By Anant Mathur (March 06, 2010)
Normally this blog is meant for Bollywood topics, but I couldn't resist taking this opportunity to talk about a film that has broken records and wooed the world over.
Most of the times before a movie is even released, I can tell by watching a trailer, how good or bad a film is going to be. And after watching the trailer for Avatar, the first thought was, “I can’t believe James Cameron made this. It looks horrible.”
But something strange happened - once the film was released it became an instant hit with the audience. Even the critics were giving it 5/5 or 10/10, calling it a must see or the greatest thing in modern era of filmmaking. Some even called it the future of movies. So, after hearing so much about it for weeks, I finally decided to see Avatar - the highest grossing film ever.
I have enjoyed more than a few James Cameron films over the years. Terminator is a work of sci-fi genius. Abyss created an interesting world and was filled with tension. Terminator 2 is an action masterpiece and has what I believe to be the best special effects of all time. Even Titanic was far better than I expected it to be and has one of the most beloved romances in a movie.
So after 12 years it would not be an overstatement to expect an outstanding James Cameron film. Still, even after hearing so much about Avatar, I wasn’t too excited about watching it. So going into it, I had very low expectations, and you would think that by the end of Avatar I would be feeling a little higher than when it started. Sadly, it wasn’t so. I was very disappointed with the film.
The biggest problem I have with Avatar is that it lacks creativity. It is literally Dances with Wolves in space. There’s nothing wrong with taking an idea and remaking it, Hollywood recycles old ideas all the time. Remaking
As far as the 3D goes, I mean what was the point. This is not a film that is required to be seen in 3D. Films like Spy Kids 3 and Shark Boy and Lava Girl are great in 3D but in Avatar 3D is wasted. You don’t even notice the 3D in Avatar and the 3D goggles become a nuisance. 3D doesn’t make this film any better or any worse, just more expensive. If expensive motion-capture used to cover up a thin storyline is the future of cinema then the future seems very bleak.
Like most movies these days Avatar is way too long, glossing the details (why the Earth is dying, what Unobtainium does, etc) and instead spending time on flight scenes, enchanting ceremonies, spirit trees and bonding with nature.
The research is very pathetic in this film (not something I’d expect from a James Cameron film, since research is usually very good in his films). In Avatar, we’re told Unobtainium is supposed to be mined underground - below the trees? As far as I know there are two types of mining, Surface mining and Sub-Surface mining. In surface mining you destroy vegetation and dirt in order to reach buried deposits. In sub-surface mining (which is what they seem to be talking about in Avatar) you dig tunnels or shafts into the earth to reach buried deposits. So if they’re talking about sub-surface mining then what’s with destroying the trees? There’s no need for that. Also, the story goes completely away from obtaining unobtanium to a killing spree for no apparent reason whatsoever!
I’m very disappointed with the number of 10/10 reviews the film is getting. It only shows that people have no idea what a good story is these days, they’re only interested in eye candy and Avatar has plenty of that. The story is so predicable it’s depressing to know James Cameron thought this was a good idea. Dances with Wolves isn’t the only film Avatar borrows from, perhaps a more accurate example would be Enemy Mine (1985) or Pocahontas (1995). The battle between Humans and Aliens (and the chosen one saving the day) has been around for decades and makes the ending very predictable. The script is so weak at times it feels like it was written by monkeys. The dialogue is so bad it forces you to raise your palm to your face in disgust. If anything this film lowers the intellect of the audience. The aliens win the final battle and the lead character is amalgamated into one of them, ooh big surprise there!
It’s heartbreaking to know that most of the 10/10 reviews for Avatar are based on Visual Effects. In my opinion, the visual effects are alright, I don’t think they’re as mind boggling as they’re being made out to be. Very few VFX movies have the kind of effects that can stand the test of time, the one exception being Terminator 2, even today they look fresh. The bottom line is, in 20 years, the visual effects of Avatar won’t be talked about. If you have ever played any computer games you will agree that several things have been taken out of PC games, like Command and Conquer, Heroes of Might and Magic, Warcraft, etc. Basing reviews solely on visual effects is just so wrong.
I don’t really care if people continue to make mindless movies like Avatar, that’s just fine, everyone has a right to make what they want. But please don’t make them out to be the greatest thing ever, when they truly are not! Avatar doesn’t even belong in the top 1000 films of all time, let alone being the highest grossing film of all time. I saw this film because of what everyone was saying about it. I should have stuck to my guns and gone with what I said after watching the trailer and not seen it. If you haven't seen it, consider yourselves lucky. If you have, please don't recommend this film to anyone based on the Visual Effects.
And that's all I have to say about it!
Avatar is weak to say the least! (Part 2)
By Anant Mathur (March 08, 2010)
Well the proof is in the pudding as they say!
Last night at the 82nd Academy Awards (The Oscars), Avatar, which was nominated for 9 Oscars, got snubbed big time; receiving only 3 awards and those too in the visual category (Art Direction, Cinematography & Visual Effects). This just proves the point I was trying to make, Avatar is just eye candy, good visually but no soul. Not surprising that the film wasn't nominated for any of the awards in the acting or writing categories. Just the mere fact that it didn't even win any awards for sound should tell you how unimportant Avatar is!
By the end of the night, it was almost a certainty that Avatar wasn't going to win for Direction or Best Picture, both of which went to The Hurt Locker along with the sound editing, sound mixing, film editing and Original Screenplay awards. Sandra Bullock received Best Actress Oscar for The Blind Side and Jeff Bridges won Best Actor for Crazy Heart. Mo'Nique won Best supporting Actress for Oprah's Precious which also received the Best Adapted Screenplay award. The other top award for Best Supporting Actor went to Christoph Waltz for Inglorious Basterds (a film I believe is at least 100 better than Avatar and only received one award because The Hurt Locker received the other 6 it was nominated for).
It's good to see that the folks at the Academy Awards got away from the popularity of the big budget blockbuster films to determine the awards and decided to give the important awards to lower budget films like The Hurt Locker, Crazy Heart, The Blind Side and Precious, which in my opinion truly deserve it over an unoriginal piece of crap like Avatar.
Congratulations, Kathryn Bigelow for becoming the first woman to win the Best Director Oscar!
© Anant Mathur. All Rights Reserved.
1 comment:
A chinese writer has filed a copyright lawsuit against Avatar to be fought out in court in China. The Writer (Zhou Shaomou) claims in his suit that 80% of “Avatar”’s key elements and plot are the same as his novel, “Tale of the Blue Crows,” which was written in 1997.
Zhou’s book tells a tale about six astronauts who travel to a distant planet, which is inhabited by blue-skinned creatures. The author alleges that the alien landscape, events and characters are similar to those portrayed in “Avatar.”
Zhou wants to recover 1 billion yuan ($147 million) from “Avatar” director James Cameron.
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