the story and characters were ironically the most artificial parts of the movie. So, it succeeds in many areas and fails to connect in some basic ones as well. I'm glad I watched AVATAR but like other Cameron movies for me, I doubt I'll be returning for seconds, etc.
Dec. 19, 2009, 5:31 p.m. CST
i meant it deserves oscan nominations
by ominus
for best picture,director,etc but that doesnt mean that it necessarily deserves to win them.I say this because with the exception of Hurt Locker,i havent yet seen the other films,to make a comparison as to which is 'artistically' better.capis?
Dec. 19, 2009, 5:31 p.m. CST
Coughlins Laws.....liberals used to be tolerant
by brabon300
but we got smacked around for being weak....so eff all wingnut fucks
Dec. 19, 2009, 5:33 p.m. CST
YackBacker its fine with that
by ominus
At the end all that matters is the personal experiene of each and every one cinephil.But you are wrong,the characters had sould and the movie had some very strong emotional scenes.
Dec. 19, 2009, 5:34 p.m. CST
I came in indifferent.
by Lucasblows
And I left indifferent.
Dec. 19, 2009, 5:34 p.m. CST
sould = soul
by ominus
Dec. 19, 2009, 5:37 p.m. CST
ominus, I'm not wrong, we just disagree
by YackBacker
There's a difference, my friend. Like you say, we're only coming at this from personal experience. The characters connected with you and they did not with me. I think the best acting was Neytiri, ironically. And she was the best written character in the whole movie. I would have much rather had a movie based entirely on her perspective, a la Malick's THE NEW WORLD. She was the emotional core of the movie. And it would have been interesting to examine her attitudes towards Jake in depth. The story could have remained the same, but instead given her character arc priority. Oh well.
Dec. 19, 2009, 5:40 p.m. CST
A beautiful film...
by Citizen Sane
... that's all. Forget the underlying theme or the implied sociopolitical undercurrent. We all know the truth about the world and humanity anyway and no fantasy film is going to change anything. But this movie is rich with artistry and heart, presented in a seamless package that is impossible to deny. So just see it for what it is and enjoy it.
Dec. 19, 2009, 5:43 p.m. CST
Pandora is amazing
by cylon_conspiracy

It's really good at coming up with music I never would have found out about, but it's all based on artists I already like. Great way to discover music. Can't wait to see how that translates to the big screen, and to 3D no less.

So is RealD the same tech as IMAX 3D?

Dec. 19, 2009, 5:44 p.m. CST
no you are wrong
by ominus
because i find it impossible to something that it offers nothing.Do you cry for something that is empty?
Dec. 19, 2009, 5:44 p.m. CST
I almost dozed off several times...
by Lucasblows
...and I'm not entirely sure I didn't.
Dec. 19, 2009, 5:46 p.m. CST
ominus, what are you trying to say?
by YackBacker
I'm not being a dick, I'm seriously trying to unpack your last post. It doesn't make sense- please explain.
Dec. 19, 2009, 5:46 p.m. CST
Just got back from seeing Avatar.
by DocPazuzu
Fucking loved it. Haven't been this viscerally thrilled by a genre movie for years. It was literally like being a 13-year-old in the theater again, where the sheer spectacle of cinema power was enough to bowl you over.
 Sure, the story was a classic one, one we've seen and read a hundred times before. So what? You want to know why it's been told a hundred times before? Because it's A GREAT FUCKING STORY.
 And "clunky" dialogue? It was no clunkier than any of Cameron's earlier efforts and a hell of a lot more engaging than the swill we're normally served today in shit like Transformers 2.
 As for the effects--absolutely phenomenal. Literally breathtaking and utterly believable. A special mention must be made of Cameron's total mastery of action cinema. There was at least as much stuff going on in the frame as in Transformers 2 and the prequels, but nothing felt extraneous or hard to follow. Furthermore, you actually do care about what happens to the characters in these scenes.
 Cameron is still king.
Dec. 19, 2009, 5:48 p.m. CST
Lucasblows, I too found it very dull in parts
by YackBacker
The rites of passage stuff with the tribal chorus happily singing along was tiresome. George Lucas is obsessed with ships landing in the prequels and James Cameron loves panning the camera around to show how nice the scenery is in this movie. Lots of screentime devoted to that stuff slowed the movie down to a halt for me a few times.
Dec. 19, 2009, 5:49 p.m. CST
I liked it but felt some of the plot points were silly:
by JKrow21
Most notable was when all the animals turned against the marines in the end battle.
Dec. 19, 2009, 5:59 p.m. CST
by cyberskunk
Was anyone else reminded of Deathworld by Harry Harrison at all? Although maybe a weak comparison. I thought of it near the end.
Dec. 19, 2009, 6 p.m. CST
I liked it but felt some of the plot points were silly:
by JKrow21
Most notable was when all the animals turned against the marines in the end battle.
Dec. 19, 2009, 6 p.m. CST
As for you people...
by DocPazuzu
...who felt like rooting for the humans or consider the Na'vi to be the cinematic equivalent of the Taliban, you're all borderline fascists.
 By your reasoning, Marlene Dietrich, who left Germany because of her hatred for Hitler, was a traitorous whore for entertaining U.S. troops during WWII. Would you have called a Serb who violently opposed militiamen from his own country murdering defenseless civilians in Bosnia a traitor or a hero?
 What? You disagree? Oh, I see. It's only if AMERICANS rebel against corporate or governmental injustice that they're traitors.
 What you're basically saying is that universal values and common decency are inferior to nation and race, and that simply being a human and/or an American justifies any type of behavior and criminalizes any dissent. That's classic fascist "blood & earth" horseshit.
 Fucktards.
Dec. 19, 2009, 6:03 p.m. CST
re Quaritch's scars.
by DocPazuzu
The talkbacker who said its explanation was weak--was he being serious? Is that the level of nit-picking we're currently at? Jesus H. Christ in a chariot-driven sidecar, what the fuck is wrong with you people?
Dec. 19, 2009, 6:03 p.m. CST
It was great seeing Sigourney in a Sci-Fi movie again
by JKrow21
And kudos to the design of Pandora and making an original sci-fi movie....even if it did remind me of Ferngully.
Dec. 19, 2009, 6:07 p.m. CST
by ThereWolf
Were they ever referred to as being "humans" from "Earth"?
I recall a line at the end about them returning to "their planet" but not that they were from Earth.
Or I've lost my way entirely.
Great movie, by the way. Avatar is the reason a cinema screen is so big.
Dec. 19, 2009, 6:09 p.m. CST
This Is It
by BobDenard
Guys. This is it. This is The One. The One you have all been waiting for for so long. You may not realize it now, but this movie just opened a door to a new era of Fantasy & Science Fiction filmmaking. This movie is the reason why this very website was born. This is the new Star Wars. Mark my words. Not the Dark Knight, not LOTR, not the Matrix. One day, years from now, we will all look upon this period of time and realize that Avatar changed movies forever. Questions of script, music or rhythm are irrelevant. James Cameron has made movies magical again. This is it, and if you can't accept it, I feel for you. Remember, not everyone thought Star Wars was the shit back in the days. Will you be one of them ?
Dec. 19, 2009, 6:10 p.m. CST
This movie isn't for human accomplishment.
by Jayemel
It's against human accomplishment. It's about subjugating the human mind to nature.
Dec. 19, 2009, 6:15 p.m. CST
BobDenard, how can you be so sure?
by YackBacker
Because STAR WARS had a campy but memorable script, awesome music AND a great rhythm. AVATAR shares in STAR WARS' tradition of introducing the best visuals of its time, but is that enough? I'm curious what you saw in this movie that I did not.
Dec. 19, 2009, 6:22 p.m. CST
by ominus
what i am trying to say is this: Its respectable for not liking a movie,because of your personal reasons and taste.
But its a different thing when labeling a movie,because that has not to do so much with subjective reasons.
For example: You say the movie is soulless.But i cried with the movie.But you cant cry for something that is has not soul.you dont cry when you see the garbage bin in your home.But if you claim that the movie is soulless,then how is it possible that i cried with the movie? unless you are wrong with this.The movie does have soul,but you simply didnt feel it,which is FINE.but dont label it as soulless because because that thing objectively is wrong,its not the truth.
I will you ask you something else: While you grow up,your opinion of some movies havent changed with the passing of time? Movie you liked when you first saw them,you dont like them now,while movies you disliked,you love them now.
What happened? the movie miraculously changed and became good from bad when you saw it for the first time? or it was always bood but its your perception that changed,and that the movie was always good? think about it
 i am not trying to imply that you are going to love Avatar in the future.what i am trying to say is that art is not only about personal opinions but it has some universal criteria,outside of our perception,which also is measured with.
and one of that is that you cant cry for something that it does not exist,does not have soul.fine you dont like it,you didnt feel anything,its ok,i respect that,but dont tell me that it is labeled,it is categorized as soulless,thats the truth about the movie.because then how the fuck did i cry? unless you imply i am a retard ;)
anyway,i hope you got my point.
Dec. 19, 2009, 6:24 p.m. CST
by ominus
yeah cyberskunk it reminded me of Deathworld too.I wish they someday make a Deathworld movie with Avatar's technology,it would have been phenomenal.
Dec. 19, 2009, 6:25 p.m. CST
The "Derivative
by starlesswinter7
Dec. 19, 2009, 6:25 p.m. CST
ominus, I never said it was souless
by YackBacker
Reread my posts. I never called it anything of the kind. I said it didn't connect with me emotionally.
Dec. 19, 2009, 6:27 p.m. CST
Is the CGI better than The Last Starfighter?
by Quake II
Because if it is, I may give this Avatar cartoon picture you kids are talking about a spin. Sounds like a real hootenany! Whoo-hoo! (slaps knee)
Dec. 19, 2009, 6:29 p.m. CST
Its because of the effects that we love Avatar!!!
by ominus
what a great argument,kudos to the guy who thought it.JESUS H CHRIST.
so according to this logic,Transformers 2 didnt have very good effects,so thats the reason i fucking loathed it.
really gus,how old are you? i mean it,how old are you?
Dec. 19, 2009, 6:29 p.m. CST
DocPazuzu, BurnHollywood...
by Anti-fanboy
The fact that two of the most enjoyably articulate and acerbic TBers around so thoroughly enjoyed it does my heart good.
Dec. 19, 2009, 6:31 p.m. CST
YackBacker i am glad then that we agree
by ominus
that it DOES have soul,but it is a personal matter of how you will attach to it.ok then,i respect that,thank you.
Dec. 19, 2009, 6:33 p.m. CST
I connected...
by ThereWolf
with Avatar on an emotional level, something I didn't expect would happen with a "CGI" movie.
Well played, Mr Cameron.
Dec. 19, 2009, 6:34 p.m. CST
Avatar may work as a video game..
by MajorFrontbum
...but not as a movie. Hollywood's over reliance on CGI, is the final nail in the coffin of boredom.
Dec. 19, 2009, 6:35 p.m. CST
no problem, ominus
by YackBacker
For the record, I'm not arguing that its a bad movie at all. And the politics don't turn me off either- I don't get caught up in that stuff. I just give my emotional reactions to things, and I can say this was an interesting film experience, but not one that stirred my emotions.
Dec. 19, 2009, 6:35 p.m. CST
Quake II
by theKRELL
Better than The Last Starfighter? Not even close, Calling Avatar 'Dances with Smurfs' gives it too much praise, more like 'Dancing with Stickfigures' with bad CGI.
Dec. 19, 2009, 6:35 p.m. CST
ThereWolf and that is what it matters at the end
by ominus
i am glad you enjoyed it.
Dec. 19, 2009, 6:36 p.m. CST
Marketsaw.blogspot.com has one
by ominus
of the best reviews about Avatar,he really nailed it:
http://tinyurl.com/4x9bkk
Dec. 19, 2009, 6:40 p.m. CST
Are there 2 versions...
by ThereWolf
of Avatar? One with "bad CGI" and one with very, very good CGI?
I saw the latter.
Dec. 19, 2009, 6:40 p.m. CST
Saving my money for
by bueno_bob
"Can't Hardly Wait 2: Wait Harder"
Dec. 19, 2009, 6:44 p.m. CST
I never knew Harry was a paraplegic...
by Henry Fool
WHAT?! I didn't...

 So how do he and his wife, um...Oh, nevermind. I'm gonna shut up before I get anymore ignorant.
Dec. 19, 2009, 6:48 p.m. CST
Harry's not a paraplegic
by YackBacker
He suffered a serious leg injury over a dozen years ago (which incidentally led him to create AICN while laid up) and with his weight issues, needs the aid of a wheelchair to get about. Harry, get well man.
Dec. 19, 2009, 6:50 p.m. CST
Why are we supposed to ignore story in favor of visuals?
by starlesswinter7
The "derivative" argument is perfectly valid, in my opinion. The problem is not that the story itself is an oft-told one, but that virtually EVERYTHING about it is derivative. Every story ever told has elements of other stories, but the best ones also have original elements and things they change to make the story unique. Apart from the "inserting your tail to connect" thing, Cameron doesn't even attempt to change the stereotypes of this type of story. He doesn't even try! The warrior princess, the macho jealous tribesmen, the wise older folk, the evil military guy (complete with scars on his face, because all tough guys MUST have scars), the "tree of life" that all nature-people worship, and the wild animal one must tame to prove himself (whether it be a horse, a hippogriff like in Harry Potter, or a dragon-like creature in this film)... It wouldn't really be an issue if a few or even all of these were scattered among original elements, but the entire film consists of these stereotypes. Only Neytiri is able to somewhat break her mold. Storywise, that's all there is to the film. If the effects sucked, I don't think anyone would be praising the film as a masterpiece. People always complain about rom-coms being derivative, and thus they are looked down upon. So what's the difference with Avatar? Rom-coms don't have fancy visual - they're completely about story and character, even if they are stereotyped - yet Avatar does, and that's what people are praising. Not that it's not an incredibly enjoyable ride, but it's no masterpiece of storytelling. Also, can we please stop this "It's nice to see a review that isn't just repeating what others have said?" nonsense? If people feel a certain way about something, are they supposed to lie just so they sound different?
Dec. 19, 2009, 6:56 p.m. CST
The biological firewire thing was cool...
by torpor_haze
gotta give credit to JC, that's a cool idea I didn't see coming.
Dec. 19, 2009, 6:58 p.m. CST
I think ominus is...
by Mariusz
... James Cameron's personal assistant.
Dec. 19, 2009, 7:06 p.m. CST
correct DoctorWho?
by quantize
i forgot to add FUCK YOU. Smug dickhead.
Dec. 19, 2009, 7:09 p.m. CST
Thought Harry got a lap band back in May, '08
by BurnHollywood
Uh, shouldn't he be on two feet by now? At least with crutches for the leg injury?
Dec. 19, 2009, 7:12 p.m. CST
Just saw it. LOVED IT!!!
by Stunt Vocalist 709
Beautifully done. Will see it again several times while I still can in 3D.
 Really hoping that they will eventually release a 3D version on DVD/BlueRay- polarized 3D, not the lame red/blue or red/green 3D.
I went with an open mind and had a great time.
 Haters may now kiss my blue-tailed ass.
Dec. 19, 2009, 7:12 p.m. CST
I liked it. But it stops right there.
by Vesuvio
Not the best movie of the year. It's not even in my top 5.
 ps: story sucked. But that goes without saying, doesn't it?
Dec. 19, 2009, 7:12 p.m. CST
All ominus is missing is...
by Mariusz
Dec. 19, 2009, 7:12 p.m. CST
All ominus is missing is...
by Mariusz
... Cameron's dick in his mouth.
Dec. 19, 2009, 7:15 p.m. CST
by theKRELL
"Take heart amid the deepening gloom That your dog is finally getting enough cheese. And reflect that whatever fortune may be your lot, It could only be worse in Milwaukee."
Dec. 19, 2009, 7:27 p.m. CST
Plot Point
by AICNsucks
Did I miss it? Did the story explain why humans weren't able to strike a deal for unobtanium when they first set foot on it? Or did Cameron just want to gloss over it because he just wants to paint humanity as evil?
Dec. 19, 2009, 7:28 p.m. CST
The story is absolute crap. THE weakest link.
by JuanSanchez
Dec. 19, 2009, 7:30 p.m. CST
The way to see Avatar...
by Quake II
is on a 13 inch computer monitor with a bootlegged camcorder copy of the film. Absolutely stunning. The way Cameron intended it to be seen. I will certainly buy Avatar on VHS when it comes out! The digital effects are better than Transformers: Beast Wars!
Dec. 19, 2009, 7:32 p.m. CST
Simple Minded Harry
by AICNsucks
What ever made you think that Christians value life over everything else? History teaches us that Christians have rarely tolerated their fellow man, they only tolerate those who think in the same narrow mindset. Those who do not succumb to their viewpoint have been subjected to Inquisitions, Crusades, witch burnings, Holocaust, etc. Religion is always much more interested in death and hive mentality than it is life.
Dec. 19, 2009, 7:33 p.m. CST
by frank cotton
this had been made with scy-fy quality visuals, along the lines of DUNE, would the story have been enough? this is the real question
Dec. 19, 2009, 7:44 p.m. CST
frank cotton, in defense of the effects
by YackBacker
The movie's biggest success is how the Na'vi are the best CG characters probably ever. There has been a step forward made with AVATAR in that respect. Zoe Saldana lives onscreen, despite her not being in a single frame. The artistry in connecting an actor to an effect is amazing. And the acting does go beyond simple visuals. But that being said, this movie didn't move me one bit.
Dec. 19, 2009, 7:46 p.m. CST
Just got back
by eric haislar
The Film was amazing. Not once did i think anything i saw was a effect. I found the story simple but a very powerful one.
Dec. 19, 2009, 7:47 p.m. CST
by justanothermoviefan
Who thought this movie was just okay? It looks amazing, but $300 million ought to. It IS Dances with Wolves, but just not as good. There isn't much heart. Its not as convincing as better films - we're supposed to care for the Na'vi, but too much time is spent blowing shit up to really get to know the characters. 3/5
Dec. 19, 2009, 7:51 p.m. CST
Just seen it..
by TheKGB
Meh...didn't surprise me Harry liked it for the story...HACK... Please step down ok Harry?
Dec. 19, 2009, 7:58 p.m. CST
This movie is like Megan Fox
by AngryBuddha
Pretty to look at, but not much happening between the ears.
Dec. 19, 2009, 7:59 p.m. CST
the felt like a 12/13 year old again is right on the mark
by Miyamoto_Musashi
this movie will inspire future film makers no doubt about that
Dec. 19, 2009, 8:04 p.m. CST
by uberman
The 'smurfs'...WORKED! They looked great and were believeable. All the CGI was excellent, every creature 100% real. Good movie. Onlything that sucked was THE SOUNDTRACK! Hammy, heavy fisted stuff that was so friggin cliche it almost took me out of the film, but only almost. I was there in PANDORA for the entire flick. It got a little silly at the end, but overall I give it an solid A.
Dec. 19, 2009, 8:09 p.m. CST
Harry can we get a top 10 for the year ?
by Miyamoto_Musashi
While you are at it a list for the decade, doesn't have to be 100, probably best not to given Beaks joke of a list.
Dec. 19, 2009, 8:09 p.m. CST
Joel Moore was BY far the best part about this movie
by Series7
SO much SO Cameron decided not to show us what happens to him in the end!
Dec. 19, 2009, 8:10 p.m. CST
Megan Fox
by Bellam
is a lot smarter than people give her credit for. I know it's really easy to blame a woman for being beautiful so you don't have to look at her as a human being, so you can feel justified in wanting to fuck her because if she's just an object she won't have an opinion on it, whereas if she's a person you'd have to admit that she'd find you repulsive, because you are.
Just saying.
Dec. 19, 2009, 8:10 p.m. CST
Has anyone seen it a second time yet ?
by Miyamoto_Musashi
Dec. 19, 2009, 8:13 p.m. CST
And Really is this score
by Series7
and that fucking song gets nominated over the panty dropping soul full voice of Keith David's, Friends on the Other Side from Princess and The Frog. Then there really is no justice in the world.
Though I will say, I've never enjoyed the exotic whaling bitch, but this is the first time FIRST TIME I've ever found that it made sense. Also the main theme of the movie is just a riff of the "near, fAr, WHEre ever you are" from Titanic. Seriously James Horner you blow donkey nuts.
 No love for the Moon score??? Ohhh yeah thats right Hollywood will eat that shit up in a million trailers in the next five years.
Dec. 19, 2009, 8:17 p.m. CST
by theKRELL
That's almost exactly what Megan Fox said about you. Pretty to look at but not much between the legs.
Dec. 19, 2009, 8:17 p.m. CST
Anyone else wish
by Series7
That the first mini dragon (seriously is anyone going to remember the names of these fucking things) should've popped out during the big battle, or been latched on to the bottom of the big dragon?
 That would have been cool. The whole bonding flying 30 minute stretch with him was the best thing of the movie. The battle was fokkin cool but not half as exciting as the D9 battle.
 Also I think I big thing about this is are their really going to be AVATARD'S (what will they call themselves?) for this? Like Browncoats, Trekkes, Star Wars Nerds, Twilighters, ummmm fags who like Smurfs?
 Like after T2 everyone and their step dad were dressing up like Arnold for Halloween. I can't wait to see people dress up like a Na'vi next halloween....
Dec. 19, 2009, 8:19 p.m. CST
Also subtext in film
by Series7
Sure there may be subtext in this movie, but if so that shit is lost on me. I don't see movies like this for some subtext. If you spend that much money on the film you should come out and fucking say you have subtext in it. I don't bring my brain to these things.
Dec. 19, 2009, 8:20 p.m. CST
AICNsucks........Plot Point...
by theKRELL
Yeah, you missed it. Also, the Na'vi are Blue, in case you missed that too!
Dec. 19, 2009, 8:25 p.m. CST
I remember the "Lap-Band" story and talk-back...
by Fleet
That was over a year ago now... Yet Harry manages to refer to his wheelchair, his weight and 'dreaming of running' in more than one occasion in this review - So clearly the Lap Band surgery was a success then, Harry... Jesus, what an inspiration.
Dec. 19, 2009, 8:29 p.m. CST
Daily Devin Faraci hate:
by Thrillhouse77
"devincf My self confidence is high enough that when someone dislikes a movie I like I'm able to continue with my life without getting wound up."
 Well, except for the dozens and dozens of negative and douchey Tweets you've made in the last week, right Devin? Fuckwad.
Dec. 19, 2009, 8:39 p.m. CST
Ohhh soo Harry can relate
by Series7
To Wheels because he is still in a wheel chair????
Dec. 19, 2009, 8:40 p.m. CST
whaling bitch
by frank cotton
ha ha ha - oh, you meant wailing
Dec. 19, 2009, 8:41 p.m. CST
Anyone who follows Faraci on Twitter needs to stop
by YackBacker
Ignoring him is the best policy. What a cunt.
Dec. 19, 2009, 8:44 p.m. CST
Simple Minded AICNsucks...
by Stunt Vocalist 709
The Christian faith is about faith,love, forgiveness and self-sacrifice. You confuse the faith with the actions of those who don't follow it, even as they claim to. There are also countless examples of true Christian faith in action, but you have clearly chosen to ignore that to make your point.
Dec. 19, 2009, 8:47 p.m. CST
2nd time
by radagast brown
Seeing it againg tonight. =)
Dec. 19, 2009, 8:49 p.m. CST
Stunt Vocalist 709
by Miyamoto_Musashi
think you need to reread the bible
Dec. 19, 2009, 8:50 p.m. CST
Ahem... Getting back to Harry's review...
by DadTimesTwo
Harry, if you read comments down this far, I'm writing to let you know I agree with you: great story. There's no ignoring the paint-by-the-numbers quality of it, and some of the dialog is corny, but I thoroughly enjoyed the narrative of Avatar. I feel like Jake -- I can't wait to get back to Pandora.
Dec. 19, 2009, 8:59 p.m. CST
Stunt Vocalist 709
by bueno_bob
LMAO! What a crock of shit. The Christian faith's entire history (even MODERN history) is about oppression, regulation and forced conversion at the point of a sword along with constant judgments and frowns of disapproval (at a minimum) on anybody who doesn't "properly" exercise the right amount of faith. Which is completely arbitrary from person to person. How many millionaire preachers you had over your tax exempt status lately?
Dec. 19, 2009, 9:13 p.m. CST
by uberman
Really, I figure that they must have used her as their model.
Dec. 19, 2009, 9:14 p.m. CST
by Miyamoto_Musashi
in fairness to Christianity, other religions have practiced the same forced conversion, and Islam is now "leading" the charge with bombs
Dec. 19, 2009, 9:14 p.m. CST
by TheHumanBeingAndFish
The 3D version of this movie was a completely immersive experience. Awesome- just wow. Very impressive. The story has been told several times already (Lawrence of Arabia, Dances With Wolves, Dune, etc.) but no like this. I hope there'll be an extended edition - I think the story could really benefit from a "prologue" on earth where Jake gets recruited, I didn't like the fact that the movie started in space. BTW, I'm not sure why people are surprise about the "liberal" plot elements, since T2, Aliens, The Abyss, and Titanic all had "liberal" plot elements.
Dec. 19, 2009, 9:15 p.m. CST
Re: theplant
by Orionsangels
Hey douchebag, that's how it was for me. Maybe it was my theater, but it did happen in certain scenes.
Dec. 19, 2009, 9:15 p.m. CST
by uberman
Geez Uberman, get it right.
Dec. 19, 2009, 9:16 p.m. CST
by Miyamoto_Musashi
kind of with Diaz having "cat" like eyes, but definetely could see Zoe
Dec. 19, 2009, 9:16 p.m. CST
I think Female Navi Vagina is at the right height
by Orionsangels
Level with the height of most male humans, slurp slurp slurp!
Dec. 19, 2009, 9:18 p.m. CST
by ReportAbuse
A substance that causes gruff military characters in films to spout cliched dialogue from old Hollywood war movies. Although never a rare substance, Cameron has apparently struck a motherlode of the stuff in AVATAR once again, maintaining his near-monopoly on the element.
Dec. 19, 2009, 9:19 p.m. CST
official Avatar review: Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck
by jackknifed_juggernaut
please proceed to your nearest IMAX 3D screen. view. bask in its glory. rinse. repeat.
Dec. 19, 2009, 9:22 p.m. CST
Every guy is gonna photoshop Zoe Saldana blue, fap fap fap!
by Orionsangels
Dec. 19, 2009, 9:23 p.m. CST
by bueno_bob
Exactly why I hate ALL forms of organized religion.
Dec. 19, 2009, 9:24 p.m. CST
At least this talkback is plural...
by AudaAbuTayi
...people are all over the map on this film. That, in itself, is a good thing. For while we all love universality, we treasure our tastes even more (thus, a talkback and a divisive masterpiece). I loved Avatar and no argument, good or dismissive, will make me budge from believing this is the supreme shit right here. The flaws are akin to snowflakes in a boiling vulcano to me: quite ephemeral and pointless. Though I, myself, may fall prey to the blinding vulcano, I whole-heartedly accept its overpowering will. And I can become a child again. And this is a work of art. The rest is up to magistrates and judges of an foul and fiendish dishonesty I prefer to ignore. This is the anti-Phantom Menace: enough to completely fill your sorry soles, instead of robbing you from anything you might think you posess. So that you may walk in good shoes for some time. Rejoice!
Dec. 19, 2009, 9:25 p.m. CST
Orionsangels funny but disturbing
by Miyamoto_Musashi
though there will be lots of teenage boys and probably some much older boys wanting a 10ft blue girlfriend for Christmas.

Dec. 19, 2009, 9:26 p.m. CST
further to my last post
by Miyamoto_Musashi
I asked my wife for one, she laughed and thought I was being funny, so no blue girls under my christmas tree this year
Dec. 19, 2009, 9:27 p.m. CST
Stunt Vocalist 709
by quantize
that's great news, would you mind telling those nazi-like evangelists and other extremist wacko's?...they seem to have missed that.
Dec. 19, 2009, 9:28 p.m. CST
AudaAbuTayi great way of putting it
by Miyamoto_Musashi
Dec. 19, 2009, 9:28 p.m. CST
by Bellam
Dec. 19, 2009, 9:30 p.m. CST
and the facial expression work on the Na'vi was beyond ridiculou
by jackknifed_juggernaut
seriously... was i the only one touched by the look on their collective faces as they **SPOILER ALERT** wailed, watching their Hometree go down in flames? there are fucking live actors who are incapable of conveying such a level of anguish/woe on their faces in a convincing manner (read: Keanu "Whoa" Reeves). regardless of whether or not the budget was closer to $350 or $500 mil, it doesn't appear a single buck was wasted either way.
 James Cameron. All hail the King.
Dec. 19, 2009, 9:31 p.m. CST
Haha Miyamoto
by Orionsangels
Neytiri was hot, make no mistake. You have to ask yourself why though? Are you attracted to tall women? That she was a strong woman? She was at times watching over and mothering Jake? Maybe it's that whole furry thing? Some guys see her as half cat, half woman. It's the tail. It's gotta be the tail.
Dec. 19, 2009, 9:34 p.m. CST
by jackknifed_juggernaut
manhug (x2).
Dec. 19, 2009, 9:35 p.m. CST
Jackknified agreed for the most part
by Orionsangels
There were times for me though, when there was something cg about the movements, like when neytiri pushes jake away. It didn't look natural. Overall though. It wasn't distracting. I saw them as just characters in a movie.
Dec. 19, 2009, 9:39 p.m. CST
Neytiri Playboy Layout!
by Orionsangels
Get ready, because Fanboys will adopt Neytiri, as their new scifi fantasy, like Leia Slave costume. Comic-con is going to be interesting next year lol! The height part is gonna be a problem though, for cosplayers.
Dec. 19, 2009, 9:40 p.m. CST
Stop picking on Devin...
by AudaAbuTayi
...he is a brave soul, despite his cowardice.He is sincere, despite his inner dishonesty. He is a true film-lover, despite his tastes (it's not so much what he shits on, it's what he praises...Wathmen, Harry Potter please). He is negatively obstinate on Avatar but perhaps he will see the truth. Anyway, the guy isn't bad at all, is all I'm saying. Despite my sometime severe disagreements with his posts, he can be quite the astute fucker. I could see myself defending him, were I a lawyer. Ineptly but sincerely.
Dec. 19, 2009, 9:42 p.m. CST
Quantize, what the hell are you referring to exactly?
by DoctorWho?
Dec. 19, 2009, 9:42 p.m. CST
I liked it
by saber12
It was interesting and visual. And the story was decent. I thought Zoe was fantastic, and the miltary general guy was evil.
Dec. 19, 2009, 9:45 p.m. CST
The Navi horses sounded like Velociraptors.
by Orionsangels
Anyone else notice that?
Dec. 19, 2009, 9:47 p.m. CST
Neytiri crying was always moving.
by Orionsangels
Dec. 19, 2009, 9:51 p.m. CST
A Top View on a Great Piece
by EveryonesReimagining_or_ER
But Harry, next time, could you not look at me whilst you make love? I know you're making sure the camera's set and you got our attention but it's distracting. Just focus, stay on the job at hand and EXPLODE at the end like the 70's pro you are. "Let's get started"? I know a fake cum shot when I see one mister.
Dec. 19, 2009, 9:55 p.m. CST
Avatar's most special effect was it's heart.
by Bellam
Dec. 19, 2009, 9:59 p.m. CST
^^^ You made me spit out my scotch!
by YackBacker
Funny fucker.
Dec. 19, 2009, 10 p.m. CST
I think Rob Coleman is contemplating suicide now
by YackBacker
His little CG Yoda got its ass spanked by WETA.
Dec. 19, 2009, 10:03 p.m. CST
Rob probably worked on the movie
by saber12
I did see ILM and Weta listed in the credits.
Dec. 19, 2009, 10:04 p.m. CST
My girlfriend liked when he stepped on the tail
by MacReady452
of one of the Na'vi. That sums up the movie
Dec. 19, 2009, 10:07 p.m. CST
IMDB says Coleman's last feature was EPISODE III
by YackBacker
He directed some CLONE WARS episodes, but otherwise he's crying his eyes out at AVATAR.
Dec. 19, 2009, 10:08 p.m. CST
Is it as good as Godzilla ?
by Itchy
Well is it ?
Dec. 19, 2009, 10:09 p.m. CST
I've kinda noticed that the more hate a movie gets in the AICN t
by Jimbo08lak
The better that movie will be. And seriously, the story complaints...It's not original, but originality kinda stopped a long time ago, and the fact that this is not a franchise and Jim Cameron had to come up with it all on is own is pretty impressive. FUCK HERC!
Dec. 19, 2009, 10:11 p.m. CST
Lucas saw this movie and cried and cried
by saber12
He should have waited 10 MORE years to do the prequels.
Dec. 19, 2009, 10:12 p.m. CST
saber12, he should have waited until he died
by YackBacker
Then let his estate give the prequels to a real filmmaker.
Dec. 19, 2009, 10:13 p.m. CST
by tradeskilz
Because that was quirky and funny and girls like quirky and funny men. Cameron wasted hundreds of millions going for technical fidelity etc when he should have hired more sit-com writers. You see, girls like funny and quirky. All those machines and science is just hard to understand and not cute at all.
Dec. 19, 2009, 10:14 p.m. CST
by theKRELL
Godzilla (Gojira) was Shakespeare compared to this shit!
Dec. 19, 2009, 10:24 p.m. CST
while Neytiri may become the new scifi fantasy, the reveal of
by jackknifed_juggernaut
Weaver's, erm, Hum'vi (wtf, Harry?) in her little Stanford wife beater wasn't too shabby, either.
Dec. 19, 2009, 10:24 p.m. CST
it was nice to see a sci fi movie
by saber12
Where the hero didn't shoot his gun every ten seconds.
Dec. 19, 2009, 10:26 p.m. CST
saber, have you seen SUNSHINE?
by YackBacker
Or CHILDREN OF MEN? Sci-fi is still out there. Have faith, good sir.
Dec. 19, 2009, 10:27 p.m. CST
Great FX, awful movie.
by JuanSanchez
Ignoring the awfulness of the movie itself because of the effects makes no sense to me.
Dec. 19, 2009, 10:28 p.m. CST
hey Kwitsat
by joshuavance1701
You piece of shit imbecelic whore, 75 million opening weekend, for a film that was proclaimed to be a game changer, and cost in excess of 300 million not including marketing, is a fucking ABYSMAL failure. A dissappointing feast of Hollywood excess.
 You smarmy cocksucker, you consistently berated the new Trek as drivel and substandard entertainment, yet you proclaim this overhyped misguided allegorical 5 year olds tale as high entertainment? You mother fucker you went on and on about Treks script being banal, and you defend this pedestriant by the numbers written for the 8th grade level script of Avatar??
 Fuck you, you obtuse piece of flotsam. You go fucking bag my groceries you tainted cunt.
 Avatar is a fucking dissapointing GLOSSY shiny BOMB. A perfume covered pig. A gold plated turd. You suck my dick Kwits with your shit taste in films.
Dec. 19, 2009, 10:30 p.m. CST
Star Trek is The Godfather compared to Avatar
by JuanSanchez
Dec. 19, 2009, 10:31 p.m. CST
I think if Star Trek had been in 3D
by saber12
we'd be thinking Avatar wasn't very good.
Dec. 19, 2009, 10:32 p.m. CST
josh, you used the word "flotsam"
by YackBacker
Dude, slow your roll.
Dec. 19, 2009, 10:34 p.m. CST
I also preferred STAR TREK over AVATAR
by YackBacker
The characters resonated with me in STAR TREK- not that it's a fair comparison- TREK had 40-plus years of a head-start on AVATAR. And TREK's story wasn't anything special either, but the charm of that movie far outpaces the visual spectacle of AVATAR for me.
Dec. 19, 2009, 10:36 p.m. CST
Avatar was good, but in Trek and Wars you visit
by saber12
more planets, which I like.
Dec. 19, 2009, 10:36 p.m. CST
What have you got against Jetsam?
by theKRELL
It's feeling left out, and contemplating some sort of ritualized end of self awareness!
Dec. 19, 2009, 10:37 p.m. CST
Kill all humies
by NippleEffect
otherwise they come back
 next time it'll be an orbital attack from a fully military expedition
Dec. 19, 2009, 10:38 p.m. CST
this movie eludes me
by Kammich
i planned on seeing it friday night, but this eastern shore winter storm had me holed up in my frigid house. i was scheduled to work tonight(saturday), but my shift was nixed because the store is closed due to weather. unfortunately, so is the movie theatre. being the type who rigidly plans their movie-going ventures, i fear i'm not going to get around to seeing Avatar in theatres. and this is one of those movies that i really, really don't want to see on a computer screen or even my 42" TV. god dammit i want to see this in realD 3D, or not at all!
Dec. 19, 2009, 10:39 p.m. CST
Interesting point, Nipple
by YackBacker
Why didn't humans just pull off an orbital attack in the first place? Oh, that's right, because the movie would be only 10 seconds long.
Dec. 19, 2009, 10:40 p.m. CST
I went to an IMAX theater late Thursday
by saber12
and saw it. It wasn't even sold out. I'd say maybe 200 or so were there, but everyone was into it.
Dec. 19, 2009, 10:42 p.m. CST
Hey Yack
by joshuavance1701
Yeah yeah exactly, was Avatar pretty? Of course, but any cunt like assface lives and Kwits dick face that claims this movie is better written than Star Trek is a God damned liar. If big mouth fucks like these two idiots wouldn't demonstrate extreme cognitive dissonance and banal hypocrisy, no one would look on them as the ill-concieved fucks that they are. The only GAME Avatar has changed is how much studios are going to invest in a film, God damn overhyped bomb. Expect more 10,000 jobs like paranormal activity after this three hour video game cut scene piece of shit film.
Dec. 19, 2009, 10:43 p.m. CST
by NippleEffect
I'm talking about after the events in the movie.
 Only a catastrophic mission failure might deter humies from getting what they want.
 And that'd probably only buy you a decade or so
Dec. 19, 2009, 10:44 p.m. CST
Coughlin Laws
by Sgt.Steiner
In The Dark Knight, Lucius Fox was disgusted by Bruce Wayne's actions. And furthermore, Batman's "enchanced interrogation" of the Joker proved that torture does jack-all diddley squat. Star Wars? "A very powerful and technological superpower trying to take over a country of peasants was big on my mind" -George Lucas describing the impact Vietnam had on "Star Wars", Premiere, April 8, 2005 Shrek movies - love in all forms? Yes, and that includes gay unions, and I mean marriages. It ain't the libs with the contitutional amendments to ban gay marriage. ET - A lot of conservatives are divorced. And the Peter Coyote "evil bureaucrat" character is ultimately sympathetic. The Spiderman films have villains who are not resolutely evil, but misunderstood or are good men are struck by insanity, and, in some cases, bad writing. The Passion of the Christ? Jesus? Pro-war, he ain't. Also, judging from his statement comparing the fallen civilization in "Apocalypto" to the Bush Administration, I'm not sure how "conservative" Mel Gibson really is. Jusrassic Park? Conservative? God does not enter into the very basic logical principle of not cloning things that could bite your head off for material gain, ie capitalism run amuck. Or Westworld with dinosaurs. LOTR? "One-minded religious zealots whose sole purpose is the destruction of our society"? The Religious Right? I mean, Arab fundamentalists aren't the jackasses trying to put religion posing as pseudo-science in our schools. Hence, you have a greater chance of having some religious nutjob make your kid into a gay-hating dumbass than the chance of being attacked by terrorists. Finding Nemo? The mind reels. No pun intended. And Nemo was the name of a captain who was anti-war. If Revenge of the Sith is anti-Bush, in the words of one George Lucas, what does that make the Phantom Menace? I'll give you a hint: NOT RIGHT WING. And Gump. You're basically equivocating being a "righteous" "conservative" witn being mentally retarded, which, in most cases, is an insult to mentally retarded people. Your arguments are shaky, your logic unsound. Now, for a smutty joke. Blue Women? Pandora's Box. Heh-heh-heh.
Dec. 19, 2009, 10:45 p.m. CST
The Script...
by Tx_Muso
Well, being a Cameron fan and an avid follower of Avatar's journey to the screen, I found that the script in what I saw in the screening yesterday really lacked the 3D before me. This is why I agree with several reviewers who criticised the dialogue. I felt that he did a better job with T1 and T2 in this area (and now i'm really at that stage where i've seen enough CGI to be yearning for hand-made props). All in all this movie, even after such a mountain of hype, still impressed me visually, and had great pacing, though I feel Blomkamp better established an emotional connection between his aliens and story with myself.
Dec. 19, 2009, 10:48 p.m. CST
If Star Trek had been in 3D
by Bellam
We'd all be blind from lens flare.
Dec. 19, 2009, 10:55 p.m. CST
In the final analysis POST HYPE
by joshuavance1701
Star Trek = successful reinvigoration and interpretation of tired franchise with modern sensibilities, good ensemble cast, budget worthy of the franchise.
 Avatar = DANCES with blue people. Prettily.
Dec. 19, 2009, 10:56 p.m. CST
josh, I don't know your history with kwitz
by YackBacker
I happen to like the dude, even if we disagree from time to time. Like I said, I don't know your past dealings, but that's besides the point. TREK > AVATAR for me, and you... and a few other good people here.
Dec. 19, 2009, 10:58 p.m. CST
If TREK was in 3-D
by YackBacker
Zoe Saldana would be visual viagra for all warm-blooded heterosexual men in the theater.
Dec. 19, 2009, 11:01 p.m. CST
Look Mommy
by joshuavance1701
The blue man says trees are nice and good. He says bad people hurt trees. I like the blue man mommy, he isn't bad like those army men that hurt trees. He should beat up those army men.
 That's Avatar in a nutshell written for 5 fucking year olds. Ole James "game changer" Cameron. What a douche face fucker.
Dec. 19, 2009, 11:04 p.m. CST
DIdn't that one Navi look like Hugo Weaving?
by saber12
Dec. 19, 2009, 11:05 p.m. CST
Forget Armageddon: Harry will cry over the 2010/2012 elections
by Starship Captain
"Is the history of human suffering by an aggressor really a liberal rant? Is it conservative doctrine to value commerce over the lives of the rightful owners? Because I thought you conservatives were Christians, that value life above all else. Sorry if I've been misinformed."
Oh, boo-fucking-hoo, Harry. Welcome to the way the human race has ALWAYS advanced. Here's what I think of the Na'vi: fuck 'em if they won't deal with or accept a stronger, more technologically advanced force moving in. That's what you deserve to get for running around in fucking loincloths and still using bows and arrows.
But nice pathetic Leftist rant as usual. Two moments I'm MOST looking forward to, at this point in time, are the 2010 midterm and 2012 Presidential elections when Liberals get THEIR fucking sorry asses handed to them by the American people, for expressing viewpoints that are as ignorant and as narrow-minded as Harry did with his Conservative Christian comment. Thank Heaven America has woken up to what a cluster fuck Obama and the Democrats are -- and movies with political messages like this (soldier decides to turn on his own and go with the other side, being willing to now kill his own comrades) will only help to seal Libs and fucking asswipe progressives fate further. Good riddance to you all, you stains.
Dec. 19, 2009, 11:05 p.m. CST
So Mommy?
by joshuavance1701
Why is the director man beating me over the head with a blatant allegory about our campaigns in the gulf and why is he using the macguffin of unobtanium in exchange for oil so clearly Mommy?
 Isn't allegory supposed to be more cleverly couched Mommy? Did the director man write this movie just for me Mommy? That's such a nice thing Mommy.
Dec. 19, 2009, 11:06 p.m. CST
Yet again...
by TheUmpireStrokesBach
It was Jon Favreau who called it a "Game-changer". Not Cameron. Hate the movie all you like, but goddamnit, at least get the facts straight.
Dec. 19, 2009, 11:07 p.m. CST
You mean starship Captain
by joshuavance1701
America has wakened up to never vote for God damn Republicans ever again after the fiasco of Bush and company grinding this great nation into the ground? I think you are kidding me, the American people collectively aren't that clever.
Dec. 19, 2009, 11:07 p.m. CST
...I'm starting a support group for people who haven't seen...
by FlickaPoo
...AVATAR. There will be coffee and cookies served and we will discuss the best and worst things about not seeing AVATAR...and how that makes us feel...
Dec. 19, 2009, 11:09 p.m. CST
Yeah Umpire
by joshuavance1701
But lets not forget Camerons, smug, condescending, belittling attitude in pre-release hype either. The fucker did it to himself.
Dec. 19, 2009, 11:09 p.m. CST
From Box Office Mojo—
by blakindigo
"…Avatar's first day stands as the third highest-grossing ever for a December release. It slots behind The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King's $34.5 million and I Am Legend's $30.1 million (and ranks 33rd among all movies), although several other December pictures were greater in terms of attendance. Among other comparable titles, Avatar had a far more prodigious beginning than the King Kong remake, another long, computer-generated spectacle, and its first day was about the same as Star Trek from earlier this year…"
Dec. 19, 2009, 11:12 p.m. CST
by theKRELL
How about a little side group for those that wish to disremember Star Trek! Maybe get our hands on some Red Matter and...
Dec. 19, 2009, 11:13 p.m. CST
Stephen Lang on fire=total bad ass
by MacReady452
Also...where is the "I'll be Back" or "Hasta la vista baby"? I mean, I know there is no Arnold but my point is these are bad ass lines and none of that dialogue exists in this movie. If I missed the bad ass line let me know.
Dec. 19, 2009, 11:14 p.m. CST
by TheUmpireStrokesBach
A smug, condescending, and belittling attitude are all I've noticed from you as well.
Dec. 19, 2009, 11:14 p.m. CST
I honestly wonder about this movie's box office
by YackBacker
I don't think it will be a flop by any stretch. But I also wonder how many times people will want to go back, pay $15 for the IMAX showing to soak in the visuals. I don't know, to be honest, but if I had to guess, it will not break $300 million domestically. It may come close, but something tells me people won't do the repeat business that the studio desires.
Dec. 19, 2009, 11:18 p.m. CST
Has any movie this year boke 300 mil?
by saber12
Well, Transformers did. And Harry Potter did. That was about it.
Dec. 19, 2009, 11:21 p.m. CST
You wonder about the movies box office?
by I am the Terminator
Why would you do that when you watched a pirated copy? Doh!
Dec. 19, 2009, 11:21 p.m. CST
People who think this film is bad
by CatoTheCensor
Do not understand film. Period. LOL at thinking star trek is better than Avatar.
Dec. 19, 2009, 11:28 p.m. CST
UP was a few million shy of $300 million too
by YackBacker
Opening weekend numbers are less reliable an indicator than in the old days. It used to be that an opening weekend could get you about a third of your eventual domestic take. But then you look at NEW MOON which took in $142 million in its opening weekend and is now slowly crawling towards $280 million domestic (so, 50% of its gross will come from its first 3 days- insane!). And then there are some movies that still open small and draw in steady crowds for weeks after the fact. FOX's strategy with AVATAR was to release it now and hopefully clean up January ticket sales. I see their rationale, as DAYBREAKERS and BOOK OF ELI are R-rated and probably not going to grab the teenagers' business. But sometimes a movie can sputter without another one taking everyone's attention in place of it.
Dec. 19, 2009, 11:30 p.m. CST
Cato, teach us about film
by YackBacker
I don't think AVATAR was "bad" but I think it's not the greatest film of all time either. But since you're here with your knowledge, don't be stingy- teach us.
Dec. 19, 2009, 11:35 p.m. CST
Cato, it's not worth teaching people who watch pirated movies.
by I am the Terminator
they're just drippy cunts.
Dec. 19, 2009, 11:37 p.m. CST
That last post was written by James Cameron
by YackBacker
I can spot that skilled dialogue a mile away. "You're terminated!" Oy.
Dec. 19, 2009, 11:40 p.m. CST
This is a serious question—
by blakindigo
If you're uninterested in "Avatar" why would you watch a pirated version? I mean the movie is designed for the big screen, with an innovative 3-D process and Dolby Digital sound—isn't it a waste of time to just watch a bad 'cam or a workprint with awful sound?
Dec. 19, 2009, 11:40 p.m. CST
Oy, is right.
by I am the Terminator
It's "You're terminated, fucker!" So, get it right, fucker!!
Dec. 19, 2009, 11:42 p.m. CST
I was typing my last post with your mom on my lap
by YackBacker
she doesn't like when I cuss on AICN... speaking of drippy cunts, oh yeah!
Dec. 19, 2009, 11:43 p.m. CST
Excellent question, blakindigo.
by I am the Terminator
you got a bingo!
Dec. 19, 2009, 11:44 p.m. CST
Hmmm......It is widely known that...
by theKRELL
the people that say you are using the Last Ditch Effort are really using a Last Ditch Effort to circumvent the fact that, as with their sex life, they are a bit 'premature'...!
Dec. 19, 2009, 11:45 p.m. CST
Who said anyone was "uninterested" in AVATAR?
by YackBacker
Not me.
Dec. 19, 2009, 11:50 p.m. CST
It's just a general question YackBacker—
by blakindigo
I would just hate to watch a nearly 3 hour film on a format the equivalent of RealPlayer circa 1998.
Dec. 19, 2009, 11:53 p.m. CST
Well, if you must know
by YackBacker
I purchased a ticket for Thursday midnight show but a death in the family precluded me from going- so I ate the ticket. And this weekend's storm has kept me indoors so I won't be able to see this movie for at least another week. I paid to see it but haven't seen it in 3-D.
Dec. 19, 2009, 11:54 p.m. CST
Your interest went as far as a pirated copy you mean.
by I am the Terminator
lame-o. What a cuntish way to watch a movie. you probably rushed to grab a copy just so you could meh about it here.
Dec. 19, 2009, 11:54 p.m. CST
And to me, if the movie is good
by YackBacker
it should succeed on any quality format.
Dec. 19, 2009, 11:55 p.m. CST
..YackBacker, then you're ripe for my support group.
by FlickaPoo
Dec. 19, 2009, 11:56 p.m. CST
Flicka, finally a professional shows up
by YackBacker
blackindigo is good peoples too.
Dec. 19, 2009, 11:57 p.m. CST
Did Billie Jean run through anyones head when
by MacReady452
they were walking up the tree trunk and the moss is lighting up under their feet? This movie will sink up with the Thriller album instead of Dark Side of the Moon. The final battle will be set to Wanna be Startin Something.
Dec. 19, 2009, 11:58 p.m. CST
sorry about the death in your family.
by I am the Terminator
but you should't give money to those filthy pirating russians.
Dec. 19, 2009, 11:58 p.m. CST
Condolences for your loss…
by blakindigo
Dec. 19, 2009, 11:59 p.m. CST
Just saw it in 3D....
by MonkeyLord
I was totally unprepared for incredible the experience was. I wasn't particularly enthusiastic about the film, thought it totally overhyped, and had my expectations set to "meh". I essentially opted to go because I hadn't seen a film in 3D iMax at our local cinema yet.
 And while there are certain things a reasonable critic could nitpick (some of the dialog is a little stilted, and the marines are portrayed as entirely one dimensional), the sum total of the experience in 3D was just utterly amazing. I just cannot imagine trying to watch Avatar in 2D, honestly. It would be like going to an Italian restaurant without a sense of smell. Yeah, you can still enjoy it one some level but...
Dec. 19, 2009, 11:59 p.m. CST
Thanks, guys
by YackBacker
I appreciate the condolences. And I will go and see it in the theater, paying for a SECOND time when I get the chance.
Dec. 20, 2009, 12:01 a.m. CST
MonkeyLord, do you think of AVATAR as more of
by YackBacker
the ultimate FX reel than a genre-defining film? Or even a solid action movie?
Dec. 20, 2009, 12:02 a.m. CST
I was kind of bored
by Ghostpirate
I really expected to see something I hadn't seen before. But all of the creatures, landscapes and tech reminded me Star Wars, Aliens and other films that were just much better. Were the fx good? Hell yeah! But for this budget they'd better be. I dunno. I'll try it again next week.
Dec. 20, 2009, 12:02 a.m. CST
...YackBacker, not for long brother...
by FlickaPoo
...it's sex night. That's right, we're reduced to scheduling the sticky...
Dec. 20, 2009, 12:04 a.m. CST
...damn, I just read up...sorry Yack.
by FlickaPoo
Dec. 20, 2009, 12:05 a.m. CST
...and by "sticky" I mean romance. Very romantic...
by FlickaPoo
...romance. Hardly any blue body paint involved.
Dec. 20, 2009, 12:06 a.m. CST
Oh Boy
by VideoPhonic
Harry, you could not be more wrong. Avatar is a movie which features some of the best visuals, special effects, and action sequences of all time, it's also one of the stupidest movies of all time. the real problem is James Cameron the writer, not the director, James Cameron the writer sucks. Cameron's only two real good movies (this is an entirely different discussion and one i wish not to talk about now), Terminator and T2 were co-written by him, and wow does it show. Avatar is strictly by the books, following every movie formula and cliche humanly possible. it sucks that cameron put so much time and effort into making the movie look so beautiful, and put no effort into the screenplay. there are some aspects of the film i really do enjoy story-wise, i found the whole human-avatar connection fascinating, as well as the universe cameron created. but the characters, wow. Cameron creates the most stereotypically evil characters, which would be fine if he wasn't automatically making them the American government and military. Stephen Lang and Giovanni Ribisi are great fun, but the fact that they represent America and that they're only drive is money, shows how lazy and how dumb Cameron is sometimes. at the end of the movie cameron has the audiences cheering for the Na'vi, which is just fine because they're the peaceful good guys, who massacre the evil military. look, i get it, but i had a hard time enjoying the movie, knowing that the whole time Cameron is trying to sell me this stupid message, and not a very well thought out message. whatever, look, i wholeheartedly recommend for people to see Avatar, just shut off your brain before you see it, i mean really shut it off
Dec. 20, 2009, 12:06 a.m. CST
Flicka, you go and make us proud
by YackBacker
Thanks to you too- it was my girl's grandmother- 94 years old. A good life, a truly sweet lady too.
Dec. 20, 2009, 12:08 a.m. CST
Dances with Thundersmurfs
by Ghostpirate
That's all I kept thinking through the whole thing. Great FX just nothing special. Unless I get Imax in my living room I don't think I could get through it at home.
Dec. 20, 2009, 12:08 a.m. CST
"hardly any blue body paint"!!!!!
by YackBacker
You don't need blue paint to hiss at each other like a pair of mancats in heat. You do, however, need a lot of glue to keep those tails attached.
Dec. 20, 2009, 12:11 a.m. CST
...Yack, you seem to be surrounded by cool....
by FlickaPoo
Dec. 20, 2009, 12:13 a.m. CST
Yeah, ladies of the 1910s were awesome
by YackBacker
They don't make 'em like that no more. I think, in some ways, the women's movement made women boring and humorless. Not all women, my girl is a fucking pisser, but in a general sense I think things have regressed in the quality department.
Dec. 20, 2009, 12:15 a.m. CST
... or maybe the Great Depression made them cool
by YackBacker
You live through that shitstorm, and WWII, you can pretty much handle most anything. What do we have to talk about with our generation? the great blackout of 2003? Yikes.
Dec. 20, 2009, 12:19 a.m. CST
Media Messiah
by RefutetheHype
An excellent post. In fact, it was so excellent you're proved correct. I actually honestly have nothing to add. It's sort of shut me up. Good post.
Dec. 20, 2009, 12:20 a.m. CST
Apologies in advance to everyone who clicks this link—
by blakindigo
Dec. 20, 2009, 12:25 a.m. CST
AVATAR was a great "Battle of Endor" remake
by SpyGuy
What? You mean the Na'vi aren't updated versions of the Ewoks fighting against the technologically-superior Stormtroopers?
Hunh.

Dec. 20, 2009, 12:27 a.m. CST
Was reading through this talkback
by jae683
and holy crap, TehCreepyThinMan, you are definitely a new breed: a militant Liberal. Is that an oxymoron? A bit autophobic? You are what you hate, and all that, or is it just pathological? And all this from a movie talkback. Interesting, in a psychological sense, but it does boggle the mind.
Dec. 20, 2009, 12:29 a.m. CST
blakindigo- wanna bet those are FOX interns?
by YackBacker
Christ, I really hope they are... otherwise Cameron's dystopian view of humanity may be more accurate than I thought.
Dec. 20, 2009, 12:35 a.m. CST
SpyGuy: You Are Right
by Media Messiah
Something that I was hinting at in my review, but didn't quite say. Lucas gave us a joke of a battle between teddy bears and Storm Troopers, but James Cameron remade the movie, or at least, that aspect of the final battle and made it what it should have always been, and more.
Dec. 20, 2009, 12:37 a.m. CST
Yackbacker, I'm sure that an "Avatar" pron is in the works —
by blakindigo
Wanna bet it's due any day now?
Dec. 20, 2009, 12:42 a.m. CST
I could see Sasha Grey as a Neytiri type chick
by YackBacker
Cosplay involving two Na'vi females would be worth a watch. It all starts when they're cleaning eachother...
Dec. 20, 2009, 12:42 a.m. CST
What you forget, though, Media
by RefutetheHype
is that I am one of the most hardened cynics on the planet. For real. Want honest proof? Let me symbolically take a big snorting spit on anyone who respects Mother Theresa. You know why? She was a fraud. She actually didn't do any care for the sick and dying. She actually told a biographer she didn't do her work to help any of the sick people. She did it to trick them into joining her religion. Mother Theresa's orphanages and hospices were filthy and abuse was/is rampant, because MT didn't spend the money on helping any of the poor. She did it ALL to promote her religion and for no other reason. She was a blight on the region and a monster. Be glad she's gone. However, her legacy of abuse, mental torture and neglect is starting to become true, as efforts have begun to negate her beatification since the supposed miracle she performed after death has been totally disproved See/ Hardcore cynic. But everything i just said is also true. Cynicism RE: people = truth.
Dec. 20, 2009, 12:44 a.m. CST
Wow, I have now seen it all
by YackBacker
Mother Theresa was a fraud? Fuck this shit, I'm moving to Pandora to film lesbian cat scenes.
Dec. 20, 2009, 12:45 a.m. CST
Second viewing better than the first
by middleschoolmathteacher
Harry loved your review. Agree 100%. Saw it last night with my family and had to go back again today. I believe I actually enjoyed it better the second time around. I'm off for 3 weeks so I figure I'll see at least 5 times and I'll take anyone I can to see it. I already bumped into my 65 year old neighbor who never goes to the movies (loves Netflix) and he's going to join me for an IMAX showing next week. I feel like I did when I was 15 and saw Star Wars 7 times that summer. I find it humorous how everyone's complaining about how the stories so old and been told numerous times. I grew up reading Edger Rice Burroughs and if you've read one of his books you've read them all. They were all the same, but I couldn't get enough. I read every Tarzan, Princes of Mars, Earth Core, and Venus multiple times, basically everything in print in the 70's. Sorry I just don't get bored with this shit. This movie gives me the same feeling I had when I would read that pulp and I'm going to keep going back. I don't know if it's adrenalin or what, but this movie moves me big time. By the way I celebrated "Avatar Day" in my class by showing the trailer and Thanator chase scene to all 200+ plus of my students before we left on break, so I've done my part in getting out the word of mouth.
Dec. 20, 2009, 12:46 a.m. CST
by justanothermoviefan
How the hell is this film nominated in best picture categories?! It looks amazing, but the dialogue and story are just boring. It's worth seeing in the theater, it looks great, but FFS! this is not a best picture nominee!
Dec. 20, 2009, 12:49 a.m. CST
What catnip will you use in those scenes YackBacker?
by blakindigo
And will it be in 3-D?
Dec. 20, 2009, 12:53 a.m. CST
Know Who Else was a Fraud?
by RefutetheHype
Ghandi. Do a Google on "grandi fraud" and read up on it. Guy never even fasted, just pretended to in order to get publicity. Also, spent a "lot of money" to stay "in poverty." IE, promoting the idea he was in poverty when he never really was, and lived quite comfortablty while the Untouchables suffered. Nice guy, Mr. Ghandi. The Ben Kingsley flick is a lie.
Dec. 20, 2009, 12:55 a.m. CST
All the Heroes of the World
by RefutetheHype
are just frauds for the most part.
Dec. 20, 2009, 12:59 a.m. CST
Allegations against Mother Theresa
by NippleEffect
while the organization had millions and millions of dollars. None of it was spent on medical supplies since living in poverty was one of it's tenants. The sick and infirm taken to it would receive washing of wounds and prayer and basic / minimal nourishment.
 The big beef was the washing of wounds since it was continuous and would wipe away scabs and prevent healing. It was also reported to be painfull wiping on sores, thus causing nonstop torment to those unable to fend for themselves
Dec. 20, 2009, 1:02 a.m. CST
I didn't find Star Trek to be that great
by NippleEffect
The money shot for me was Scotty going *I'm giving her all she's got*
 Found the rest to be pretty shallow and stupid.
 I'd rather see GI Joe again than Star Trek
Dec. 20, 2009, 1:08 a.m. CST
"it's a bomb"
by GeneralJackCosmo

lol...it's been out for one day you sad, angry, undersexed nerds. A $27 million opening day for a non-sequel/non-franchise/non-comic book movie during the biggest East Coast blizzard in fucking history is pretty goddamn respectable.

God, you little faggots are pathetic. Cry some more about how rich Cameron is. You make me laugh.

I know people like you: you will never amount to anything and everyone you meet in life shits all over you because you are pitiful, joyless and weak...but on the internet you are too cool for school and use big words and thumb your noses at escapism.

Jesus, some of you people need to get laid or take some drugs (good drugs, like pot, not the ritalin your doctor prescribed) and chill the fuck out. It's a fucking *movie*--a movie I bet a lot of you haven't even seen--and you fuckers hate it like it raped your mother in front of you and then murdered your dog.

Dec. 20, 2009, 1:10 a.m. CST
HHAHA.."battle of Endor remake"
by Glory_Fades_ImMaxFischer
Dec. 20, 2009, 1:13 a.m. CST
Dear Yackbacker
by lucasdefender
I read that you said Lucas should have died before making the prequels. Well, if you can defend Avaturd then I just do not think you could be an honest person. I understand why some would feel like the prequels are bad. That is fine. I personally thought that Episode 3 was worthy of the first trilogy but whatever. Still had some bad acting and awkward dialogue. Not going to defend it here (although I will gladly on another occassion). No. The only thing I want to say is that the acting in Avatar is just as flat if not worse. The dialogue is twice as bad as the worst moment in Star Wars ever (I'm talking Episode 2 Padme/Anakin bad). The story is just the WORST piece of junk I can imagine for this context. Seriously. The most predictable, forced, suspenseless, careless story-and its 3 HOURS LONG!!! I can forgive acting and even dialogue at times but if the story is bad, WHY EVEN TELL IT! The visuals had me wowed for the first hour until I was just overwhelmed with this terrible story. I couldn't wait for the movie to be over. Honestly. Any more cliches and I would have died. How the nerds can receive this as the second coming and yet malign the prequels so harshly, I will never understand. The nerd community that I have loved has proven to me that all they care about is cinematography
Dec. 20, 2009, 1:19 a.m. CST
i think lockesbrokenleg is dead
by MacReady452
Dec. 20, 2009, 1:20 a.m. CST
by GeneralJackCosmo
I am not about to read every post in this thread, but let me just say that the reason I do not like the prequels is because, in my opinion, they took a mythology that I loved and turned it into a fucking joke. I don't think they are terrible *films*...on the contrary, they are pretty amazing pieces of cinema in a lot of ways...I just think they are terrible additions to the Star Wars franchise. They do not feel, to me, like they are in the same series as the classic trilogy. They are, collectively, like the Godfather 3 of the Star Wars universe.
Dec. 20, 2009, 1:24 a.m. CST
Plus, Hayden is a worse actor
by GeneralJackCosmo
than anyone in Avatar. I mean that. He has less charisma than Worthington, and that is saying something. And the kid from the first one is even worse.
Dec. 20, 2009, 1:24 a.m. CST
Shitty story ruined it
by centilope
I love how Harry states in Mike Russel's review that because it was mixed-to-negative he didn't post it sooner. Let that sink in for a while. Coincidentally Harry's review is as glowing as you could posssibly imagine. Hmmm... Also I love how Harry says he loves the story of it. Who cares about multidimensional characters, or a script with intelligent dialogue, or a script that is even slightly original, right? It's ironic that the movie's in 3D but the characters are all cardboard cutouts. The story is awesome even if all the key elements of it are done terribly? Whenever the visuals try to grab you, and you consider giving in, the horribly written script sucks you right out of it. It literally looks as if Cameron sat on his ass the whole time for all these years waiting until technology catches up to his vision, diving in the ocean, instead of retooling his script. Beaks tried to talk himself into loving this, but it looks like Harry succeeded to do what Beaks couldn't. Still, I'm quite impressed by this review, even though I strongly disgree with it.
Dec. 20, 2009, 1:30 a.m. CST
I liked it for the effects
by MattmanReturns
The 3D effects are the most amazing visual experience I've ever had in the theater, and that counts for a lot. The CG faces are the most expressive I've ever seen. The story unfortunately felt like it was going through the motions, and nothing was surprising there. The dialogue seemed pretty basic too, and Sam Worthington was just serviceable as the lead. Sigourney was outstanding. I wanted more Michelle Rodriguez. Giovanni did a good job as corporate douche. Stephen Lang was unforgivably two dimensional. So, it's flawed, but the technology is indeed gamechanging, and I felt as though I actually visited Pandora.
Dec. 20, 2009, 1:33 a.m. CST
The fact is, there is as much shitty dialogue
by GeneralJackCosmo
in the classic Star Wars trilogy as there is in Avatar. I am not saying it's better than classic SW...of course it is NOT...but don't let your nostalgic love of SW rewrite history: those movies weren't blessed with mind-blowing dialogue crafted for mature, sophisticated adults either. Those movies were great because they introduced us to a whole new universe, because they were so much pulp-flavored fun, and because they brought mythic storytelling into the space age. Not because the dialogue was written by a fucking master screenwriter.
Dec. 20, 2009, 1:34 a.m. CST
Dear lucasdefender
by YackBacker
If you read my other posts, then you would also know that I think AVATAR was nothing special. In fact, aside from what I would deem first-class special FX, I found AVATAR to be boring in many parts. I was ripping on the prequels initially for them being shown-up by WETA. But since you raised the prequels as an issue in general, let me elaborate on my tragic disappointment with those movies:
 Episode I- there was (as a brilliant YouTube series of reviews stated) no protagonist. No main character had a character arc either. Stuff happened and the characters were there for the ride. Second, the story was an affront to logic- so many instances of plotting making zero sense exist that it would take me hours to unpack. And I'll just ignore Jar Jar as well.
 Episode II- another missed opportunity. The love story is that film's biggest failing- a product of wretched acting and equally terrible dialogue. Obi Wan was good- but he couldn't save that movie. And the Clone battle was eye-popping but, like with Avatar, it became a visual feast with no meat. It was just razzle-dazzle. And I maintain that Yoda kicking ass actually diminished the mystery of that character. Imagine if they saved his skills for one epic fight v. Palpatine instead. Which brings me to...
 Episode III- Anakin's turn was messed up for me. Lucas went back and reshot large parts of the movie dealing with this issue- focusing on premonitions of Padme's death when Lucas' original concept was that Anakin was a power-hungry, arrogant dude. His whole speech on Mustafar was the original material, and I would have bought that more than the "I did it for love" angle Lucas tried to shoehorn into the movie. But whatever, that's my personal taste. Aside from that, a 30 minute-long duel at the end was too much- it got mind-numbing. By the time it ended, I was bored by the confrontation I had anticipated for decades. Sorry.
 The prequels lacked the genuine charm, fun and verve of the original movies. THE CLONE WARS show is much closer to the OT than the prequels. But that's not enough to save the prequels after the fact. I love STAR WARS- I will watch the prequels every so often just because it's STAR WARS, but I cannot kid myself into believing that anything in those 3 movies comes close to what the OT accomplished.
Dec. 20, 2009, 1:37 a.m. CST
I don't think Star Wars had shitty dialogue
by MattmanReturns
And my problem with some of Avatar's dialogue is it just felt so flat and serviceable, rather than natural. Cameron also hammers you over the head with what a character is thinking by having that character TELL YOU. It didn't kill the movie for me, but it made me wince a few times.
Dec. 20, 2009, 1:37 a.m. CST
That said, I do think Avatar is the best
by GeneralJackCosmo
sci-fi *adventure* movie since Return of the Jedi.
Dec. 20, 2009, 1:39 a.m. CST
Lucas saw Avatar and now he's going back to fix the Prequels.
by Orionsangels
Lucas says technology just wasn't there at the time. So for the bluray editions of Star Wars. Jar Jar will be redone, but now with Weta doing the effects.
Dec. 20, 2009, 1:39 a.m. CST
(Original Star Wars, btw, not prequels)
by MattmanReturns
Dec. 20, 2009, 1:41 a.m. CST
Orionsangels, has WETA mastered deleting shit?
by YackBacker
Because that's the only improvement that will fix Jar Jar.
Dec. 20, 2009, 1:41 a.m. CST
by GeneralJackCosmo
Seriously? Man, I love classic Star Wars...LOVE IT...especially Empire, which is probably my second favorite movie of all time, but the first one in particular has some TERRIBLE dialogue and some VERY wooden acting to boot.
Dec. 20, 2009, 1:49 a.m. CST
Star Wars is infinitely quotable
by MattmanReturns
Avatar is not. The only dialogue that made me smile slightly was some of Rodriguez's smacktalk in battle, and Signourney saying she wanted "a sample" when they bring her to the holy place. The rest of it was just flat. I still really liked the movie, but I'm a little disappointed it was so by-the-numbers.
Dec. 20, 2009, 1:52 a.m. CST
Anyone bitching about this movie getting Best Movie Awards
by Series7
/noms. Wait till you see that Smugfest that is Up in The Air.
 I've actually seen it this time. And there is a twist ending you can see coming a mile away and its fucking awful. Can't believe critics are eating that shit film up.
Dec. 20, 2009, 1:52 a.m. CST
by centilope
He fucked the best director of 2009. I'm not talking about Jason Reitman.
Dec. 20, 2009, 1:53 a.m. CST
And Mike Russell is full of shit
by MattmanReturns
Complaining about the sex scene? Saying that the whole theater was laughing? I call bullshit. For one thing, there is no sex scene. They make out and embrace, but no loincloths are snapped off. The scene fades out before we see the deed. It was very tastefully done.
Dec. 20, 2009, 1:54 a.m. CST
The thing I love most...
by badADD
about this movie is that as a father, i understand my 14 year old, tree hugging, vegetarian daughter a little better.
Dec. 20, 2009, 1:55 a.m. CST
Anyone watching True Lies in the past year?
by Series7
It looks pretty bad. Does not hold up at all.
 Really I can't see myself ever watching Avatar at home.
Dec. 20, 2009, 1:57 a.m. CST
RefutetheHype: I Don't Trust Religion...
by Media Messiah
...I trust God. I have to, because the other option, is no option. As far as those who do wrong in God's name, well, this is a holy war on a spiritual level, and according to Father Malachi Martin...who was close to a Pope in the 60s, he said that he and the then Pope believed that the Smoke of Satan had entered the Church, meaning satanists, had penetrated the Church at high levels. The enemy is now within, as predicted in The Book of Revelation (again, mention of the Smoke of Satan entering the Church is made there, the reference Father Martin was refering to). Have faith in the loving God, that is all you need, not the Church or holy men/women, they will only mislead you on purpose or by mistake. Trust in your own positive inner voice, and know that is the voice of God asking you to do what you already know to be the right thing.
Dec. 20, 2009, 1:59 a.m. CST
by TehCreepyThinMan
Tonight I went to see Avatar again with some friends from high school who wanted to see it in 3D. The 3D was cool but gave me a fucking headache for the last few hours. Now that the novelty has worn off, I can say that Avatar isn't a very good movie apart from the excellent technical work.

I stand by my initial assessment that Avatar is filled with characters that are nothing more then ciphers trudging through a cliché riddled snoozefest. The sign of a good movie is when you can watch it over and over again and although you know everything that's going to happen, you still feel the moments because the actors, the story and skill of the Director makes you feel it. It's like how you can watch Star Wars and feel everything that Luke is feeling when he's staring at the sunset on Tatooine. Or how the moment when Vader reveals he's Luke's father in Empire STILL gives you chills. There's nothing like those moments in Avatar.

There's nothing wrong with embracing clichés but if the people involved in making the movie don't invest the story and acting with enough earnestness then it just comes off as boring and predictable. There was absolutely NOTHING in this movie that surprised me. Everything was telegraphed well in advance. Not one single thing happened in this boring and expensive mess that made me go "OH SHIT!" or got me excited.

I think Speed Racer was a better fucking movie at this point and I HATED the original cartoon nor do I give a shit about racing AT ALL. But what the Wachowski's and the actors did was invest their, admittedly, clichéd story with enough personality and life that it made Speed Racer my favorite summer flick of 2008, even more so then The Dark Knight or Iron Man. I still can't fucking believe how much I love that movie.

As for Avatar, I wont be seeing it again at the theatre but will more then likely get the DVD for all the behind-the-scenes technical shit because I like that stuff. In regards to where Avatar fits in Cameron's oeuvre, I'd place it dead last after The Abyss and True Lies. This movie will NOT be remembered or mentioned in the same breath as The Terminator, Aliens or Terminator 2.

I am soo fucking disappointed.
Dec. 20, 2009, 2:01 a.m. CST
BadADD: You Are A Lucky Man To Have A Daughter...
by Media Messiah
...like that, and she is lucky to have a Dad like you!!!
Dec. 20, 2009, 2:01 a.m. CST
Sounds like that guy over thinked the movie
by Series7
Its big loud stupid simple and a lot of fun.
Dec. 20, 2009, 2:02 a.m. CST
by optimus122
After you said "I think Speed Racer was a better fucking movie at this point" I stopped reading.
Dec. 20, 2009, 2:02 a.m. CST
by TehCreepyThinMan
How a simple story, beautifully told, can make my heart sing.
Dec. 20, 2009, 2:02 a.m. CST
U wanna know the secret why Avatar is getting so much love?
by Orionsangels
This is just my theory, but it makes sense. Okay, think of all the 3D movies there's been. They've just about all been for kids. The first one I saw was Miley Cyrus in concert and the effect blew me away. I came out praising a crappy documentary about Miley Cyruss. It was the most amazing thing I ever saw in my life! Then we saw Bolt 3D and by the time we saw Monsters Vs Aliens in 3D. I was used to the 3D effect. Now who went to these movies and who actually went to the trouble to see them in 3D? Most theaters don't have 3D. You have to go out of your way to find a theater with a digital projection. So it was parents and kids. Most didn't even pay for the 3D versions. So guess what, most geeks didn't go to these movies. Most adults in general didn't go to these kids movies, let alone in 3D. Conan O'brien and Andy didn't go. Jimmy Kimmel didn't go. Lettermen. There first 3d movie was Avatar. Didn't you know London just got 3D with Avatar. They're seeing one of these 3D digital movies for the first time. That's why the brits are going crazy for it. Only it's not Miley Cyruss in concert. For them It's Avatar. I'd be blown away even more if it had been the first 3D movie I had seen. To Avatar was nice 3D, but I was used to it. One thing I don't like about the 3D either, is that it tints the movie and makes the colors look flat.
Dec. 20, 2009, 2:02 a.m. CST
Wait TehCreepyThinMan I lied
by Series7
You liked Speed Racer. You're OK in my book.
Dec. 20, 2009, 2:04 a.m. CST
Sorry RefutetheHype—the Ghandi 'fraud' has been
by blakindigo
disproven as politically motivated slander. He certainly had his demons and was known to be vain and surly at times. Unfortunately myths