Avatar Movie Review
So last Sunday afternoon Anna and I went with a small group to see Avatar in 3D.
My short summary is: FANTASTIC movie, I want to see it again in the theater before it goes to DVD.
Now, that is not to say I don’t have a few critiques to share, and if you haven’t yet seen this movie, you may not want to read any further. Just know that I think you SHOULD definitely go see this movie in the theater. If you can see it in 3D, that’s great, but I don’t think the 3D was so fantastic that you NEED to see it in 3D, though my color blindness may have played a factor in that.
OK, so the sort of in depth critique.
As many have said, you could hardly say this was an original story line. The story line of this movie has been covered so many times, both in fiction and non-fiction, and in real life that no one could possibly say this has an original story. But the way they pull it off makes up for that.
The story is basically that an unscrupulous and perhaps evil group of humans (British empire builders, American colonists, evil corporations etc) has invaded a wild country and is trying to remove/steal/connive a natural resource out from under the natives (native american, indian, aztec, mayan, african) who in this case happen to be 10 foot tall skinny blue people who wear very little in the way of clothes, act a lot like native Americans and Aborigines, have a lot in common with the Fremen (Dune) and the Aeil (Wheel of Time)
The thing the evil corporation (in this case) wants is an element that is only abundant on this particular planet. Now this is one of the things I didn’t like about this movie. They called this element the most corny, un-imaginative name they could possibly have found. “Unobtainium”. OK, I get it, the element is nearly unobtainable, except on this planet. But seriously, whoever first discovered this element, would not have known at the time of it’s discovery how unobtainable it would be, and unless it was discovered by an idiot, I find it highly doubtful that anyone would name it such a corny and stupid thing. I suppose it’s possible that they (the writers) called it that, so that they wouldn’t have to go into any detail on why it’s so important and valuable. Which they didn’t…. they gave absolutely NO detail on what it is and what it’s used for. All they said is that its the most valuable substance in the universe and that the share-holders want it.
The movie had a very clear and non-mistakable anti corporate greed moral going on. Which I was cool with.
It also had a very unmistakable Gaia/Mother Earth thing going on. Which I was also cool with.
I would like to have known more about how they came to develop the Avatar technology, specifically the technology that allowed them to transmit nervous system function from one body to another. They just kinda zoomed over that.
Anyway, so yeah. Great Movie, even with the few things that bugged me.
