I honestly think its way overrated...I saw it two days ago, in 3d...it was OK, but nowhere near as good as I was expecting it to be after listening to everyone talk about it and the reviews etc.

Thought it was too long, story dragged on for ages, and pretty boring if Im honest.

Yeah I think it will get huge sales when it's released on DVD. Everyone I know who's seen it has loved it. I really want to see it again, it's a long film but it didn't feel long for me because I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Yeah i wanna see it again, might do thursday/friday

the cheek of the cinema asking for the glasses back, i paid like 3quid for them! still got mine

HOPEFULLY! Going to see it tomorrow!
:)

Message to Cameron.

Here's a new idea for you... why not throw a couple of the million dollars you had at your disposal towards a top quality screenwriter and stop indulging your own ego in the same manner as Lucas? I'm tired of watching old hacks abusing archetypal storylines in such a dull and tired fashion, while they sit back, safe in the knowledge that dazzling eye candy will blind us to the vacuum that's found within these blockbusters.

It really was such a dumb and generic story.

I think all the criticism for the scripts originality is quite unfair. How many films made in the past 10 years are 100% original? Hell, there are theories that no film ever made is original, and can be traced back in some way to literature from centuries ago.

I loved the film. I’ve seen it twice. The second time around I had a new appreciation for the story. There is not a single moment of the film that goes to waste - one scene sets up the next or a later event perfectly. Being such an epic story, it’s hard to pack it all into one 3 hour film. It could have easily been split into two films or maybe three. Look at ‘Lord of the Rings’. Those three films could have been cut into one long epic, but it probably would have suffered the same critical backlash as Avatar is having right now. Avatar had to be stripped down to bare essentials in order to fit it into one movie.

The world that James Cameron created on ’Pandora’ is simply unparalleled. The attention to detail was staggering. I could have watched it all day, learning about this fascinating moon and its inhabitants. There was even a language of over 1000 words created especially for this movie, most of which were not used.

I don’t see this as a film - I see it as a cinematic experience that simply cannot be missed. You will not get the same effect on DVD. Seeing it in 3D at the cinema is the only true way to see this modern classic.

seriosly ours were free and we kept them lol

i jst downloaded it off the net coz i liked it so much ;)

Great visuals, unoriginal story. Thats hasnt stopped it from being the second highest grossing film of all time. For goodness sake James Cameron.

I don't think it's unfair at all to accuse it of being highly unnoriginal and lazy when it came to the storyline, with the whole thing basically being Pocahontas in space - they even had a Native American actor voicing the chief of the Smurfs for feck sake.

This had nothing new or interesting to say and was just a pitiful excuse for the spectacle that ensued. Contrast this with another movie that broke barriers, like Toy Story for instance, that had beautiful visuals as well as an engrossing and intelligent plot, with well rounded characters and an affecting conclusion. I honestly didn't give a toss who lived or died in Avatar because it was so by the numbers and uninvolving on an emotional or intellectual level.


A+ for visuals, D- for story.

How did you download it? I've been looking how to download it for ages, but only way i can get it is if i pay £12 to get the avatar music album..

I repeat, how many films made in the past 10 years are 100% original? You're right to point out 'Toy Story', it really was the last original mainstream film made, and has been used as a template for many of the dreadful modern animations today. But going back to 'Avatar', I think that a simple storyline was for the best. It's set in such a complex world that a complex story would have killed it. It certainly wouldn't have been the success at the box office that it has been so far.

Cameron is a shamelessly mainstream director. I doubt he ever intended this film to be an Oscar contender. The fact that it is, despite the originality dispute, really says something.

As for the characters, I guess it’s all down to personal opinion. If you disliked the film as a whole, you’re bound to dislike the characters. Personally, I felt a great deal of loyalty to the Na’vi. I was devastated when they were losing the war towards the end. I felt sympathy for Tsu’tey, despite originally coming across as the villain. And I think Neytiri was beautifully acted by Zoe (lastname?) which made me believe in her character all the more.

I was going to see it today but it was booked up! at the time me and my bf wanted to go so we went to see st trinians instead. I have not been to the pictures in months but it cost us bloody £6.70 each!

You're not understanding me here. Of course every film can be traced back to an original, archetypal storyline, but unfortunately for Avatar it never deviated from that tired formula, with the end result being a thoroughly predictable movie that had nothing new or imaginative to say. Contrast this with District 9, a film that dealt with the same themes but used a totally new and interesting approach. That's what I look for in a film; not a hackneyed, preachy, single layered message movie that was basically an excuse for the visuals.

And criticizing a masterpiece like Toy Story is a no no in my book! lol

Well at least we agree that 'Toy Story' is a masterpiece :hello:

As far as the formula is concerned, maybe you're right, but I don’t think go can expect anything different from a Hollywood blockbuster, and I think the whole argument is irrelevent these days as everything seems to have been done. It did have quite strong environmental messages though without coming across as preachy, which is very rare in this day and age. It seems that you can either call it a simple story that‘s just ‘excuse for visuals’ or as a compelling story that utilises its special effects. I’d call it the latter.

‘District 9’, although thoroughly entertaining, again cannot be described as original either. It, like ‘Avatar’, is grouped in with the sci-fi genre, which I do not entirely agree with although it is understandable. ‘District 9’ is closer to a ‘body horror’ than simply a ‘sci-fi’. And if 'Avatar' is criticised for being predictable, 'District 9' can be for the very same reason.

When have you seen a film like District 9 before? Nothing is ever entirely original but District 9 dealt with a theme in a totally new and refreshing way, that was completely unpredictable, whereas I knew what was going to happen in Avatar from the get go. It never tried anything different or interesting.

Avatar was Pocahontas and the Mission combined. It had literally nothing to say... actually, I don't really remember anything they said that was worth remembering. Don't let the visuals blind you to a bankruptcy of thought or intellect in the scriptwriting process. It's still worth watching and a masterpiece on the technical side of things, but the story was pants.

Have you ever seen any body horror films of the 1980's? District 9 was practically the same formula in a completely different setting. Isn't that your argument against Avatar? Pocahontas in space?

That's not it at all. I've never seen a film like District 9 before, that dealt with certain themes in a sci fi setting, and did so in a totally fresh and exciting narrative style, that challenged me as a viewer. Avatar on the otherhand basically cut and pasted an old tired narrative structure to a fantasy enviroment, without adding anything new to proceedings.

The fantasy environment wasn't adding anything to the proceedings?

I think we're going down the wrong path here. I'm not claiming Avatar to be an original film and can totally see the Pocohontas comparisons. Despite this, I still found it to be a great cinematic experience, and I think Cameron's vison of Pandora and special effects should be given more credit. They are not used mindlessly just for the sake of it. They are used to represent this complex world. All I'm saying is that there have been so many cases similar to this in recent years that the whole argument of originality has become (or is becoming) irrelevent. Avatar, due to it's high profile director, use of new technology and record breaking box office takings has therefore taken the flack for modern day scriptwriting failures. Hence why I called it unfair in the first place.

I think how you choose to illustrate a certain theme, story or subject is hugely important and unfortunately Avatar failed miserably in this area. The story outline is irrelevant here; its the method and creativity that's important and unfortunately Cameron was only concerned in the technical and visual aspects of the film. It's a by the numbers copy of Pocahontas, with a bit of the Mission thrown in. Terribly dull.

And it's not a complex or original world either - it borrows heavily from Native American and African culture and spirituality which was actually quite cringey for me to watch, especially when the chanting started and all of that nonsense. I mean, how transparent can you get? Might as well have tatooed I'm The Bad Guy on the commanders forehead. It was just a very tired narrative which never attempted to challenge the viewer. Leave your brain at the doorstep kinda film.

i need to go see it at pictures in 3d, my mate told me it was amazing and the only way to watch the film, he said the characters are as though their stood right next to you

Youtube

The music? It's the worst score I've ever heard. Seriously.

The best film of the last 5 years !