Have you noticed all the buzz surrounding the new movie AVATAR? Written and directed by James Cameron, this 4-year project just might set the new standard in digital effects, mixing human and digital actors, and the proper application of 3-D effects for theater viewing.
In the past few weeks, I’ve seen High Definition extended trailers shown on Fox, trailers at the new Dallas Cowboys Stadium “Jerryland” or as one friend of mine referred to it as the “Death Star.” Last week I received my latest copy of Wired Magazine and there is a 12-page article about the movie and the effects process. Playboy had an exclusive interview about James Cameron and how this movie has been taking up all his time. Tonight, on 60 Minutes there was an interview with James Cameron, similar to the Playboy interview, in which he describes the 4-year journey and what his movie attempts to bring to moviegoers.
For James Cameron, it is extremely hard to top the the success of his last film, “Titatic.” This movie made well over a billion dollars and still remains the most profitable movie of all time. AVATAR, which cost roughly $400 million to make, is gonna take some time to make money above and beyond production costs, but I have a feeling….this movie could start making money in roughly two weeks.
Along with the movie, James Cameron worked exclusively on Avatar, the video game, which should hit stores on December 1st. This Ubisoft produced game (same folks that brought you Halo) takes you on a first-person adventure two-years prior to the time the movie takes place. I’ve seen the game trailers and it looks spectacular! I can’t wait to see it on my HDTV.
If you wondering when the movie will hit….mark your calendars for Dec 18th. I am curious to hear your thoughts and predictions on the success of this movie. I am already predicting Oscars for Best Visual Effects, Sound Mixing & Editing, Cinematography, and Art Direction. We’ll see how I do when March rolls around.
Heathaplex Vision
Crow’s Commentary: AVATAR reviewed…honestly!
SO…as I was exiting the multiplex, fresh off the first North Kansas City showing of Avatar in 3D, I received a text from this blog’s founder asking what I thought. My summary was simple- Deep space Titanic- Predictable. Over-the-top acting. And so visually stunning that everyone with $11 should go and see it. Now. If for no other reason than to say you did.
Oh you, James Cameron. Again you’ve won me over with ridiculously little substance but with enough explosive eye candy that I will keep coming back as long as you are tossing the sweet stuff into theaters. Three things stand out in Avatar- visuals, editing, and (cough) acting.
As previously mentioned, this film is as pleasing to the eye as any I’ve ever seen. Even taking into account the fact that my second grader can tell me scene for scene what will happen next, this film simply cannot be ignored. Pandora is the kind of freakily exotic/dangerous/beautiful land we all wish we had honeymooned in instead of Cabo and it lights up at night. On its own! The Na’vi are equally fantastic in their movement and realism. Long gone are the “dead eyes” of Polar Express era CG and in are the living, breathing, fighting blue tree-dwellers. Excellent stuff. The CG is so good it makes you wonder what methods Cameron used to berate the actors. Is it possible to yell at CG? Apparently it is.
In another nod to Cameron’s ability, Avatar flowed smoothly from Minute 1 to 160. There were no slow spots to bog down the storyline, despite the implicit environmentalist/anti-American imperialist subtext that almost ruined Star Wars Episode III. In typical fashion, Cameron gives the save-the-planet storyline just enough attention to maintain his Hollywood liberal street-cred but not too much to lose the audiences in Montgomery or Missoula. Even in the scene that is arguably the film’s apogee for tree-hugging social consciousness- Dr. Grace’s “Transfer” ritual- Cameron keeps it snappy with more ridiculous visuals and a nude Sigourney Weaver (who is still gettin’ it done, btw). Again Cameron’s perfectionist compulsions pay off for the viewer.
And lastly the acting. This one is difficult because most of the performances are so over the top. Stephen Lang is an excellent bad guy as Colonel Quaritch. He may overdo the redneck fanatical Marine bit but that is to be expected. Weaver is typically remarkable. I think where most of the actors earn high marks is in translation and degree of difficulty. What was it like to act with such an unprecedented level of CG/ human hybrid production? Was it hard to overcome? Whatever the case the end result will almost certainly mean superstardom for Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana.
Most reports from the first weekend show a strong opening for most any movie ever made but not quite the haul Hollywood had expected. Some point to the blizzards that have essentially snowed in America in the past 10 days. With the worst weather and Christmas past, my recommendation is to make Avatar part of your New Year’s celebration plans. Catch an early showing and be out by midnight in time to toast the new decade. In a way, that’s what Avatar is doing for the film industry.
Crow Snoozeability Scale – 0 Zs- wide awake and happy throughout.
Note: The Snoozeability Scale is meant to convey a film’s overall quality in terms of its ability to put this reviewer to sleep. In this case, 0 is the highest possible score with no sleeping whatsoever during the showing. 1 Z equals roughly a quarter of the film asleep, 2 Zs equals half of the film asleep and 3 Zs more than half of the film asleep.