Quasi-Movie Review: Avatar (2009)
Hhmmm. Never had difficulty writing a movie review before. But I literally just got home from seeing Avatar. The plan was to see The Wolfman remake, but believe it or not it was sold out. So the wife and I sucked it up and decided to gamble 3 hours of our lives and check it out. We both left the theater feeling very “Meh”. Its not a bad movie by any means. Per se. It just didn’t “blow my mind” as I was promised. Here’s what I think happened:
1. I try very hard to avoid the hype a movie generates before I get a chance to see it. It was fucking impossible to avoid the hype for Avatar. Avatar wrote a big check that it was unable to cash.
2. I just didn’t find the 3-D all that amazing. I was told by countless people that “you will be transported to the planet Pandora … you’re gonna feel like you’re on that planet flying around.” Didn’t happen. Were the f/x great? Hell yes. Visually the movie was stunning. I’m not knocking it on that. But never was I “transported” to Pandora. My wife even said that the preview for Piranha 3-D had cooler looking 3-D f/x than Avatar. In fact many times I felt like I was watching a really cool video game. I don’t wanna feel that way!!! And I’m sorry, but as beautiful as Pandora was, it looked like the cover art of a Yes album from the 1970′s by Roger Dean. Roger; I hope you got a royalty check!!
3. The story was lame and lazy. Damn Cameron; couldn’t you have put a little more into the story??? I knew exactly what was gonna happen every step of the way. There wasn’t one surprise this entire flick. You knew who was gonna live, who was gonna die, that Jake was gonna ride that big old red bird, that Jake was gonna be “The Chosen One”, etc … And the speech Jake gives The People …. yeah, it was pretty much the exact same speech as in Braveheart. This is just a typical Cameron flick: the bad guys are really bad; the good guys are really good; and the main character has a change of heart and becomes one of the “good.” Lazy storytelling here people.
4. I wasn’t sure, but I think Cameron was trying to give us some kind of message here … I’m not 100% sure. Can you HEAR my sarcasm?? I’ve never been hit over the head so hard by a one-note message in my life!!! Nancy Reagan’s “Just Say No” had more room for interpretation. Humans are evil people who raped and killed the earth and are now doing it to another planet. The Na’vi are good creatures of nature who are not only “in tune” with their planet, but who can actually “become One” with the planet by literally plugging into it. We get it James. Sheesh. But what is so funny about the message is that it becomes a little mixed up at the end (unintentionally, I’m sure). The Na’vi can, like I said literally plug into nature. They can plug into trees, vines, and even other creatures. But then they jump onto them and ride them around and command them. So isn’t that more of the Na’vi CONTROLLING nature than becoming One with nature? Again; maybe I’m reading too much into it. It is, after all, first and foremost an “eye candy flick”…
5. … and this is the last problem I have with Avatar. Its all flash and no bang. Many people told me “its an awesome flick … visually it is amazing, just don’t expect much from the plot.” How can a movie be “amazing” if it has a shitty plot? Are we really coming down to this people? I know we have a shallow culture, but when we start not caring whether a movie has a plot or not; well that’s pretty much the End of Days in my book!!!
Cameron has proven himself a pretty amazing technical filmmaker. His f/x advances in Terminator 2 and The Abyss were ground breaking. But he needs to start paying more attention to what makes a great movie a GREAT movie: the plot and the characters. Avatar really has neither. You know how Jake’s character is going to end up from the very opening scenes. Is Avatar a good movie? Of course it is. Is it a great movie? Far from it. I’m sure i’m in the vast minority here. I expect a lot from my movies and when someone has a budget of a small country to spend on a movie I want it all … great f/x, great plot, great characters, and just great fun. Lets get back to the basics of filmmaking Mr. Cameron!!!!
The world of Pandora ...
... the world of Roger Dean
Holy S**T Roger Dean made a movie and I did not know about it, damn! Just goes to show you the power of the Cameron hype machine! I agree Avatar is all flash and little substance. The plot or lack there of is the overused stanger in a strange land falls for his enemy and becomes one of them after experiencing the grace and beauty of this “foreign” culture underseige. Blah blah blah blah blah. Wicked Awesome CGI + Hellish Unorginal Story = Spectacle NOT Great Cinema!
Well put Bill. I’m guessing Cameron spent about 4 hours on fleshing out and writing the story and a decade on getting the visuals thevway he wanted them. I wasn’t even impressed with the 3-D!!! I was disappointed & unimpressed in every possible way.
But tell me I’m wrong in that Pandora didn’t look like a Yes album cover!!!
Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe ’89 Cover to be exact… http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:AndersonBrufordHowe.jpg
Roger Dean needs to start collecting his royalties NOW!
Did you see Avatar Bill? Am I being too hard on it? Was I expecting too much? I really didn’t care for it and wouldn’t recommend it to anyone.
I saw it and I agree 100% with you as I said in my comments it is spectacle and not a movie. At best it is a video game with great graphics that lacks a plot. Great shoot’em up fun but once you tire of the graphics you stop playing or in this case watching. It will become a landmark film for graphics technology but that is about it. Damn at least TRON had a better plot than this crap or The Lawnmower Man for that matter! Those also were both technically before their time. Even The Abyss was better and that proves Cameron can do way better with plot and story than he did here.
Ouch ….. you’re giving TRON the upper hand compared to Avatar!! LOL Take THAT Cameron. And you hit it on the head with Cameron …. he’s proven he can do better. The Abyss is an amazing movie that has tons of action and also has a rather aggressive message too. But I never felt “clobbered” by the message in The Abyss!!! You better make one helluva great next movie James!!!
I know I am a little late with this reply but I want to thank you for letting me know why I kept thinking Pandora looked so familiar to me? I thought has this been used in another movie at some time or??? When I read your review I said “GEEZ” that is it! YES or A.B.W.H was very popular in my home and this slbum cover was hanging in huge poster form that I would see often. Thank you! One other thing…. Cameron could have developed a better plot if he hadn’t been so focused on sending another Hollywood political message. Hollywood should stick to entertaining us – after all that is why folks go to the movies!
Great point!! I know I go to the movies to be entertained. Can’t tell you the last time I saw a drama, romantic comedy, or period piece. They’re about as entertaining as a root canal!! Horror is one of the last genres where the movies are there to totally entertain. Its not the fact the Avatar HAD a message or what the message was; its that Cameron pounded that goddamn message over our heads for what felt like 6 hours!!! Humans are evil; indigenous peoples are good and in touch with the earth; blah blah blah. I totally agree that we need to get more in touch with nature, but for fucks sake Cameron …. ever hear of subtlety???
Sounds like you had an awesome home if there were big posters of Yes hanging all over.