Movie: Avatar

2/15/10: "I saw Avatar and I was right..."

So, I did it. I spent the money to go see this "amazing film". My thoughts can be summed up in a single word: "Ehhhhhhhhhhh...." It really was what I expected. The visuals were great but there was not much to the story. It accomplished the "make an effect not look like an effect" effect really well, and that isn't easy to pull off. I think it deserves all the praise for being visually stunning because it is. 

Now with that said, I am really bothered by the hype this movie is getting. Some friends attribute this to my "not liking things everyone likes" but I don't think that is true. I just thought the story telling in this movie was blah. It was long and drawn out, it was a cliche take on classic story elements, the only great thing was the visuals. The fact that this movie is nominated for best picture is downright ridiculous. This is by no means best picture material. 

I want to give everyone a right to hold an opinion even if its wrong. Avatar deserves an Oscar for Best Picture in the same way that the Water World Stunt Spectacular deserves the Tony for Best Play. Sure, Water World took place on a stage, is performed live with actors, and is fun, but that doesn't make it the best play. Same with Avatar as a film: cool to look at, you walk out having enjoyed yourself, but not epic.

My conclusion, see it in the theater for the visuals (3D - IMAX is the way to go), buy it to show off your new flat screen TV. Other than that, this movie is blah. 

1/1/10: "I haven't seen it yet, but I have thoughts anyway..."

I'm sure you've heard about this little movie called Avatar, I sure have. Since the buzz over the movie started back when I was in High School and I have spent the last 2 weeks reading status updates saying it was great, you'd think I'd be excited. I'm not.

After asking everyone who has seen it about the story they say... ehhhhh. "Visually stunning" they say, but everything else is sub-par. I feel an obligation to see this in the theaters because it's "visually stunning", so there is a bit of a ticking clock. But, I want a good story!

So, it looks like James Cameron has taken the Pocahontas story and used it as a framework for a 3D adventure. Maybe I will gather the $20 to see this on an IMAX screen, or maybe I will pass. Time will tell.