Thoughts on Avatar?

[Phoenix]

Ok, I went to see Avatar with my husband last night (since he hadn't seen it yet). And the 7 pm showing at the IMAX was sold out! This despite it being a month and a half since the movie was released.. So we ended up watching the later showing instead.

Avatar introduces a beautiful new environment (especially in 3D), and it has lots of big explosions to keep those that like them happy.. It also has a love story that unfolds throughout the movie. But overall I get the impression that the general plot of the movie is something I've seen before.. and not just from watching the Avatar movie once before when it first came out. After some searching I realized that the plot was taken from Kevin Costner's Dances With Wolves, along with a couple of other movies. Only the Native Americans are large and blue in this movie, and it takes place on an alien world rather than in America. But other than that the plot is very similar.

Having said that it's definitely not a bad movie. Perhaps not quite worth the 14 dollars a piece we had to pay for IMAX tickets, but..

So I recently read that Avatar has sailed up to be the single most watched movie of all times, or at least will be very shortly based on how popular it still is after all this time. Which makes me wonder if flashy graphics is really that much more important than an intruiging and original plot? And yes I know that sometimes movies are bound to have to reuse old plots. But normally these movies don't do quite as well as Avatar has.

[Jagna]

Hm...I saw Avatar for the first time with my Dad and sister, in 2D mind, and we came out with big grins on our faces going 'OMG that was amazing!' The graphics were indeed amazing, in fact there were times I couldn't tell if it was visual FX or make-up

Then I went to see it again with my boyfriend and a few others. A few things to mention here:
-It was very late and we were all very tired
-It was the Digital 3D (not IMAX)
-......we were in the second row. Ow, my neck
And I've got to say, it didn't wow me as much the first time. I did notice the amazing scenery a little more this time, and concentrated a little more on comparing the humans and the Navi for the heck of it. But yeah, not as OMGHOWCOOL as the first time. It didn't help that the Kuwait Cinema Censorship company cut out the most random s*** that it wouldn't have made much sense if it had been the first time I'd seen it.

Plus, digital 3D ain't all that. In fact, we had to take the glasses off repeatedly because of the headaches...and neck aches. And get this: my boyfriend fell asleep on my shoulder....what does that tell you about his opinion on his second viewing? He loves the movie, but I do think how you watch it has an effect.

Personally, I think there's too much choice. I wasn't even aware you could see it in any other view than NORMAL XD

[Lady Venom]

Not a fan. Lotsa biology fail, animal fail (those eyes are for night time, really) The tail wasn't in the right place for it to be realistic, and the females and the meaning of how they mated...too much utter fail for my liking.

[Optimal Optimus Primal]

I loved it. I only saw it in Digital 3D because the closest IMAX theater to me is an hour and a half to two hours away. I have no problems watching 3D movies in the DLP projection. I thought Avatar was incredibly beautiful visually. The story may have been one that has been done over and over but the fact that we screw everything up (from the planet and ecosystems and tribes, being greedy and taking what we think is ours with force) still opens my eyes and tugs on my heart. I loved how the Avatar were connected to everything on their planet, spiritually and physically.

Amazing sound effects and incredible graphics. It was unlike any movie I have seen before.

And the 7 pm showing at the IMAX was sold out! This despite it being a month and a half since the movie was released..

I had no idea it was still in theaters, but it doesn't surprise me with all of its success.

[Razor One]

The Terrans (Starcraft) invade Nagrand with wraiths, battlecruisers and drop ships. The native "Sioux" tribe retreat to Zangramarsh. After entering "The Matrix" the crippled actor hero (Kevin Cosner) as Lt. John Dunbar, discovers he once again has use of his legs. Soon, he meets a woman named "Stands in Partial Clothing" and falls in love with her. "Stands in Partial Clothing" saves our hero from her father "Powhatan" and our hero becomes an honorary chief of the Algonquian tribe; saving Jamestown from starvation.

The evil Western-Civilization archetype humans, led by the Haliburton Corporation, and commanded by Alexei Stukov, are seeking an impossibly rare and coveted substance "cheap oil." The Terrans launch a full-scale war against nature and destroy the World Tree. No wisps come to the rescue. Realizing that fresh Imperial forces are coming and that defeat is inevitable should a second battle occur, the surviving Samurai, er... natives resolve to make a final mounted charge. They attack but are cut to pieces by Japanese cannons and Machine guns. Tom Cruise is wounded.

At one point in the story our hero obtains expert riding and gets a flying mount. Later he obtains Artisan riding and an epic mount whom he names "Shadowfax."

In a touching twist, Fern Gully is saved by nature itself, by stampeding Clefthoofs that have been brought back from extinction by DNA found in mosquitos. The clefthoofs stampede the Goliaths, er... Mechs, and the Ents rise up and march against Isengard. There are a lot of heroic flying combat scenes (which last until the 3.30 patch knockback nerf) and at one point the Super Star Destroyer goes crashing into the Death Star.

We don't get to see Sigourney Weaver (Aliens) in a mech fighting the Alien queen this time, but we do get to see her become one with nature, or Pantheist. Tom Cruise does not approve of this change in her religion. Jim Raynor appears in a cameo inside one of the mechs near the end of the film.

In the end, a Huron kills Cora. Furious, Magua drives his Tomahawk into Uncas. Uncas manages to kill Cora's murderer before he dies. Magua tries to escape but the scout is finally able to shoot him. The next day, funeral services are held for the "last Mohican".

History became legend, legend became myth and some things that should not have been forgotten, became Avatar.

Lifted shamelessly from the World of Warcraft forums because it's hilarious.

That being said I also saw it in one of my rare bouts of free time and enjoyed it. The story is formulaic but in reality there are no original plots left in the world. Every story told is just like every other story told with the particulars and setting varied.

I've only seen it once, but that's more due to me being poor both in terms of finances as well as time.

However, if it's original plots you're after, I recommend Farscape. Oh it has it's formulaic episodes as well, but it manages to mangle and twist the archetypes to nigh unrecognisability.

**Promptly vanishes in a cloud of smoke to appear next when you least expect it**

Muahahaha! Muahahahahaha! Muahahahaha... damnit!

**exits stage left**