It’s not for everyone but Avatar might just be our favorite movie of all time. It has a lot going for it and Rachel and I both agree: the estimated 500 million dollar budget was worth every penny.
After 2 hours and 40 minutes, I left the theater in panic mode because it was over and there isn’t yet a sequel. In the 10 years it took him to make it, James Cameron created a world I don’t want to just visit every 5 years when they release a sequel, I want to live there, now.
To me, that’s a sign of a great movie. Every movie I’ve ever truly loved has left me with some desire for a part of it to be real. Everything about Avatar is completely different from the norm and that’s exactly the point. It’s so unique and different that I wish I could experience it myself. They even create a rational for how things work rooted in (a tiny bit of) science. The characters quickly develop into emotional connections, to each other and the audience. On top of that the effects, the animation, the scenery, everything about the movie was stellar.
We didn’t watch it in 3D, but I’m seeing the movie again with coworkers this Tuesday at the IMAX in 3D so we’ll see how that changes things. From the first viewing I can only assume it makes it even better. There wasn’t a ton of gimmicky things flying towards the screen, just a lot of really stunning scenery that would be all the more impressive in 3D.
Filled with even more anticipation than I was before. In the meantime, enjoy the trailer:
http://movies.apple.com/movies/fox/avatar/avatar-tlrf_h.480.mov
Although written sunday, this post isn’t going up until I’m sitting in the theater on Tuesday. Wouldn’t want to spoil it for my coworkers by giving them expectations before they see it.
Randy Aldrich 
did you see it in 3D and IMAX?
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let me know what you think between the 2… I saw it 3D, but want to see it the normal way now.
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I did. 3D was sweet but it didn't make or break the movie.
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Please don't tell me that your favorite movie of all time has "unobtainium" in it…
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haha. knew you'd pick up on that one. I complained to Mike and some other people about that before we watched it. It irritated me so I looked it up on wikipedia and apparently it's nothing newLuckly though, the 'unobtainium' didn't serve any purpose other than motivation. In the end it's just a word and they could have called it thingamajig and it would have worked just as well. Why they chose to use such a pitifal word and give the movie any connection to 'The Core' is utterly beyond me.
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hmmm, interesting, I guess I saw it a little different. The imagery was beautiful, but I thought there were way too many stereotypical roles and very few surprises in the plot. I think I would enjoy it more in 2D because the 3D effects were a bit too much for my eyes after 2+ hours (and the couple next me were nauseous thru most of movie which didn't help). I think Cameron made some good points on how greed leads to de-humanizing of others that have what you want, and the sheer ugliness of war – no matter what the reason.
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Let me know what you think of the IMAX 3D. I’m not a fan of IMAX 3D but the RealD 3D in the regular theater is awesome!
I’m going to see the movie again tonight with a friend. The story isn’t the world’s best and there are plenty of holes, but the visuals and the sounds and everything about the world onscreen is mesmerizing.
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I liked it in IMAX 3D but I’m not sure what the difference is between that and regular 3D. Overall I wouldn’t say seeing it in 3D made that much of a difference, at least not to warrant the cost difference.
Movies are too damn expensive these days.
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