So, what did we think of "Avatar"? Check out our review below, gentle Examiner readers.
Last night, your friendly, neighborhood Comedy Examiner got to see a print of "Avatar" in 3D at the Dallas IMAX (that'd be the real IMAX, not one of those "faux-IMAX" screens that are currently taking up space in local multiplexes). "Avatar" is set to be one of the biggest films of the year-- or Fox is hoping so, anyway-- so, what did we think about it? Check out our review below, my gentle Examiner readers...
I'd purchased tickets to last night's sneak-peek of "Avatar" back in early December, and figured that getting to the theater around 10pm (the showing was at midnight) would leave enough time to grab some reasonable seats. Alas, when we arrived, there were approximately 150 people in line in front of us.
That should give you an indication of how popular "Avatar" might be. Film geeks have been waiting for over a decade for James Cameron to get off his manic, dictatorial, lazy-ass to make another film, and with all the wild speculation and breathless promotion for "Avatar" that's going around, you can bet that people are eager to check the film out. Our first bit of advice? Get there early.
As far as the story goes, you already know what it is. "Avatar" reviews are a dime a dozen online right now (seriously, you can read a review for "Avatar" at just about every website you come across), so we won't bother getting too far into the plot of the whole thing. Besides, you just want to know if "Avatar" is worthy of all the hype and if the 3D works. Short answer: yes on both counts, but with qualifications.
For one thing, the 3D took roughly an hour to "kick in" for both me and the buddy I attended the screening with. It wasn't so much that the effects weren't there, it just took that long for our eyes to adjust to what was happening in front of us. Early in the film, there's a chase sequence between the main character-- Jake Sully, played by Sam Worthington-- and a big-ass panther/wolf/eel-looking thing. This whole sequence occurred prior to us "focusing" our eyes to the 3D, and we both felt that it was difficult to discern what was happening onscreen in detail.
We ended up with seats about three-quarters of the way up the theater, on the right hand side of the auditorium, so we weren't centered on the screen. I found that if I turned my head away from the screen slightly and focused on one half of the picture, everything fell into perfect-3D focus. Trying to take in the whole image from our position in the IMAX theater proved difficult, though. So, do with that information what you will. Our suggestion is to catch a screening where you're dead center, and perhaps in that "fake IMAX" format: maybe the size of the picture will make the 3D aspect easier to digest. We plan on going back for seconds to test-run this theory, by the way.
Which is just another way of saying that the film does its job: we wouldn't be considering going back if the thing sucked. Make no mistake, "Avatar" does not suck. You're going to see things that rock your socks off, things that are familiar from other lesser (and better) films, and some things that just produce a "meh" response. The film isn't as all over the map as that statement implies; it's just that we didn't find "Avatar" to be as non-stop compelling as some of Cameron's other efforts. "Aliens", for instance.
Perhaps the biggest compliment we can pay the film is this: you'll forget that what you're watching is 100% not real. It's easy to keep in mind that the aliens and mechs and strange, Pandorian beasts are all CGI, but the environments-- the plants, the skies, the floating mountains (which they do explain, by the way, and thank God, because the idea of floating mountains was making my brain hurt), the dirt underneath the characters' feet-- are totally convincing. On more than one occasion, we were dumbfounded to realize/remember that what we were seeing wasn't filmed on a sound stage with digital actors inserted later: that's all fake.
Which means that $500 million can get you a pretty damn impressive looking film. It's anyone's guess as to whether or not "Avatar" can pull down enough money to turn a profit (some estimates are saying that the film will need to do at least a billion in box office receipts worldwide before it starts really generating some dolla-dolla bills for 20th Century Fox), but we're guessing that "Avatar" is going to do just fine. Maybe not a billion (though we agree that it's possible), but definitely somewhere in "Transformers 2" territory.
Furthermore, we'd imagine that "Avatar" is going to play like gangbusters for kids and preteens who dig special effects. This may very well be the "Star Wars" of a new generation, and that's saying something considering this generation already had its own "Star Wars" with those ass-tastic prequels that George Lucas thrust upon us all a few years back. "Avatar" is the real deal: enough action, melodrama, over-the-top villainry, and gee-whiz effects to be the movie to beat this Christmas at theaters. Good work, James Cameron-- you've cemented your status as one helluva action director. Our grade: A-.
While you're waiting on your showing of "Avatar" to start, check out some of these other recent articles from the Comedy Examiner's Office:
TOP 5 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE YOU SEE "AVATAR" THIS WEEKEND-- in which we discuss with you, our gentle Examiner readers, what you need to know before you check out James Cameron's latest opus this weekend. We just saw it, so we've got the inside scoop.
CHEVY CHASE, JOHN CUSACK, OTHERS STAR IN UPCOMING COMEDY "HOT TUB TIME MACHINE" (WITH VIDEO)-- check out the trailer for the upcoming comedy "Hot Tub Time Machine", featuring the triumphant return of "Community" star Chevy Chase.
ANYONE ELSE NOTICE SOMETHING FUNNY GOING ON IN THE RECENTLY RELEASED "INCEPTION" POSTER? (WITH FUNNY PICS)-- in which we look at a very strange coincidence involving the posters for "The Dark Knight" and "Inception", both from Warner Brothers and Chris Nolan. Hmm...conspiracy?
COOL STUFF: "LOST" POSTER FROM COMEDIAN PAUL SCHEER'S WEBSITE WILL BLOW YOUR MIND-- in which we check out a really, really, unbelievably cool "Lost" poster from one very special "Lost" fansite. Worth clicking just to see the kick-ass artwork, we assure you.
(photo: myspace.com)
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