Avatar
My Wife, Daughter and self went to the movies last night and saw Avatar in 3D. I had read many critiques on the politics of the film but being a computer nut, I was keen to see the graphics in 3D.
It was worth it but my first thoughts were Star Wars 7
Being a conservative and hater of all things Left I had to smile at several of the cliches used. Fighting terrorism with terrorism was one that stood out as an ideologically insertion as no one was using terrorist tactics and the portrayal of the US military as evil versus the local indigenous Noble Savage Na’vi would warm the hearts of any Lefty. All the trees and animals, including the Na’vi’, enjoy access to a cache of neuronal connectors that emanate from their heads, that pass through their plaits or their extra appendages . Mother Gaia writ large for the Greenies in the audience. An ideal world, they would think….. if only it was true on Earth.
There are some that actually believe that is the case now…weird.
Sigourney Weaver had a scene where she is giving instructions to Marine Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) as she settles him in a Avatar link machine. “Just empty your mind…that shouldn’t be hard to do!” Ha ha, that had the anti US/Military component of the audience giggling and nodding their heads wisely.
Ah yes, the stupid soldier!
But having said all the above it didn’t take me long to develop empathy with the locals and I enjoyed the final outcome.
Some of that empathy could have come from the near naked delightful, athletic form of the women and the way animators had them moving but that could just be the limbic part of my brain gaining ascendancy for a moment.
The Motion Capture, Virtual Camera, Digital 3D Fusion Camera System is going to be very hard to beat for years to come. In an aside to my daughter I remarked I am so lucky to live in this age with computer graphics bringing to life computer generated actors, plants and animals that are so believable yet so removed from any known form. Our imagination is now the only limit on story telling.
The film stands out as graphically extraordinary, particularly when viewed through 3D specs. Reality invaded the theatre with animals and jelly fish like seeds from the Holy Tree causing me to duck to avoid them and the terrifying heights of floating mountains had me clinging to my seat lest I fall thousands of feet below. Colour and shape of local flora and fauna was brilliant, often drawing me to just look and enjoy the scenery when the script became a bit hard to accept.
Do yourself a favour, and go see but make sure it’s 3D. Ignore the political ideology and just go with the flow…you won’t be disappointed.
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Kev
I got dragged along to see this today by my 20 year-old daughter who is a student of multi-media. She was surprised that I agreed to go, as I usually attend the “pictures” only when I’m bored witless.
I didn’t tell her that it had a recommendation on your blog.
To be honest, I enjoyed it, despite the fact that I was starving by the time it finished. I refuse to pay $9 for a packet of poor-quality popcorn and a drink of water, and the bloody thing went on for three hours.
The multiplex was packed, and the usual conversation and movement (which is another reason why I avoid the cinema) was absent. It obviously engaged the punters.
The story line was bollocks (a series of carelessly crafted cliches) but the visuals were impressive. By the time I’d got used to ducking the vegetation and flying critters in the foreground, I’d been well and truly hooked by the complex technical detail of the machines of war and the state-of-the-art motion capture, particularly as it applied to the Na’vi and the creatures they used.
There were aspects of the scenery that reminded me of Ha Long Bay, and I couldn’t help noticing a kinship between the “helicopters” and the old UH-1H of fond memory.
My daughter sent me cross-eyed explaining the various techniques used. About the only things I understand is that the thing took years to make, the man hours involved and the costs would make your eyes water, and it’s making a motsa at the box office.
All we need now is for the crew who made this to do a “Long Tan”.
Not likely, I guess – but it’a an interesting thought.