So, what proposals do we have today Brad?
Well, there’s a man who wants to make a movie using mainly special effects. The lead character will be blue and the movie will go on for nearly three hours.
Oh God, not another indie wannabe director. I suppose he is looking for 100,000 dollars to make his low-budget masterpiece.
Not exactly, he wants $300 million.
What?! You’d have to be on a shitload of drugs and have drunk enough alcohol to drown a horse to say “yes” to that one. And I am and I have. So, what’s the man’s name?
George Lucas.
Oh, fuck off!
Not really, James Cameron. OK, Yes.
Mr. Cameron has an impressive track record. Aliens, Terminator and little movie about a boat sinking. And you would need a reputation like his to get a studio to commit to something as massive as Avatar. Fifteen years in gestation, Four years to make, $300 million dollars, and all for a movie that can only really be appreciated in a limited number of venues and requires viewers to wear 3D glasses. A brave decision by someone.
But the results are stunning. In 2D it’s probably nothing more than an average sci-fi story; but in 3D it is a thing of beauty.
Prior to entering the cinema, she who must be obeyed expressed concerns that the glasses would not fit on her nose. This is part of her ongoing campaign to convince me that she is nasally flawed and needs cosmetic surgery to boost the size of her hooter. Never going to happen, and of course the glasses fitted her just fine. Not the usual white cardboard crap, but black plastic offerings with Dolby 3D digital embossed down the side. And the movie was not the usual ‘reach out and try and grab it’ 3D effects piece of junk. It was a movie which you just happened to watch in 3D, which gave the whole thing depth and impact. Scenes shot with a camera had a startling clarity, and the CGI scenes (which are most of the movie), brought an alien world to life.
The story is fairly simple. Boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy saves world and wins back girl. But when the boy is a crippled marine and the girl is from another planet; then it does add a bit extra. The story may be simple, but it is never boring and the 2+ hours flies past.
Avatar is an experience the like of which you will not have experienced before. 3D must be the future of cinema (and home movies). Oh, and James Cameron is a genius; but I say that having just had enough alcohol to drown a hamster.
Comments 🔗
2009-12-30| roman169 saysGreat movie. Was also sceptical but turned out to be one of my favourites of 2009.