Right, this is the big one. I will try to keep it a little shorter than an encyclopedia. So, finally, I managed to see Avatar. And it gets better. I saw it in 3D which for me is like taking a pair of skis for a test run... in Morocco.
But I was surprised, and I do mean genuinely surprised. When my friend suggested seeing it in 3d I obviously thought he had lost it completely and I would have to spend the next few decades visiting him in a mental institution. But let's keep calm, children, for I saw the future today. Now, don't think I have lost it as well, because the last time I saw anything in 3d was at the IMAX more than 5 years ago. Luckily for all of us, people have actually done stuff since then and the experience was thoroughly enjoyable. Sure, my eyes were a tad tired afterwards and occasionally the corners of the screen went slightly blurry. But truth be told, I couldn't give a toss.
What I did care about were the limitations of the screen. When it comes to something so visually extraordinary, whale-length inches x mammoth-width inches cinema screen simply isn't big enough I'm afraid. And I was sat in the front half of the theatre. I wanted the screen to consume me, I wanted the guy in front of me to chop off his head as it sometimes rammed into my bubbly dream. I wish it could have been just me in the cinema, so I could wander up to the screen and stand there gazing in awe, feeling part of the whole thing. And I am not putting make-up on a minger here, it simply was visually outstanding. In a class of its own. Maybe, being a designer and highly influenced by graphic design, I am inadequate in judging this objectively, but sod it! Like I said before, I don't intend to be a professional film critic here... It looked absolutely stunning!
Best film I have seen this year? I would have to say no, because for me to make that judgement I would have to compare it to other films, which is quite impossible as it simply IS in a league of its own. The plot was... well "epic", as my friend suggested after the film. It had to be, otherwise it would have given it the feel of a cartoon. And this certainly was no cartoon. Matrix meets LOTR meets Star Wars meets Jurassic Park is the closest I can do and I am still miles from what it was. There is just no way of describing it to be frank. So do yourself a favor and see for yourself.
Lets talk about acting. Sam Worthington (Jake Sully) did alright. The only reason for me to be so modest is the "slight hunch" that he did not do the motion capture scenes himself. Zoe Saldana (Neytiri) the same. I liked the accent the whole way through and that combined with the african rhythms, which accompanied the tribal scenes throughout just took me somewhere else. I was impressed Giovanni Ribisi's work as Parker Selfridge. Never mind the suggestive name that accidentally implies selfishness, he did his part proud and I thought he managed to create a sub-layer to the character. Well done indeed.
What else is there... soundtrack - epic. That's all I can say. Camerawork and screenplay.. actually, wait! I'm gonna stick with this. Combined with the 3d, the way scenes were shot really involved the user in the scene, in the situation. And for this, I think credit is due. Cameron did well. As epic as the Titanic was and as visually great as the Terminator trilogy was, this simply tops it all for me. I'd take this over them, and maybe due to the heat of the moment, any other film any day of the week. I simply enjoyed it that much. I could easily have spent another 3h in the theatre carrying on watching it. At which point I just don't understand why instead of doing three films of the Terminator, couldn't they focused their efforts in making Avatar, say, 9h long? I would not have objected and I do not think anyone else would have. Maybe it was because the graphics team would have died of old age before they finished. Then again beauty demands a sacrifice...
I recommend it a thousand times over and let me just say that if this doesn't bring home the golden men I will actually start a riot. Even if it's a riot of one.
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