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OK, Good Stuff: Avatar Excitement

Update: We have now seen Avatar and are releasing the first part of our review here.

The first part is our review of the movie walking out of the theater.  The full review will be coming on episode 4 of OK, Good Stuff on Wednesday December 23rd.

What I thought about Avatar before seeing it.

I have been seeing a lot of Avatar footage lately and have been trying to figure out my level of excitement.  It seems like there is a lot to get pumped about, but from what I can tell of the story, I am not running out to see it be told. Partly because I already saw it done on South Park.  From the pieces of trailers that I have seen I have picked up that the humans want to mine for some sort of expensive element right under the home of very tall blue creatures (Na’vi).  They send one of their soldiers, in a body of one of these creatures they built in a lab, to learn their weaknesses.  When war finally breaks out he chooses to fight with the blue guys.

There doesn’t seem like that much story there, but at a two and a half hour run time, I guess there has to be more to it then that.  Anyway the story is only part of the For OR Against dilemma so I have made a Pro and Con list.  If you still have not seen the trailer you can see it at the end of the post.

Pro:

• Many scenes made completely from computer animation and for the first time look real to life.  This includes the Na’vi, which look like they are living breathing creatures.
• James Cameron has been wanting to make this movie from the day he decided to become a film maker.
• First movie to use 3D in the same way you would use lighting and not as a gimmick.
• I love epic story’s and this one is a trilogy.
• James Cameron has made some great movies.
• It is going to be beautiful, like visiting a distant planet.
• Video game attached is supposed to be pretty awesome. And in 3D, but who has a 3D TV?
• Could give a huge push to getting good 3D into our homes, no more red and blue glasses.

Cons:

• Has a “real” fake language – the language that the Na’vi speak was created by James Cameron and a language expert so they are actually saying “real” things to each other.  This is kind of cool, but I don’t know if I am ready for a wave of people speaking Na’vian
• Has been rumored at being upwards of two and half hours.
• Have to pay extra to see it in 3D.  So far haven’t been blown away from anything 3D always seems like a waste of the extra $3.
• Story doesn’t seem like anything totally original – but at 2.5 hours we will see.
• Looks like Cameron has planned another movie before the sequel so if it is good there could be a long time before we actually see the second and third.
• From what I have seen when a human is computer generated they don’t look as real as the Na’vi.  could be another Matrix mistake of using technology that isn’t completely there.  But I have only seen it on a computer and TV so it might look better in the theater.
• Probably have to see some Big blue people making out. He does have a love interest.

I am sure there are many other things to be excited for and worried about.  This is what I have so far.  I am hoping that this is one of those epic movies that is done right.  I am just waiting to see what the reviews are like.  My biggest question is, yea its James Cameron, but it is a two and a half hour movie about tall blue aliens.  Are normal people going to be going to see this or are they going to make their money back by fanboys seeing it ten times.  I guess we will have to wait and see.  I can tell you one thing I would love it to break the record “New Moon” just set for biggest opening day.  I mean come on.

Patrick Lothian