Posted on 12/13/2009 6:52:26 AM PST by Borges
Watching "Avatar," I felt sort of the same as when I saw "Star Wars" in 1977. That was another movie I walked into with uncertain expectations. James Cameron's film has been the subject of relentlessly dubious advance buzz, just as his "Titanic" was. Once again, he has silenced the doubters by simply delivering an extraordinary film. There is still at least one man in Hollywood who knows how to spend $250 million, or was it $300 million, wisely.
"Avatar" is not simply a sensational entertainment, although it is that. It's a technical breakthrough. It has a flat-out Green and anti-war message. It is predestined to launch a cult. It contains such visual detailing that it would reward repeating viewings. It invents a new language, Na'vi, as "Lord of the Rings" did, although mercifully I doubt this one can be spoken by humans, even teenage humans. It creates new movie stars. It is an Event, one of those films you feel you must see to keep up with the conversation.
The story, set in the year 2154, involves a mission by U. S. Armed Forces to an earth-sized moon in orbit around a massive star. This new world, Pandora, is a rich source of a mineral Earth desperately needs. Pandora represents not even a remote threat to Earth, but we nevertheless send in the military to attack and conquer them. Gung-ho Marines employ machine guns and pilot armored hover ships on bombing runs. You are free to find this an allegory about contemporary politics. Cameron obviously does.
Pandora harbors a planetary forest inhabited peacefully by the Na'vi, a blue-skinned, golden-eyed race of slender giants, each one perhaps 12 feet tall. The atmosphere is not breathable by humans, and the landscape makes us pygmies. To venture out of our landing craft, we use avatars--Na'vi lookalikes grown organically and mind-controlled by humans who remain wired up in a trance-like state on the ship. While acting as avatars, they see, fear, taste and feel like Na'vi, and have all the same physical adeptness.
This last quality is liberating for the hero, Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), who is a paraplegic. He's been recruited because he's a genetic match for a dead identical twin, who an expensive avatar was created for. In avatar state he can walk again, and as his payment for this duty he will be given a very expensive operation to restore movement to his legs. In theory he's in no danger, because if his avatar in destroyed, his human form remains untouched. In theory.
On Pandora, Jake begins as a good soldier and then goes native after his life is saved by the lithe and brave Neytiri (Zoe Saldana). He finds it is indeed true, as the aggressive Col. Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang) briefed them, that nearly every species of life here wants him for lunch. (Avatars are not be made of Na'vi flesh, but try explaining that to charging 30-ton rhino with a snout like a bullet head shark).
The Na'vi survive on this planet by knowing it well, living in harmony with nature, and being wise about the creatures they share with. In this and countless other ways they resemble Native Americans. Like them, they tame another species to carry them around--not horses, but graceful flying dragon-like creatures. The scene involving Jake capturing and taming one of these great beasts is one of the film's greats sequences.
Like "Star Wars" and "LOTR," "Avatar" employs a new generation of special effects. Cameron said it would, and many doubted him. It does. Pandora is bevy largely CGI. The Na'vi are embodied through motion capture techniques, convincingly. They look like specific, persuasive individuals, yet sidestep the eerie Uncanny Valley effect. And Cameron and his artists succeed at the difficult challenge of making Neytiri a blue-skinned giantess with golden eyes and a long, supple tail, and yet--I'll be damned. Sexy.
At 163 minutes, the film doesn't feel too long. It contains so much. The human stories. The Na'vi stories, for the Na'vi are also developed as individuals. The complexity of the planet, which harbors a global secret. The ultimate warfare, with Jake joining the resistance against his former comrades. Small graceful details like a floating creature that looks like a cross between a blowing dandelion seed and a drifting jellyfish, and embodies goodness. Or astonishing floating cloud-islands.
I've complained that many recent films abandon story telling in their third acts and go for wall-to-wall action. Cameron essentially does that here, but has invested well in establishing his characters so that it matters what they do in battle and how they do it. There are issues at stake greater than simply which side wins.
Cameron promised he'd unveil the next generation of 3-D in "Avatar." I'm a notorious skeptic about this process, a needless distraction from the perfect realism of movies in 2-D. Cameron's iteration is the best I've seen -- and more importantly, one of the most carefully-employed. The film never uses 3-D simply because it has it, and doesn't promiscuously violate the fourth wall. He also seems quite aware of 3-D's weakness for dimming the picture, and even with a film set largely in interiors and a rain forest, there's sufficient light. I saw the film in 3-D on a good screen at the AMC River East and was impressed. I might be awesome in True IMAX. Good luck in getting a ticket before February.
It takes a hell of a lot of nerve for a man to stand up at the Oscarcast and proclaim himself King of the World. James Cameron just got re-elected.
Theater DLP’s are mostly if not all 3-chip designs, each with its dedicated color RGB with no color wheel.
The Dolby system adds a color wheel in front of the lens that is synched to the projector.
Blu-ray is going to have 3D and TV’s and Receivers in mid 2010 will start coming out supporting 3D and HDMI 1.4. So eventually home 3D Blu-ray will be common and I’m sure Avatar will be an early release for it.
Do you know the scheme home TVs will use for 3D? I suppose I should check wikipedia.
Is that a color wheel you’re talking about or a polarizing-filter wheel?
So far the home ones I’ve seen have been LCD shutter tech. I have a feeling that’ll probably stay the standard since I’m not sure if any non-multiple-projector system will be able to polarize the light. A color system may work if Dolby gets on it though.
There might even be multiple but compatible with Blu-ray types. We’ll see.
Lord of the Rings was a masterpiece in good vs. evil........in my lifetime, there will never be another one like it.
From what I've read of Avatar, well, screw it.........
Michael Medved comes to mind.......his should be good
....and homo. Not that that's a bad thing.
Ebert is married. And he’s been known to babble on about gratuitous female nudity in films.
Ebert’s a lib extremist.
Did Soros fund part of the film?
He’s making wads of cash on all the destruction Obama is doing, so I figure in brainwashing out kids with this film, I figure he’s profiting.
So was my ex-neighbor's ex-boyfriend who happened to have two daughters........My neighbor was a guy.
Ebert just seems like a garden variety Democrat. James Cameron is one of the few people who could get a film like this financed on his own.
Ebert is a Scientologist and married another Scientologist because he could not be gay and in the Church....al la Tom Cruise, John Travolta, Marilu Henner....and the list goes on.... The Church is like the Mob and ‘protects’ many of Hollywood’s gays...for a price....
Yup, me too. If Ebert likes it, I know it’s junk.
Where do you get that information? Ebert is Catholic and is not a Hollywood figure. As a critic he stands outside of the industry. He resides in Chicago all year long.
That’s a lot of great stuff you’re missing out on over the years.
I’m not much of a movie fan, so there’s little loss IMO. Just curious, what movies would you put in that category?
Just common sense. He’s been at it since the late 1960s. Hence he’s reccomended a lot of classics over the years.
Ah.
I lived and worked in Hollywood for a long time...he is a well known Scientol there. Many Hollywood figures ‘moonlight’ with other religions but pay homage...so to speak to Scientol.
As I said, he lives in Chicago. He’s very vocal about being a Chicagoan. I don’t know what they would know about him in California. I also live in Chicago and have never heard anything about that. He’s stated that he disdains ‘New Age’ beliefs and calls himself a Secular Humanist. I think you’re mistaking him with someone else.
Heard a report on NPR this morning about a process that can turn any 2D movie into 3D. Titanic’s producer, James Cameron, plans to produce a 3D version of Titanic.
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