tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2208890564265615027.post3660934332292141614..comments2024-03-08T19:47:41.485+11:00Comments on Ascii Dreams: Review: AvatarAndrew Doullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11099404183952971291noreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2208890564265615027.post-40329677815590776362009-12-25T02:43:02.136+11:002009-12-25T02:43:02.136+11:00The movie felt like Fern Gully crossed with Aliens...The movie felt like Fern Gully crossed with Aliens.<br /><br />If you analyze the plot, characterizations, etc. I can see how you could be disappointed; this isn't a movie that's particularly mentally stimulating.<br /><br />I don't really understand why some commenters are angry to see someone state his opinion about a movie, if I want a professional review I will look for one elsewhere. I also skipped this post before seeing the movie, assuming that it would have spoilers or even hints at spoilers.<br /><br />*** spoilers below ***<br /><br />I enjoyed it quite a bit, but I see a lot of the plot-stealing / trite racial politics you point out. I would have liked the film better if it tried to really psychologically explore the themes of having a doppleganger and the whole "connectedness to nature" thing. The enjoyment I got was more visceral; a sci-fi action movie that's done well, with plenty of lasers and explosions and all that jazz.<br /><br />I wouldn't expect anything more from Cameron than lasers and explosions done well. However, plot-wise and character-wise I enjoyed Aliens a lot more because of a more interesting combination of characters and a more hopeless situation that really highlighted their traits and forced the plot forward.<br /><br />The situation between the humans and Na'vi felt like it was forced into escalation more by plot device than by characters' real motivations. I would have expected more of a protracted, uneasy standoff than the genocidal assault the humans brought.<br /><br />I find it kind of amusing that the showdown battle was an almost exact inversion of the showdown battle in Aliens.nihilocrathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09111150154452412140noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2208890564265615027.post-66105714919534843852009-12-24T09:23:53.849+11:002009-12-24T09:23:53.849+11:00I am probably going to see Avatar some time soon -...I am probably going to see Avatar some time soon - I will be interested to see for myself. If it is half as entertaining as your review, I will consider that money well spent.<br /><br />Oh, and I am unsubscribing from your RSS feed and never reading your blog again ;)Nickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07923262851958039182noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2208890564265615027.post-57895711078837104232009-12-24T08:06:51.203+11:002009-12-24T08:06:51.203+11:00Just wanted to post saying that I agree with your ...Just wanted to post saying that I agree with your review, especially regarding the way "humans" were cast. While it's hard to get things like that right, it's easy to get them less-wrong.<br /><br />I felt bad seeing Avatar because I didn't want to support the gigafilm industry, but I do enjoy seeing the 3D aspects and computer animation, which you really only get on huge budgets. I do think those improvements showed.<br /><br />I haven't noticed becoming acclimated to the 3D effects--they still seem cool even late in the movie.d_mhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03125253426078740386noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2208890564265615027.post-70384887229343246672009-12-23T22:19:37.290+11:002009-12-23T22:19:37.290+11:00I actually find that 3d films give me headaches an...I actually find that 3d films give me headaches and dizziness after about 10 mins.<br /><br />And I *do* appreciate your opinion, mostly on RL stuff, but I certainly don't object to a film review. It is less scathing than some of my friend's reviews. Keep up the good work, just don't pull that spoiler nonsense again.The Mud Hutterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01888716804846246430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2208890564265615027.post-85222154865745589132009-12-23T14:43:37.283+11:002009-12-23T14:43:37.283+11:00Sci-fi and fantasy being incompatible because of t...Sci-fi and fantasy being incompatible because of their definitions is misleading, since obviously Avater did it, for better or for worse (and numerous films and other media did it before them), and the definitions don't say whether that particular mix will be good or bad, only if it will be possible. You'll have to judge each take on the sci-fi/fantasy thing to evaluate, individually, instead of over-generalizing.<br /><br />Nobody minds your opinion here! The problem is just the way it's presented. I said its tone is similar to the one in many so-called professional reviews, because of the high subjectivity and the deliberate attempts at making fun of the movie. Many of the guys at IMDB are so full of themselves simply because they can snort at other people's work; I say, recognize them as a crowd not worth being a part of and have less uncalled for senseless picking in your day.Jotafhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11804130701206652599noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2208890564265615027.post-15478144345550072842009-12-23T08:50:47.182+11:002009-12-23T08:50:47.182+11:00Ken Oh: Re: African. I suspect it was the casting ...Ken Oh: Re: African. I suspect it was the casting of so many African Americans as aliens, and so few as humnas. See http://www.talkingsquid.net/archives/1172Andrew Doullhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11099404183952971291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2208890564265615027.post-72373042651268524662009-12-23T08:47:51.488+11:002009-12-23T08:47:51.488+11:00Roger: I found the 3D exciting and interesting for...Roger: I found the 3D exciting and interesting for the first 10 minutes or so until my eyes adjust, and then I stop noticing it at all... I'd be interested in hearing if anyone else experiences this.Andrew Doullhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11099404183952971291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2208890564265615027.post-28763064154965676652009-12-23T08:10:56.164+11:002009-12-23T08:10:56.164+11:00I enjoyed the movie overall, but I'm sucker fo...I enjoyed the movie overall, but I'm sucker for 3D stuff. I don't mind turning off my brain for a couple hours while I enjoy the eye candy.<br /><br />The plot was predictable. The environmentalist stuff was too preachy toward the end, and many elements of the story felt contrived.<br /><br />For some reason I loved the Colonel. His character was ridiculously over the top, but he made me chuckle at just the right moments when the action sequences were otherwise starting to bore me.<br /><br />*Spoiler Warning* Oh, and the protagonist *does* die at the end. Sortof. You'll probably see it coming from a mile away.RogerNhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07614114969755516694noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2208890564265615027.post-79154443565015606282009-12-23T07:19:58.933+11:002009-12-23T07:19:58.933+11:00Jotaf: You can't mix fantasy and Sci Fi becaus...Jotaf: You can't mix fantasy and Sci Fi because by definition having fantasy in something prevents it being Sci Fi. I want to write a longer piece on this but unless the silent majority want to read it it's clear from the reaction here, readers don't appreciate a blogger actuallly having an opninion. (which is why I've resisted expressing mine as a rule). As for the tone of the piece, this movie is James Cameron's the Phantom Menace and I haven't read anyone calling out that fact.<br /><br />Hmm... I sound a bit shrill in the previous paragraph. Blame the limitations of typing on the train to work...<br /><br />And if you could point to an objective test to establish whether a movie was good (as opposed to e.g. Making money) I'd love to know.Andrew Doullhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11099404183952971291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2208890564265615027.post-10722279861855770232009-12-23T02:38:31.852+11:002009-12-23T02:38:31.852+11:00Pretty shitty review.
The movie may have been pr...Pretty shitty review. <br /><br />The movie may have been predictable, overly simplistic, an inaccurate allegory of the European conquest of the Americas (not sure why it pointed you to Africa) and needlessly anti-military, but it was still an enchanting experience overall. <br /><br />Please start another blog if you want to write about this kind of stuff.Ken Ohhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16752712003757748260noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2208890564265615027.post-85908178511797134342009-12-22T10:54:08.566+11:002009-12-22T10:54:08.566+11:00I don't wanna go there, but IMO mixing fantasy...I don't wanna go there, but IMO mixing fantasy with sci-fi doesn't necessarily make something bad. I didn't say you had to be objective, I said you'd be taken a lot more seriously if you at least tried, instead of giving up right away (since nobody can be objective, it seems) and wallowing in subjectivity. That's like the nihilist take on science in that it all branched out from some set of simple but unprovably correct observations (ie, logic) and thus all science is unprovable and it's all hopeless, oh noes. At least try.Jotafhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11804130701206652599noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2208890564265615027.post-44207970958800884942009-12-22T09:08:47.526+11:002009-12-22T09:08:47.526+11:00To be clear to everyone: I would have walked out o...To be clear to everyone: I would have walked out of Avatar after 20 minutes or so if my wife hadn't bought me the tickets and was sitting next to me. The last movie I walked out of was Stargate. There's just something about fantasy dressed up as Sci Fi that gets to me...Andrew Doullhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11099404183952971291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2208890564265615027.post-71214204208434688412009-12-22T09:05:06.245+11:002009-12-22T09:05:06.245+11:00Jotaf: you might want to read some of the other &#...Jotaf: you might want to read some of the other 'reviews' on this site... It also sounds like you're labouring under the misconception that there is such a thing as an objective opinion. Any reviewer that doesn't highlight the subjectivity of their review is being dishonest.Andrew Doullhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11099404183952971291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2208890564265615027.post-13074044953901523552009-12-22T08:13:14.960+11:002009-12-22T08:13:14.960+11:00I liked the movie...
Also, I always avoid readin...I liked the movie... <br /><br />Also, I always avoid reading anything regarding a movie until *after* I have seen it, so that I can have my own impression :P<br /><br />I dont see a readon to get mad at Andrew, it was everybody choice to read it.Slashiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18257433342296286409noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2208890564265615027.post-4504001673769510172009-12-22T02:52:45.093+11:002009-12-22T02:52:45.093+11:00No matter how bad you think the film is, and how t...No matter how bad you think the film is, and how true that statement may be, you fell into the trap that every "professional" movie reviewer falls -- the review is loaded with subjective remarks, some of them attempting to be funny (like a stand-up comedian picking on the movie...) and it *shows*. After realizing the level of subjectivity, bad feelings and desire for attention in a review I simply cannot take it seriously. Like with many other similar reviews of previous movies, I later found that the guy simply clung onto a few ignorable quirks and milked them to the fullest in order to provide an "entertaining" review. Don't be like that, it's not like you need it, try to be objective and present valid points that apply to the whole movie instead of one tiny scene, without humiliating the actors and trying to be all outrageous and funny and whatever.Jotafhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11804130701206652599noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2208890564265615027.post-50355017882981949572009-12-22T01:56:55.869+11:002009-12-22T01:56:55.869+11:00That was not cool. I'm unsubscribing from you...That was not cool. I'm unsubscribing from your RSS feed and won't be visiting again.Erichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10174553756875393507noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2208890564265615027.post-67263062608621827312009-12-22T01:55:43.340+11:002009-12-22T01:55:43.340+11:00This comment has been removed by the author.Erichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10174553756875393507noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2208890564265615027.post-77020647151589389792009-12-21T15:01:10.882+11:002009-12-21T15:01:10.882+11:00I like your spoiler warning, Andrew. Disappointing...I like your spoiler warning, Andrew. Disappointing it turned out to be not realIanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02891156507713978015noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2208890564265615027.post-38032485491928812222009-12-21T13:14:18.623+11:002009-12-21T13:14:18.623+11:00My ire sprang from the belief that you had spoiled...My ire sprang from the belief that you had spoiled what would obviously be a key point or twist to the ending, and a large redeeming feature of the (reportedly weak) plot. That is far more frustrating than many inklings of the general storyline, which, as most of my friends have reported, is predictable enough that you can see where it's going anyway.<br /><br />So, thank you for not spoiling it (given your obvious understanding of gameplay, it did surprise me), but no thanks for making me *think* you had. The spoiler may have been fake, but the feelings invoked were not!The Mud Hutterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01888716804846246430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2208890564265615027.post-42993798127043215252009-12-21T09:18:48.770+11:002009-12-21T09:18:48.770+11:00Kikito: I unfortunately suspect on one level this ...Kikito: I unfortunately suspect on one level this movie is actually about a war between white people and black people, painted blue as to not offend anyone...Andrew Doullhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11099404183952971291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2208890564265615027.post-20702503508423704282009-12-21T09:13:55.831+11:002009-12-21T09:13:55.831+11:00Madoc, Martin, Arathalion, anyone else offended by...Madoc, Martin, Arathalion, anyone else offended by the late spoiler warning: You'll be happy to find out that I was lying. Having the protagonist die at the end of a film costing this much would in context be a brave and original decision, one I might have seen from a younger version of the same director...<br /><br />I would never spoil anything deliberately and without forewarning. Unlike (as kikito points out) the trailer for the Avatar movie. I'd be interested to know if you were as angry at that.<br /><br />kikito: I'd like the James Cameron who could tightly plot action scenes in movies like <i>True Lies</i>, <i>The Abyss</i>, <i>Point Break</i>, <i>Aliens</i> and <i>The Terminator</i> with a veneer of science fiction instead of fantasy back... actually, the idea-stealing James Cameron from <i>The Terminator</i> is back. Anne McCaffrey should sue...Andrew Doullhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11099404183952971291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2208890564265615027.post-81406320347983555192009-12-20T22:37:38.057+11:002009-12-20T22:37:38.057+11:00I liked the film a lot, and so did the other 7 peo...I liked the film a lot, and so did the other 7 people in their 30s that came to the cinema with me. Certainly the plot isn't original, but I was prepared for that (the trailer pretty much summarizes the plot). I'd recommend taking the review with a grain of salt.<br /><br />**** I'll talk about the spoiler here ****<br /><br />It doesn't exactly happen as he says on the post. I mean, you know there's a war between humans and blue people - so some people is supposed to die.<br /><br />**** end of spoiler talk ****kikitohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18268036925187262614noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2208890564265615027.post-28022365881959349692009-12-20T22:17:10.489+11:002009-12-20T22:17:10.489+11:00Dude, definitively uncool spoiler "warning&qu...Dude, definitively uncool spoiler "warning". Not impressed, regardless of how you feel about the film.The Mud Hutterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01888716804846246430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2208890564265615027.post-79553012261849925202009-12-20T22:07:00.264+11:002009-12-20T22:07:00.264+11:00Yes that was quite obtuse...Yes that was quite obtuse...Martin Törnqvisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13515439802268347026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2208890564265615027.post-7502131278010380882009-12-20T21:09:50.237+11:002009-12-20T21:09:50.237+11:00Please don't do that ever again. When you publ...Please don't do that ever again. When you publish a spoiler that huge, at least put a warning <i>before</i> it instead of after it. That one really made me angry.Madochttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07503769576577422023noreply@blogger.com