Took both of my sons this afternoon and I have to say that this was a wonderful movie.

It was visually spectacular, the 3D is actually stunning but it was not what you expect out of a 3D movie. It wasn't missiles flying in your face or arrows whipping past your head but rather an immersive 3D environment in a great story.

I found myself looking at the Navi as real creatures not CGI.

The plot is not complex or hard to figure out but the story telling was great and it was a great enjoyable experience.

Yes there are some typical messages here, but I can easily separate the underlying moral of the story and just watch it for shear entertainment value.

I thought over all it was spectacular. Maybe not for everyone, I am easily pleased in my entertainment I am not there to think or ponder or try to catch subtleties I am there to have a good time. The boys and I did just that.
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Thanks for the review.
Thanks for the review. Now we have two different views of the same film.
Anxiously awaiting the tie breaker. Darrell is the definitive movie reviewer here at CA.
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That's two :-) and two:-) thus far. Still awaiting a tie breaker though.:-)
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:-):-) Darrell???
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Actually even the thumbs ups were negative to me. I am more easily offended by lame stories and offensive "messages" than entertained by the production, which seems to be the most positive aspect of this movie. For example, I couldn't stand the "Pirates of the Carribian" series.
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I'm gonna see it, but not at the theatre.
The sh!tgrinder that Hollywood has become is pretty rough nowadays.
I fell asleep five times through 2012.
I really want to see Avatar, just because I watch everything. I love movies, and I gotta see it so I can b!tch about it. :-)
I want to watch District 9, and haven't found time yet. Hoping that'll be good.
I LOVE sci-fi, and I thought the newest Star Trek was awesome. I loved it. Actually watched it twice in the same week.
If it's sci-fi, I don't really care how awful it is. I will admit that after suffering through the recent transformers II, it took me a week or so to watch GI Joe, which I actually enjoyed, even though it was crap. :-)
2012 really put a beating on me though. I'm going to watch it at home just to see if it was really that bad. I have to give it another chance, because John Cusack has always been one of my favorites. 2012 was just really Tom Cruise in "War of the Worlds", which also totally sucked. I've still watched it a few times, "just because".

Thanks for the heads up, Hal. If nothing else, now I won't have any expectations. :-)
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Fiance and I saw this over the weekend and really enjoyed it. Wasn't able to get in to a a 3D showing, so I can't speak for that part. However, the story, though predictable, was effective, and well told. And, to be blunt, the message of the film cannot be said enough. We are well on our way to destroying this planet. Can you honestly tell me that after we're done with this one, if we are able we won't try again to do the same to others?
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:-)
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I am now annoyed that this movie evidently has a uber-Ferngully slant. I was thinking it might be a nice distraction for the Holidays, but it may just annoy me like the smelly Birkenstock Vegan diarrhea mouth spewer I have to deal with occasionally.
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I have absolutely no idea what that meant, but I honestly laughed out loud and I'm still smiling, so thanks for that. :-)
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Friend of mine said it was awesome! I want to see it, but I still haven't seen 2012. :-)
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:-):-):-):-)
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It's to bad that a lot of people are hung up on a perceived politics because the importance of this movie has nothing to do with it's message.

I recommend seeing it in 3d IMAX. It was an amazing experience. Better than the theme park computer movie rides just without the seats moving. The animation and cgi techniques are phenomenal. I taught 3D Animation at a major university and this movie is likely paradigm changing for film in many ways. It is similar to the first successful sound or color movies both in the sophistication of the animation and the immersive experience of the 3D technology.

This is the future of the big budget action movie and it is going to be what keeps people going to theaters to see movies. You will not be able to duplicate this experience in a home theater for at least a decade. This movie is about the experience and not about the message or the story particularly.

From a traditional film experience some of the dialogue is laughably bad, aspects of the plot are cliche, it is too long, and has a Hollywood ending. I'm sure people can and will find many other flaws. It doesn't matter because it is still riveting. For the most part the 3D is done with subtly and sophistication. The action sequences are fast paced but you know what is happening. The world he creates is alien but believable and immersive. The balance of live action and cgi is pretty seamless as long as you are watching the movie and not watching solely to point out the animation. The new facial animating techniques are amazing and will be the future of facial animation.

Like it or hate it this is a revolutionary movie and to dismiss it because of a political bias doesn't make sense to me. Still if you see a portrayal of imperial expansion and capitalist exploitation to be a negative message you probably won't be able to enjoy the interesting part of the movie and should avoid it. If you want to debate the portrayal of the corporate villains and the mercenaries we should probably start another thread specific to that topic.

So far it has been successful with a record (or close to record) 77.2 million dollar opening weekend.
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they have to make $500 mill to be profitable. That might take a while
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Might take a while and even if it just breaks even in gross domestic ticket sales when you consider the international tickets plus marketing tie in arrangements, product licensing, DVD's, PPV & HBO rights etc... this thing is going to gross a billion easily and $500 million profit and 100% roi is a damn good money.
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:-)

Said way better than I could but I 100% agree this was like reading my mind about the situation (without the clutter of course)
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heard this was an awesome movie. 8.9/10 so far with 34,000 votes. Can't wait to see it :-)
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The message, and how it is received and acknowledged, is sometimes more important than the method. Unfortunately. Technology is great, but I do not enjoy being pandered to or pimped for a political message I would be most likely to disagree with. (See M. Moores propagandist drivel) That being said, James Cameron is a craftsman with no small skills, vision and expertise.

I am a movie lover with a dedicated home theater. I enjoy movies. I revel in a good plot twist, a well portrayed character I perceive to be Good, Evil, Talented, Graceful, Bumbling, Idiotic, or even Non-committal, for that matter, and the way in which a performer exacts his profession and the ability to take cue from the writer, producer and director. I think we live in amazing times, being able to recreate entire worlds, whether internal or external, real or fanciful, right in our own homes. There are also times when I resolve myself to not pay for a ticket at the theater and perhaps make the choice of providing a lesser financial reward for the efforts of the film maker and their particular belief set. My contribution is a half drop in his ocean in any case. It will pay for itself, and the new technology, and that is a good thing for the industry.




For those of you who speak movie lingo, that's a way to say,




"It's a possible rental" :-)
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I feel bad for people who overthink stuff and can't just enjoy a movie as something entertaining to watch. If ignorance is bliss, i'd rather be blissfully ignorant and enjoy myself than picking things apart and being unable to enjoy them. Just IMHO
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Yeah Myles, that critical thinking switch is a b!tch to shut off once in a while.
I do it a lot. :-)












(flip the switch, that is.)
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