Avatar - Part 2

Alright so its been a week since seeing Avatar and I've had enough time now to really let the film sink in. Almost any other movie I would give my opinion right after, but I felt like this movie in particular needed some downtime so that I could digest what it really is as not only a movie, but really an experience.

Let's start with the main problems of the film first.

1. 3D Eye Strain.
This is more of a personal issue than anything else and because every one's eyes are different I can't fault the filmmakers or the technology for this.
The entire requires you to wear 3D glasses and while they are much more comfortable than they were in the past it's still very uncomfortable for me to wear. There are also quite a few instances where I wasn't sure what I should be focusing on and some of the picture became blurry, which hurt my eyes even more. Overall after the film I did have a headache, and with a run time of 2 hours 41 minutes, plus 3D previews, it was a lot to sit through.

2. Not Being In Kansas Anymore.
Although just a 2 second line, the "we're not in Kansas anymore" line is one that kills me every time. Hollywood needs to STOP metaphorically leaving Kansas! I realize it's from one of the greatest movies of all time, but it should stay with that movie. Stop putting it in movies, it's cheesy and very stupid.

3. Cliche Romance.
This is a main part of the movie and unfortunately it follows the typical romantic plot points. It can be seen coming from a mile away and because of the way its been setup you know how it will evolve. Don't get me wrong though, James Cameron did a fantastic job writing this movie and even though the love story is cliched it still kinda works on some levels.

Now the good.

Overall the movie is one of the top 3 films of the year, maybe even number 1. I'll have to refer back to other movies.

Cameron deserves some big time credit here because he created a world that no one has ever seen. It's gigantic, gorgeous, absolutely breathtaking and it's an environment that no one has ever seen before. Every tiny detail is picture perfect and I have never seen a movie look this good. James Cameron does for Sci-Fi what Michael Bay does for explosions.

The action scenes are some of the best CG/Live Action I've ever seen, they're absolutely spectacular and when the 3D is in full effect, the scale of the scene is intensified tenfold. 3D is something that is rarely done right in my opinion, it's a very difficult thing to get right without it being called a gimmick. It is certainly not a gimmick here, as I actually found myself wiping off my glasses because I thought there were drops of water on them. Turns out, it was all in the movie. That is the mark of well done 3D.

The Na-Vi themselves are an amazing race of aliens, or actually humans are the aliens in this aren't we? They stand 10 feet tall are blue and so agile it makes your heart stop. The flying scenes are unlike anything I've ever experienced and just amazing to watch. The way that the motion capture works to perfectly, and I mean perfectly, capture every last detail of expression on the actors faces is phenomenal. It is as close to perfect as anything like that has ever been.

Without giving away too much of the story, I'll just say that it's a pretty well written story, the dialogue is all good and the overtones of politics, war and environment are certainly a driving factor. The story works well with everything and it all comes together nicely at the end. There are a few thins that don't make a lick of sense, but they're not really important in any way.

Overall I'd give this movie a 4.5 out of 5 and it's one that everyone should check out.

I'll be seeing it again when it goes to IMAX and I recommend doing that as well if you feel you can wait for a few weeks, because the experience on that screen in IMAX 3D will be awesome!

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