Saw Avatar on Wed night

[stickyvicky]

I was thrilled and disappointed at the same time. It was in 3D, but 5 minutes into it, you totally forget and don't even notice it's in 3D anymore. Maybe because of my eyesight, I don't get the full effect of the 3D, I'm not sure, but it wasn't that big of a deal. The computer animations were fantastic, the 14 foot creatures were completely believable - they should be! They spent $500 million and a couple of years on this movie?

The story had everything, love, romance, war, lots of action, lots of blowing things up. You found yourself laughing and crying with the main characters, really loving them, getting really angry at the injustices done to them, and hating the greedy capitalists. It was really well done, but it seemed like a repeat of a zillion other movies. It could have been the greed of the industrialized capitalists destroying the amazon jungle forests or the early americans kicking the indians out of their home territories. Not that those aren't important stories to tell, but really if you thought about it for a minute, you already knew what was going to happen next. There weren't really any surprises or any twists and turns in the plot. The characters were all very simple, no surprises at all, a smart female scientist that no one listens to, an evil corporate yes man, a one dimensional stupid lying army captain who will stop at nothing to destroy the perceived enemy. Even the dialogue was predictable.

You can definitely tell where all the effort went. Into the scenery on the planet Pandora. OMG it was a mystical, magical, wonder world, with floating mountains and phosphorous foliage. It was a wonderland and the inhabitants were all plugged into it. The electricity and souls of the creatures were interconnected with the animals and trees on the planet, intended to show how all living matter is interconnected and interdependent on one another.

Overall I would absolutely recommend see it. It is an extra $3 per person to see it in 3D, so it was $24 for Dave and I, but I still think it was worth it. We pigged out on popcorn and chocolate covered peanuts and root beer while we were there too, lol...

The fact that it was 3 hours long didn't bother me at all. I was so into it I wouldn't have minded if it was one more hour!

Has anyone else seen it yet?

[WalterB]

Not me. I haven't really been impressed by the promos, but sometimes it is hard to get your best stuff into a 30 second promo. Having been there when 3-D first came out (a real dork flick named, "Bwana Devil,") and having seen a couple others, I liked the 3-D effect. This is where you had to wear the red and blue glasses. The Stones even gave a 3-D show on TV once. It was pretty nice, but looking thru those glasses for long hurts your eyes.

But, this "3-D" that they tout today, I don't see it. I don't see 3-D. I just see another movie. Are my eyes that bad? Mebbe so. They do cartoons in "3-D," but it just looks normal to me.

Obviously, there'a a lot more to this movie than the promos. Not sure if I'll try it or not.

[stickyvicky]

You can download the trailer here. You have to download adobe air to be able to watch it though.
http://www.avatarmovie.com/air/

[h0rnytoad1]

Not me. I haven't really been impressed by the promos, but sometimes it is hard to get your best stuff into a 30 second promo. Having been there when 3-D first came out (a real dork flick named, "Bwana Devil,") and having seen a couple others, I liked the 3-D effect. This is where you had to wear the red and blue glasses. The Stones even gave a 3-D show on TV once. It was pretty nice, but looking thru those glasses for long hurts your eyes.

But, this "3-D" that they tout today, I don't see it. I don't see 3-D. I just see another movie. Are my eyes that bad? Mebbe so. They do cartoons in "3-D," but it just looks normal to me.

Obviously, there'a a lot more to this movie than the promos. Not sure if I'll try it or not.

Walt, the old 3D red and blue glasses is not like the new one.

i don't know how the new 3D works exactly, but i read it uses interleved frames technology meaning it inserts displaced frames in the video at 120hz framerate speeds if you prefer, where you need newer glasses called polarised glasses which will "let you see those hidden frames".

the glasses let you see what you can't see normally with the naked eye. wich means there's no more red and blue that hurts your eyes. its basically using frequency of frames in a movie.

its like those 120hz lcd monitor that let you see 3D, its not red and blu just hidden in the frequency range the eye can't see.

that said, allot of people atleast 30% have said they had motionsickness or nausea while watching that movie.

i'd bring some ginger root in a bag or Gravol ginger pills just in case.

watch in HD it looks good : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aeh2KILn7O4

[vectis]

read your critique Vicky ..that was the trouble with the original 3D,all the effort went into the effects and not much on the story line.

[WalterB]

That preview does look kinda nice. So you have to wear glasses to see this best, as well?

[kelaniUK]

thanks Vicky, just saved me a tenner or however much it costs these days...and its no fun goin on ur own anyway!!!!!!!

[stickyvicky]

You have to wear the black glasses Walt, they are a little different now. You can keep them if you want, but even if you bring your own, from the time before, you still have to pay $3 extra for a new pair even if you don't take them.

[WalterB]

OK, I may check it out. Thanks to retirement, I can go to the 11 AM show and avoid the crowds.

[Vanessa]

I saw it two weeks ago. I thought it was fantastic, but like you said predictable. My emotions were all over the place laughing, crying. I'd recomend it to anyone I never noticed how fast the time went.

Of all the little towns around here we picked the only one that never had 3D so we're going to see it in the Imax theatre in Edmonton. I wish we could see it for $12, here a movie is $13 then add the 3D and Imax I'm guessing $20 each.

[stickyvicky]

Britney saw it too, I read on her blog that she loved it! It must be amazing on an imax screen, the special effects were like an acid trip!

[Krazy4Boots]

To all:

This was posted to a Yahoo Group that I am a member of.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Man Dies After Watching 'Avatar'

A 42-year-old Taiwanese man with a history of high blood pressure has
died of a stroke likely triggered by over-excitement from watching the
blockbuster "Avatar" in 3D, a doctor said Tuesday.


The man, identified only by his surname Kuo, started to feel unwell
during the screening earlier this month in the northern city of Hsinchu
and was taken to hospital.


Kuo, who suffered from hypertension, was unconscious when he arrived at
the Nan Men General Hospital and a scan showed that his brain was
haemorrhaging, emergency room doctor Peng Chin-chih said."It's likely
that the over-excitement from watching the movie triggered his
symptoms," he told AFP.


Kuo died 11 days later from the brain haemorrhage, and the China Times
newspaper said it was the first death linked to watching James Cameron's
science-fiction epic "Avatar". Film blogging sites have reported
complaints of headaches, dizziness, nausea and blurry eyesight from
viewers of "Avatar" and other movies rich in 3D imagery.

[stickyvicky]

You have got to be kidding? It wasn't the crap he was eating? If it was that bad why didn't he walk out? Does anyone believe this? I just saw it and the effects weren't that spectacular. He must have been a very sick person to start with.

[Krazy4Boots]

Vicky:

I can relate to what happened to that guy. I have had four major concussions in my life. My next concussion will leave me with epilepsy for the rest of my life. Epileptics are supposed to avoid seeing things like strobe lights because they can trigger grand mal (full body) seizures. I have a feeling that the imagery in "Avatar" might be too intense for people with a history of seizures. Full body seizures can be fatal.

The guy in the article died from a stroke brought on by high blood pressure. The blood vessels in the brain are very fragile. They can burst easily. That is exactly what a stroke is.

[stickyvicky]

Wow! I didn't know that. So you think he had epilepsy and didn't know it? Or he knew it and didn't think the 3D movie would affect him?

My grandmother had a stroke. I flew to Norway for 2 weeks to take care of her afterwards.

[Krazy4Boots]

Vicky:

Nobody will know until this guy has an autopsy performed.

I will always remember my 16th birthday party. I had one of those HUGE mirror balls that you used to see hanging from the ceiling at discos at that party. I never got to use it because a girl that was at my party had epilepsy. All that it would have taken is for that ball to be spinning for TEN SECONDS and she would have had a very bad seizure!!

BTW, this was in 1976. Right in the heart of the disco era!! Yes, one of the albums that I played at that party was the soundtrack from "Saturday Night Fever"!! This was LONG before CDs!! It was good old vinyl!!

[WalterB]

I've heard of that before as well, Vicky. I remember few details, but what Boots says sounds familiar. I seem to remember something about TV as well, seems like there was some program with flashy graphics that caused some problems. Just can't remember any details.

[stickyvicky]

So movies like this should come with a great big warning label.

A girl at the gym was telling me that some people she knew wanted to throw up in the theater because of the 3D graphics being so real and believable, and it gave them motion sickness. I figured they were just exaggerating like some people do. I didn't get that at all, but then again I like roller coasters too... lol...

[rokkerr]

thanks Vicky, just saved me a tenner or however much it costs these days...and its no fun goin on ur own anyway!!!!!!!

Is it really ten pounds to see a movie in the UK now?

[WalterB]

So movies like this should come with a great big warning label.

A girl at the gym was telling me that some people she knew wanted to throw up in the theater because of the 3D graphics being so real and believable, and it gave them motion sickness. I figured they were just exaggerating like some people do. I didn't get that at all, but then again I like roller coasters too... lol...

There is a show at Knotts Berry Farm in Anaheim, Ca. that is inside a "half-dome" building, like a golf ball cut in half. The movie covers the entire front half and a railing crosses the room in the center. The audience stands at the rail while they show a movie of rollercoaster rides and acrobatic airplanes, etc. Watching it makes many people dizzy, because when you are standing at the rail, you are totally surrounded by the movie. I had to go to the back and sit down because I got real dizzy and was near heaving.

It was really funny. From the back I could see all the people moving in unison to the movie. As the roller coaster careened to the left, the entire audience (all are standing) leaned to the left. When the coaster reached the bottom and careened right, the audience, as one, leaned to the right. It was hilarious.