As the hour drew near, I was getting restless. Will it be any good? Or will it be the biggest let down of this ending decade. I went on record (and by that I mean the radio) saying that I was not a fan of James Camerons direction. And while it led to a heated and fun debate with Steve, what I was trying to get at is this. While Cameron makes great movies (Aliens, Terminator, The Abyss, T2) I never feel that he has a style that sets him apart from any other average director. He just has the foresight and knowledge to push the technological boundaries of film making and that is why we love his movies.
Having said that, I was excited to see Avatar. I kept my pre-viewing knowledge base to a minimum. I didn’t want to know what it was about or even who was in it. So apart from the online trailer I did no research. And because of that, I won’t be telling you anything about the plot here. I want you to experience it like I did and enjoy every breathtaking moment of this groundbreaking masterpiece.
This is the movie of the year. Technologically it is the movie of the decade. Cameron has managed to raise the bar of what we can experience in a movie theatre. There is a lot of talk about the 3-D in this film. And yes it is amazing. It is unlike anything I have ever seen. But what truly makes this movie a masterpiece is the motion capture and computer animation. It is truly a thing to behold. After about 10 minutes you forget that what you are watching is not real. And when you see what I am talking about, you will understand.
Go and see this movie. And then go see it again. And then when you see it, imagine all the greatness that is going to come form this new style of filmmaking. And imagine how awesome it would have been if Lucas was this sort of visionary and tried something like this for episode 1. And then feel sad that all other upcoming action/sci-fi films are going to pale in comparison to Avatar.
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I think that Cameron’s primary skill as a storyteller is his ability to cover up his profound weakness as a storyteller. At his best (The Terminator, Aliens), one never pauses to question anything because he has such a firm grasp on pacing and visuals that we’re too busy trying to stop for air to give a damn about on-the-nose dialogue (though I find a Fulleresque quality to it) or flat characters. I found this like Star Wars, narratively bland and recycled but visually innovative and a display of striking imagination. I can’t overlook the fact that it’s the weakest script he’s written, but his visuals are also his strongest.
I wanted to make sure I saw the film myself before I chimed in with my two cents (which I’ll probably be chipping in later) but Jake, my thoughts on what you’re saying is that what you’re accusing James Cameron of doing is precisely what film does, what it is. The celluloid thunders along at 24 frames per second to create the illusion of movement, of action, and so to does action guru Jim Cameron. He just ploughs through his narrative to create the illusion of a cohesive narrative, filling in the gaps with emotion or action to carry along past whatever kind of “but what the heck was?…” kind of questions. The man knows film, and knows how to elicit an emotional response from it – and he does it well in this movie. BTW, I think you do it a serious disservice by comparing the narrative to Star Wars. Come on! Sully and Neytiri hanging in the jungle together rates on the same level as Anakin and Padmé flirting on Naboo around those balloon-like buffalo? Please!
I meant the real Star Wars, not that bullshit with the Jamaican space rabbit. The original Star Wars, like Avatar, is based on the archetypal hero myths detailed by Joseph Campbell. There are clear heroes and villains, even with a slight leeway allowed for some characters to waffle between good and bad. But the visuals are so brilliant that it doesn’t matter, and at times this action film, made with green screens and computers, matched the tone poetry of Baraka or Koyaanisqatsi. Like Star Wars, it will continue to be a feast of visual imagination long after its effects become commonplace.
As for the whole “I’m accusing Cameron” thing, I’m not sure what your point is. We seem to be in agreement: I praise Cameron for the same things you do, but there’s no denying that his best writing entrusts everything to his direction and sense of pacing. In Avatar, like T2 or Titanic, he occasionally halts all momentum for moments of pure exposition. Now, unlike those other two, Avatar’s pauses are often more interesting than the plot itself, the bits where he just explores this world he built from scratch are breathtaking.
I guess we’ll agree to agree then. You’re right when you talk about elemental/archetypal storytelling – it lasts forever because it’s always been here… uh, wait. It lasts forever because it draws on simple themes that transcend any timely backdrops that people want to ascribe to it. My worry about the visuals is that they might not keep their majesty when translated to the mundane world of traditional 2D.
Jamaican space rabbit?! Tremedous!
I dunno. I mean, I obviously need to see it in 2D to judge whether the 3D is a defining aspect of its creation. I certainly felt that it helped the illusion of stereoscopic vision better than all previous iterations by focusing on keeping the images within the frame as opposed to all that stuff reaching out at the audience gimmickry. Really, I think the biggest comedown will be seeing this on anything other than a screen bigger than oneself. I got to watch it on IMAX, which more or less invalidates the need to see it again, which is a shame because I really did enjoy the hell out of it. I’ll try to swing a second viewing at a closer, regular theater, but even on Blu-Ray it will just be brutal on home video.
I’m basing my 3D to 2D assumption on past experience with films like Coraline, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs and Up. All of them lost something when they were ported over to home video – the anaglyph style of 3D just can’t compete with the polarized technique used in theatres now. Granted, the three I’m talking about are all animated, but we can be honest and say that pretty much all of Avatar was animated as well. I’ve found that the best I can do to compensate for a smaller picture is to fill the gap with bigger sound – I don’t know if that’s gonna do the trick this time.