Let's talk about Avatar, and 3d...

It’s simple for me to say that you’ve never, in your life, seen anything like James Cameron’s return

to cineplexes with his newest film Avatar. The truth of the matter is that I’m probably too close to the film at the moment to have a proper perspective on what I saw in order to write up a decent review. But I want to write a bit about it while it’s still fresh in my mind, so bear with me, and I reserve the right to recant some of my thoughts later if I change my mind. There are some generalized spoilers below, but I won’t go into specifics, and I will label them so you know when they’re coming. Cool?

First things first, the movie is an absolute wonder to behold from a visual spectacle standpoint. All of the hype that this film is getting for being revolutionary, changing the way we will see movies in the years to come, amazing CGI, and everything else, is well deserved. Cameron has put together a feast for the eyes that is second to none. It’s like the best Thanksgiving dinner you can remember, the most amazing Christmas of your life, and the most insane Times Square New Year’s Eve, all for your eyeballs. Seriously, the old cliche of wanting a cigarette after spending some special time with that special someone? I felt like, if my eyeballs could smoke, I would have run to the nearest 7-11 and bought a pack for each of them after I walked out of the theatre.

The magic of his world of Pandora is in the exquisite detail down to the smallest of minutiae. Yes, we’ve seen good CGI before in films like King Kong or The Lord of The Rings, and numerous other big budget flicks of late. But none of them have come close to this level of detail. Every single thing in this universe is painstakingly realized, and given extreme care. From the biggest of creatures, to the smallest of plant life, it’s all a treat to look at. The more amazing feat, is that I didn’t find myself thinking “Oh, that’s CGI. And so is that. And yep, that is too.” It all looks incredibly believable. And the giant blue people from the previews? Yeah, they’re the main characters more or less, and to see crowds of them running, fighting, interacting with one another and the actual human actors is pretty amazing. They have pores, fingerprints, wisps of hair coming separated from their dreadlocks, facepaint that rubs off, and they’re all individually distinct from each other. The motion capture of the actors is really excellent, if you thought Gollum was good in LotR, you ain’t seen nothing yet.

It’s like the entire production team sat in a room and James Cameron said, “I want to make as many cool animals, amazing plants, ridiculously slick robots and spaceships, planets, action scenes, fight scenes, and things blowing up scenes as possible and I want to put them all in a single flick, I want to include people, and I want to make sure that no one in the audience can tell where the real people stop and the computer graphics take over.” I can’t even fathom how much time was spent in post production putting the finishing touches onto every single frame of film. It must have been absolutely exhausting, and I can see why it’s reported to be the most expensive film in Hollywood’s history.

If you’re going to see it, I can’t stress enough that you should see it on an IMAX, and you should see it in 3D. Really. That’s the way the movie was meant to be seen, so do yourself a favor and throw down the extra few bucks to see it properly.

But.... You knew there was going to be a “But” didn’t you?

Minor, vague, non-specific spoilers ahead....

It’s the plot/story that I’m really stuck on. For my money, the plot is where the movie struggles. There are some really amazing action sequences, reminiscent of some of the classic action of Cameron’s earlier works like Aliens, Terminator 2, and True Lies. But around the big action scenes are a lot of big chunks of not terribly interesting story/plot scenes. The movie runs 2:40 long, and the last 40 is one big, long, ridiculously fun action set piece, But the plot is kind of a plodding, uneven, lumbering, all over the place....bore. I’m not sure why that is honestly. I don’t know if it’s trying to do too much, with too many threads of story, so that it doesn’t ever really hone in on one thing specifically. I just don’t know. It’s an amalgam of some Pocahontas, Dances with Wolves, Star Wars, and Romeo and Juliet(?). Then sprinkle in a morality discussion about human and corporate greed, sidelong commentary on the plight of the Native American’s(?), more allusions to the “West’s” need for oil and it’s relentless determination to have it by any means necessary, and you’re getting a rough picture of what the story is all about. Does it sound complicated to you?

The complexity of the plot and the fact that the majority of the movie is spent with the giant blue natives, don’t really help one relate to anything that’s going on on-screen. Yes, you’re sorry for the events that are going on at points, and yes, you even find yourself caring for the (completely CGI) natives...at points, but those points are few and far between. And I think the fact that I just didn’t really feel like I connected with anyone/anything in the movie, is my biggest issue. The spectacle is all really great, but if I don’t care about what’s going on or the people involved in it then, ultimately, the movie isn’t a success. It’s actually easy for me to relate this to the field that I work in currently. Yes, you can put a fantastically elaborate, decadent, well designed, and aesthetically pleasing opera on stage, but if the story is weak or not terribly compelling, then what are you left with? You’re left with saying, “It sure did look pretty.”

Is it a movie worth seeing? Yes. Especially if you can see it on a huge screen, and in 3D. I don’t really know that I would have been quite as impressed if I’d seen it in regular 2D. I’m just not quite that sold on the story, or at least the way the story is told. I’d love to hear some other thoughts...

AND WHAT ABOUT 3D?

Ok, I’m almost done, as I know this has gone on too long. A couple last thoughts....

If you didn’t know it already, the first 3D televisions are set to start hitting the markets at the end of 2010 or so, and are expected to ring in at a cost of somewhere above $3500 a piece. As I’m an avid gamer I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t at least a little interested in this new technology coming into the home. Sony has already stated that 3D games will be a major part of their Playstation gameplan in the years to come. So that’s cool. And watching Avatar today, and the onslaught of 3D movies around the corner, I can definitely appreciate the technology and the opportunities it gives filmmakers. And for video games, well the more “in the game” you can feel, the better.

But I have to wonder if it’s absolutely necessary that we switch all future movies to 3D? Is it really necessary? Sure it’s great for action, sci fi, animated, and horror flicks. But is it really necessary for dramas like the recent Precious? Or The Blind Side? What is gained by the 3D in these scenarios? What about classics? Do we need a Gone With the Wind or Citizen Kane in 3D?

In bringing the technology home I can certainly see the appeal for gaming, or the aforementioned genres of films, and I’ve got to think that the Super Bowl or the NBA Finals would be awesome to watch in 3D from the comfort of your living room. But do I need to watch Friends or The Office in 3D? I don't know. Thoughts?

Thoughts on the Wild Things....

Just got out of seeing Spike Jonze's "Where the Wild Things Are" a movie that I've been looking forward to for at least 6 months, if not longer. I'm choosing to write this here as all of my thoughts wouldn't really fit into a regular status update.

It's a fascinating movie, that's probably the best way to describe my feelings on what Jonez has accomplished. I remember loving the book as a kid, but now that I'm 25+ years removed from it I can't say that I remember exactly what the book was about. I remember the framework, but not the actual details.

The movie isn't for kids, not even remotely. It's a disservice what marketing and previews are doing to a lot of movies out there these days, though I understand why they do it. It's easy to put a bunch of big monsters all partying and having a good time into some quick clips and release it as a preview because that way they know they are pandering to the little ones out there and uninformed parents will drop the cash to take the kids and see it, not knowing what they are getting themselves into. You need to be removed from your childhood to really understand what this movie is trying to convey, what it's trying to get across.

It's a contemplative movie, it reflects on what childhood is in so many nuanced and subtle ways. What it's like to look at your parents or older siblings when you're 9 years old and not understand why they do the things they do, and why they don't pay attention to you the way you feel they should. It looks at all of the emotions that you have inside of you when you're that age, and how you don't know what to do with them all the time. Sometimes you just need to yell and growl don't you?

And don't all of us, even now, just want to feel love and closeness with others? And at age 9 isn't it the thing we want most of all? We don't care about the best car, the newest computer, the coolest gadget, the better job, the car loan, the house payment, getting laid off at that age. We care about having a good time, about make-believe places and make-believe things. And how all of those places and things are so much better than real life

because they really "get" us, what we're about, what our potential is. We can be kings simply because we say we are, we get to wear the crown and make the rules because we say so. And if the best way to fix something is by dog-piling your friends, or building a fort, then so be it.

It's a big movie, a thought provoking movie.

It looks gorgeous, the voice acting is impeccable, has a great soundtrack, and Max Records, the kid who plays Max in the film, is a real find.

I wish Spike Jonze would do more work, he's an incredibly talented director.

In short, the film is really a bed time story brought to life. A story you might tell your kid, or your kid might tell you, totally off the cuff, with all the twists and turns that those magical stories entail.