We went to see Avatar last night, mostly to be in the pop-culture loop, and also because it's an Academy Award nominee, but otherwise I don't think this is a movie I would have bothered to see, and that would have been a good decision.
When we came out of Avatar last night (after THREE hours) I made a vow that no matter what award a movie might have won, if I have a feeling it won't appeal to me I should pay attention to that feeling.
I knew that Avatar probably wouldn't be my kind of film, but gave it a chance because it's so popular, so talked about, the Golden Globe winner, the Oscar front-runner. And yes, it has wonderful, amazing visual effects. But that's about it. The story is flimsy, the characters are one-dimensional caricatures, it's hokey, smug, and at times I felt like I was watching a Saturday morning cartoon show.
And what I disliked about it the most is the way it tried to be a message film but talked down to the audience as if they were 5th graders. (Or maybe that was their target demographic?)
What a shame. What a shame! It could have been so good. The story of the paralized Marine being transported into the body of the alien, and the whole alien world was fascinating. Really good stuff. Great potential. Wasted!
4 comments:
THEY ARE 5TH GRADERS!
I totally agree about the length. To see that "message", all you have to do is learn, and be aware of the world's history. That boil's down to 2 hrs. tops.
But, you have to admit, the 3D+the technology was WAY cool!
(I went to see it on the advice of a man who was SURE the message would get to the masses and cause a stir. Unfortunately, as I assumed, that was not the case.)
Thanks for a different perspective on the film-I have not seen it yet, but every review reads like it was written by the movie's producers. It's good to read a contrasting opinion. Three hours is really too long for any movie, in my view.
It was the same with Titanic - stunning effects and moving in parts - but told with an embarrassing simplicity. Ugh.
I'm still planning on seeing it for the visuals at least.
This is exactly what I guessed. Too bad!
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