Avatar = dreams

[Saz]

I enjoyed it. Like others have said it was very pretty to look at, but it didn't blow my mind. I haven't really had the urge to watch it again either.

[Vad]

To each his own. I'll watch that movie anytime, but if you were to make me watch Dragonball Evolution or Bloodrayne 1 or 2 I'd cut your throat.

[Piper Juunanagou]

I agree with all the criticisms of the movies stated in this thread. I still enjoyed it, even though I thought the middle hour could have been reduced to a 1- or 2-minute montage <_<;

The ending was awesome, though. Explosions and death and awesome fucking general guy. I wanted that fucker to win.

And Inception was awesome as balls.

Edit: And dude, Vad, Bloodrayne 1 was awesome. It was a bunch of blood, women kissing, boobs, and dying. The second one, with its pedo-cowboy vampires and utter lack of naked ladies, was the worst affront my eyes and other senses have faced since the second Mortal Kombat film.

[Vad]

Edit: And dude, Vad, Bloodrayne 1 was awesome. It was a bunch of blood, women kissing, boobs, and dying. The second one, with its pedo-cowboy vampires and utter lack of naked ladies, was the worst affront my eyes and other senses have faced since the second Mortal Kombat film.

You'll never get me to watch either of them. I saw parts of the first Bloodrayne and nearly ripped my hair out. NOTHING. NEVER!

NO! *runs*

[Edward Reynolds]

They are terrible adaptations.

Why pass up a vampire who kills Southerners and then Nazis? Gold. Solid, gold.

[Jesper]

The visuals were stunning. I was honestly mesmerized by the imagery for most of the movie.

The plot, though? And the characters? Were passable and flat, respectively. Big standouts on the opposite ends of the spectrum were Weaver, who did a good job with her character, and military general guy, who was so ridiculously stereotypical and one-dimensional that I wanted to laugh out loud.

I didn't really have anything against the political message it brought, though I did think it got a little heavy-handed at times. I don't think it's a bad movie, and it's probably going to have very long legs on its special effects alone, but once you get past those, it's a pretty average film.

Edit: Also it's Dances With Wolves + Fern Gully: The Last Rainforest in space, not Pocahontas.

It's actually quite a bit like Pocahontas. The other comparisons are valid as well.

That said, I saw it once in 3-D/IMAX/whatever. I liked it.

I probably won't ever see it again.

[Pinky]

http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1920954

I'm still waiting for someone to explain how Michell Rodriguez went AWOL in mid-battle and nobody in the entire military chain bothered to ask her about it.

[Dehan]

It is a good movie...and if you've never seen the cartoon Smurfs or the Disney movie Pocahontas than you would likely think this plot and all is original as fuck. Seeing it one time is more than enough for me. Waaay more than enough. If there's a sequel I'll watch it.

Would rather watch Inglorious Basterds a few times.

[Jarka]

The ending was awesome, though. Explosions and death and awesome fucking general guy. I wanted that fucker to win.

I think the movie would have been a lot more poignant if the military had won. It would have given audiences something more to chew than a heavy handed white guilt story.

I prefer my science fiction set racial commentary in the vein of District 9, thank you very much.

[Vad]

I think the movie would have been a lot more poignant if the military had won. It would have given audiences something more to chew than a heavy handed white guilt story.

I prefer my science fiction set racial commentary in the vein of District 9, thank you very much.

District 9 was fucking awesome.

[John Doe]

The military got jew'd out of the win. Stupid deus ex machina...

[Belle Hibiki]

I don't think 'deus ex machina' has ever been something applied to Jews.

No matter how much they've wished it.

[Jesper]

I don't think 'deus ex machina' has ever been something applied to Jews.

No matter how much they've wished it.

There are a lot of things that I thought to say to this, but I'll go with my first one:

XD

[Sullivan]

I don't think you can really evaluate a movie and say it was an average film once you get past its stunning imagery, simply because the stunning imagery is a part of the movie and a movie is total package.

I saw the movie three times in theater, in 3-D, because people kept saying to me, "I just need someone to go with, everyone's already seen it, c'mon man I'll pay for your ticket," so I was like, "Eh, why not? Free ticket," and kept seeing it again. I've had plenty of time to ponder on it.

Yes, it was pretty obviously trying to convey a political message that spoke of, not trying to save the Earth, in my opinion, since the connection I made was the US' intervention in foreign countries. The characters were definitely flat and at times utterly unexciting, but the thrill of the movie was never meant to come from the characters, it was meant to come from their interactions with the environment and they were definitely sculpted to fit into the sci-fi plot, no matter what criticisms that characterization might receive because of that.

I wasn't put-off by its messages. Too go green, save the Earth? Man, I don't even believe in recycling, and this movie wasn't too go green, save the Earth for me. Maybe this is just because I found myself thinking, instead of, "THEY'RE GONNA KILL ALL THE NATURE,", I was like, "THEY'RE GONNA KILL ALL THE FUCKIN' AWESOME STRIPEY BLUE ASS-KICKERS!"

So there's that, to me.

[Belle Hibiki]

I don't think you can really evaluate a movie and say it was an average film once you get past its stunning imagery, simply because the stunning imagery is a part of the movie and a movie is total package.

I absolutely can evaluate a movie that way.

If you eat a cake and it looks like



but tastes like



most people would agree that that's a shitty cake. When you decide to eat cake, it's because you expect it to taste great. Looking great too is of course preferable, but not a requirement.

Similarly, when I go to the movies, while special effects are nice, the MOST important thing is the story. Do I connect with the characters? Can I sympathize with them? Do I want to root for them to win? Is the villain intriguing? Can I understand the villain? How good is the drama? How intelligent is it? Does it GRAB me? Speak to me?

That's the meat of a truly GOOD movie. It's the reason why I still watch The Dark Knight every couple months while X-Men 3, with its amazing special effects, remains on my nebulous "maybe I'll get it someday" list. It's the reason why South Park: The Movie, with its ridiculously low-tech animation, has been credited as one of the greatest musicals of our time. It's the reason why the entire Star Wars prequel-saga sucked despite its state of the art computer graphics.

Special effects and visuals are a supplement to a movie. They can help drive the impact of a scene, or make you smack your gob, dazzled. But without a good story, good characters, and good drama, it's just pretty computer generated lights.

[Sullivan]

I'd say that taste, which is one single sense, is a sharp comparison to make when you're talking about movies, which are loaded with content meant to be absorbed and processed with your mind, then coupled with memories, thoughts, and feelings. I've never been given that much to absorb by a cake.

So while a cake may look great and taste like shit, and therefore be declared a poor cake, I've seen movies that only encompass one element that appeals to me, yet still blow other movies that are more well-rounded out of the water, because a movie really sets a mood and takes you along for its ride. I felt immersed in Avatar, even if now, in retrospect I look back and I'm not blown away by it anymore. When I was watching it, I was pulled pretty far into its cinematics, and I feel like most of that probably came from its stunning imagery. No cake could do that to me.

EDIT: Except the cakes on Cake Boss. >.>

There's an exception to every rule.

[Milk Bubble]

[Sullivan]

I've changed my viewpoints. I now sympathize with the quote in my signature.

[Vad]

I've changed my viewpoints. I now sympathize with the quote in my signature.

"High as Fuck" to quote my convo with him.

[Jack]

xD

<3