Visually it is truly the most incredible spectacle committed to film. However the story was thin and unoriginal and the first half of the script was appalling. Lazy use of, and overly lengthy, voice over for exposition, including one random line of voice over from no where about two thirds of the way in. Script writing 101 is show it, don't say it.
Just because it's the highest grossing doesn't mean it's well made. Pretty to my eyes, a creative vacuum to my brain.
If it wasn't for the visuals and the amazing 3D, it would have been a let-down. However, it was made for the effects and I think it did justice to the 3D world and what a world it was.
I have to agree with MajorMercyFLush and stryjewski. This movie is a snorefest. The amount of acclaim it recievs saddens me when shallow drivel like this is going to be held as a blueprint of successful filmaking.
It's nothing more than a set of video game like sequences sans the interactivity that makes video games appealing. So you can't interact with it, and the plot is for the lowest common denominator. Where does that leave it in my books? In the trash.
I'm not a movie buff by any stretch, I won't claim to hold knowledge in writing or rant about the scientific names of minerals. I'll just say the movie was blah. I don't even get where people claim it looked amazing visually, it just looked like a crapload of cgi to me.
The story itself is so weak I found myself bored for more then half of the 2 hour plus movie. The bad guys attack and win the first battle but the good guys regroup and win the war.... Isn't that every episode of the A-Team? Not one time does the movie surprise you with a turn of events outside your expectations. Don't get me started on the cartoonishly tough military leader or the final fight scene where the bad guy tells the good guy what he's about to do. How classic. I'm sure the fanboys will flame the hell out of this as apparently some see this movie as life changing. If this movie changed your life you need to get out more.
It was a eye-candy, literally. The animation or whatever it was, was beautiful and the story was also painfully believable. The depiction was all interesting and realistic to the point of me rating it 10 hearts!~
Edit: I'll be changing my rating to 8 stars instead of 10, because I realized it's not great to be high on emotion all the time when it comes to ratings. Lol?
I know it’s popular to hate on this nowadays, but some of the ratings on the top reviews are quite ridiculous.
I’m not a massive fan of it either, but some people rating this a 1 must be under the impression that it’ll gain them cinema snob credentials or something. In reality, it’s quite the opposite.
A lot of this is saved by the production: the filmmaking is top notch, action’s well helmed, cutting edge visual effects, impressive cinematography and lighting, standout score, all that stuff’s great and memorable. In fact, I’d argue very few movies are as immersive as this one.
The characters are ok (little too cartoony and cliché for my liking) but it’s the script in particular that brings a lot of the movie down. It’s way too tropey (both cinematic and literary), lots of bad dialogue, highly predictable and far too om the nose. It doesn’t have enough meat on the bones to justify the 3 hour runtime, and casting some better actors would’ve gone a long way as well (Zoe Saldana is the only person giving a legit good performance). You can hear Worthington’s Australian accent throughout the entire film, and it’s very distracting.
So, it’s fine, good on Cameron for making all the money in the world with an original idea. You could honestly do a lot worse than watching this. But you could also do a lot better.
6/10
I can't believe most comments are people whining, ... Who cares, It was a Sci-Fi Movie people, get a grip.
If you don't like that particular type of Genre, Then why have you bothered watching it for ?.
(I guess Curiosity isn't your strong point)
Personally, I'm most certainly a Space Cadet, I live for the Stars and what's out there!... I Thought this Film was a Great piece, It's best Watched it with an Ambient lighting and 3D.
As long as I'm still alive by the first Manned Mars Landing, I'll be happy to leave this Earth, Though It's not always the same sharing moments when single.
I guess I've got my work cut out for me!
Visuals: 10/10
Story: 8/10
Soundtrack: 8/10
Overall: 8/10
Awesome!
amazing - wish i could have seen it in 3D!
Unique movie, gotta see once at least
The wet dream of every white man with a savior complex.
Ok so.
Theatrical version: 8/10
Collector's Edition Extended Version: 9/10
Those extra 16 minutes were worth every second to get it to almost a 3 hour runtime. Not a lot is wrong with this movie. But it still lacks great dialogue and cohesion with the plot. Some things just happen, which isn't good for a 3 hour long movie. Plus ideas are dropped with nothing to say why it was there, or what toll it took on the characters. Also worth a note, James Horner does another fantastic score for one of Cameron's films. But overall this is an tale or epic proportions.
I hope they don't screw it up with... 4 sequels.. god..
Didnt know what this was going into it. But the over all feeling of this film did it for me. The great acting and a some whot different story line gives it a high rating in my book.
The plot might be simple, the idea that a world like this could exist somewhere out there is thrilling. Beautifully made.
Not what I expected -- and happy that it turned out that way. Excellent graphics and fabulous action. If you're a fantasy buff then this will fill you up. I'd watch if there were a sequel.
Avatarrrr
Respect Indigenous uprising #landback
This might as well be 'Pocahontas' in space.
Fantastic Movie, admittedly, I watched it when it first came out, Only just got this app.
I see lots complaining of this and that, Half of you have missed the point, even though you hated it, you still watched it till the end.
It's a Sci-Fi Movie, and that for me is enough, seeing what could be one of the millions of possibilities of the kinds of worlds that just might be out there, Waiting to be Explored, makes my mind explode with the joy of finding lifeform's to which we have no concept of.
If you are to rule out such a planet may exist, Then I feel for their Imagination's!
One of the best cinematic experiences ever...
What a piece of shit letdown. It's a simple, sad digest on racism and xenophobia - which is good - but it's told so badly, that even Rodney King did a better job at dismaying anyone from...anything? Effects, effects, effects, neon... It was not engaging and not worth anybody's time.
Hate this film. Can explain why in many words. Don't want to waste even more time than I already did while actually watching the thing.
Probably one of my favourite movies!
The only good thing about this movie are its visual effects and maaaaaybe soundtrack. Everything else sucks. The plot is especially bad.
"I see you" best line ever!!
THE 3D film that redefines the genre. A little like ALIENS in places, but there's no question this is one of the most engrossing Sci-Fi films out there. Perfect in almost every respect. :)
Awesome film one of those movies that you've just gotta watch twice!
Graphically beautiful and a cool concept.
A friend who I thought was pretty intelligent was all about this movie because he saw an anti-imperialism/colonialism/neoliberalism subtext to it. I just thought the movie made me dumber. Also on the colonial tip, if one were to read the film that way, it would reek of paternalism, that the savage can only resist with the support of the colonizer.
MAjorMercyFlush: good call on the pocahantas tip.
I have never seen both Pocahontas or The New World, but i know the story and it does seem similar. So i guess you have a point there.
You should see this website: http://www.chm.bris.ac.uk/sillymolecules/sillymols.htm. There are lots of minerals and acids and molecules with weird names. But than again this is a movie. Its not supposed to be scientific accurate, just entertaining.
I remember reading somewhere that James Cameron was asked why the Na'vi women have breast since they don't need them and he answered "because this movie was made for human people", my point exactly.
I thought it was a fantastic movie. I have not seen anything like it before. They spend the budget they had in a very good way if this is the end-product.
What do you mean it was unoriginal? The only movie i can think of that has something even remotely similar is Dances With Wolves, but thats like comparing apples and oranges. I saw this movie a total of four times in the movie theater, i thought it was that good. But it might also have been because of the fact that this was the first movie i ever saw in 3d.
It’s not about the visuals, it’s about the ability to create an entire new amazing world and a story that we can relate
At this time, I’m probably the only person on Earth who hasn’t watched the first “Avatar”, but the trailers of the sequel made me feel like giving it a try. Although I’ve heard the worst things about the supposed lack of substance in the plot, I haven’t noticed anything that couldn’t be said about most blockbusters. There are times things suddenly move forward through easy gimmicks (like the bird, for example), yet I’m grateful they didn’t drag on even further, as the movie is indeed bloated, and the length is already quite challenging. The only thing that turned me off a little was the writing of the dialogues, a little too clunky and cartoony even for 2009. The way the characters are introduced also felt strangely old-school for a movie that was supposedly meant to take its audience to a new era.
Everything else is still holding up well. The special effects and action sequences are arguably on par with the most recent blockbusters, if not even better. Pandora is not precisely the best incarnation of my aesthetic ideals in movies, yet I enjoyed most of the journey. In particular, I was surprised to see how hard they hit with collateral damage in what’s supposed to be a comforting mainstream movie.
This was a re-watch in anticipation of Way of Water. First off, I chose to watch the extended edition, which I had never seen previously. Having now read up on the various additions included in this version, I feel pretty comfortable recommending that people stick with the theatrical. Much of the new content is superfluous and/or awkward exposition (I don't need to hear some half-baked scientific explanation as to why the mountains float, and certainly not one that ends with Jake Sully hand waving it away by saying "...or something").
Now, as for the movie itself... the plot is still as simple as ever, and the spectacle is unfortunately starting to show its age. When this film came out in 2009, it was leaps and bounds beyond what video games could accomplish. But tech has come a long way, and now there are many scenes that feel more like a video game cutscene than James Cameron would probably like. This isn't to say that any of it looks bad, in fact, much of the critical CGI still holds up quite well (i.e. the close-ups on the Na'vi), but as a whole, the film no longer feels groundbreaking. This is a problem, because the spectacle was a large part of the film's success. Without it, we're left with a solid sci-fi action film, but not something that blew me away. The story/characters are simply too one-note to really leave a lasting impression.
Landing at the convergence point between the advent of uncanny CGI capabilities and the peak of the 3D movie revival, Avatar was the right film at the right time to reap a swath of popular rewards. For one season in 2009, it seemed like everyone in the world was going to see this movie. Often more than once. It's the type of cultural lightning most mainstream filmmakers dream of bottling, then spend the rest of their careers chasing. Writer / director James Cameron showed tremendous foresight (and maybe an awful lot of luck) in waiting for the right moment to unleash his vision, having conceived the basic idea a decade earlier, and now may be showing a tremendous lack of the same in scheduling four very-belated sequels. But that's beside the point. For now, the future of this franchise remains unwritten and I'm just here to assess the ground level.
As plots go, the first Avatar entry is simplistic and naïve. We see the glaring character archetypes for what they are, right away, and the blanks essentially fill themselves. The mean, self-centered industrial types can never understand the unspoken bond their mindful, tribal counterparts share with the land. Greed imposes upon empathy, inciting armed conflict. It's essentially a Captain Planet episode. Shades of gray pepper both sides of the argument, so there is a bit more depth here than in a Saturday morning cartoon, but not much. It's entry-level writing, establishing a rudimentary threat and then working loose suspense until the third act. Avatar's storyline will neither surprise nor enlighten, but that's not what sold the show, anyway.
The film's real strength is in its knack for attentive world-building and its celebration of bright, colorful artistic representation. If this didn't look like it does, teem with life as it does, exploit the 3D craze as effectively as it does (Or as it did? Does anyone still watch 3D movies?), it wouldn't have landed with a fraction of the magnitude it once did. Its affinity for bright color and unusual hues, almost completely foreign in the cinematic language of the time, might be its most influential feature. Certainly, the creative minds behind Guardians of the Galaxy took notes and continued the trend. And the alien landscape of Pandora is exhaustively developed and realized. It buzzes, both literally and metaphorically, with biology. When the protagonist is staggered by his first exposure to the local fauna, we're staggered right alongside him. In this sense, it often feels like the cart has lapped the horse; like the storyline took a third-row seat behind the tantric urge to flesh everything out. So, while the spectacle of watching that six-legged, gill-breathing equine critter live and move is absolutely magical, its actual role in the story is limited to... er... living and moving for a few slow-paced scenes. After that, it's background fodder. The same is true of almost everything else on the map. There's an abundance of dazzling creativity, but no great underlying substance beyond the "hey, we're all like, connected, maaan" mumbo-jumbo. We're mesmerized by the beasts' intrinsic majesty, but any meaning we might take beyond the superficial is purely viewer-appointed. It's a billion-dollar tech demo, a wonderful place to dwell and take inspiration, nothing more and nothing less.
And hey, that's not the end of the world. Sometimes it's okay to cast aside a deeper meaning and a richer cast in favor of a different set of features. I love non-narrative art films like Koyaanisqatsi and Baraka. However, the trouble with relying so completely upon this brand of visual fidelity and computer imagery is, eventually, those bills come due. And, while Avatar's trees and airborne jellyfish and spinning, glowing lizard thingies have weathered the past thirteen years marvelously, its blue humanoid representatives are already showing their age. And those guys chew a vast majority of the screen time. As they continue to degrade, so does the associated movie magic, leaving audiences with a meager, barebones plot for sustenance. That just isn't a recipe for success. This felt thin but spectacular in the theater, but now? It's fading. How will it look in another thirteen years? How will the sequels?
Checking the movie in the cinema tonight as they re-released it - this time in 4K 3D HFR Atmos. It is most definitely amazing to see it like this and a great way to refresh my memory in anticipation of the upcoming Avatar 2.
As a film, it's okay - cliche-ridden and as a result it is similar to so many other movies.
Graphics-wise it is very impressive.
I saw the Extended Collector Edition clocking in at 2h 58 and I could have lived with about 20 mins less as the fighting got quite monotonous.
The story and the indigenous people aspect was praiseworthy though a little heavy-handed.
Will I race out to see a sequel to this? Nah.
7/10
This Movie Innovated in Every Domain relying on CG.
from Special Effects to Gaming industry.
So very Hollywood fairy tale of good and love. Visually beautiful, innovative and wonderful to watch in the format in 4DX. But very schematic plots.
This Movie is basically Pocahontas. But in stunning 3D.
After reading all the hate reviews surrounding this movie, I've really come to pity the Millennials and their successors, These generations have become so jaded to life, while never having any actual exposure to an environmental revolution other than what they've been indoctrinated to believe, are now so tainted that they can't simply enjoy a new experience like Avatar. Every character is shallow unless they constantly preach an agenda-driven mantra of extreme global cooling/warming man-made destruction, trans-bisexual anti-homogeneous gender nullification or some other left-wing dribble involving renewable energy, a meat-free diet or that somehow one race's life matters more than another because of the indignities they suffered centuries ago. Now, you have to deny that 4k eyecandy graphics are BORING to fit in with the new generation of beatniks and that CGI is killing the movie industry, even though all those that insist on it would never sit down and watch a standard definition B&W film from the 1950s, even if their life depended on it.
Creating a self-sustaining universe is something ever so difficult. Only a few (Tolkien, Lucas, Roddenberry & Stan Lee come immediately to mind) have been able to pull it off with success. The DETAIL that you need to weave is so intense that only a few Masters have been able to pull it off and have their legacy extend beyond a single work. The world of Avatar could easily be included into that mix. Just watching how the unique creatures breathed, their interactions with the surrounding environment and how life on that planet communed with itself was enough to make me want for more. Yes, the graphics today in 2021 might not be that impressive, but for something a decade old, they truly were breathtaking. Of course, this is coming from a person who grew up during the Beta-Max - VHS war, in an era when your home phone broke, you had to get to the Ma Bell Telephone Store to get a replacement (because you only rented your home phone from the utility) and where 4-bit video game graphics were groundbreaking.
There are 2 aspects of graphics that are the most difficult to program: running water and the human hand. These are the two things that the industry grades the most difficult and expects to expose the weakness of substandard work. Both of these are flawlessly done in the film and come off as exceptionally lifelike. After that, everything else is gravy and is believable to the standard eye. The amount of background activity is breathtaking and if you happen to look beyond the main protagonists on the screen, you can get lost with the environmental interaction. Unfortunately, most people won't be able to see the forest from the trees and never enjoy the graphical ballet going on in the background.
While those less-versed might not see it, Avatar is a modern version of the American Western; where the white-male protagonist is adopted by the native tribe and instructed in their ways of life and existence. It has been done time and time again (Bianco Apache, The Savage, Little Big Man, The Light in the Forest), and this film follows the doctrine to the letter. Avatar is nothing more than a new-age telling of the same old story of Empire vs. Indigenous people on a planetary scale, albeit with better graphics and new age technology. Yes, it's not a new tale. But honestly, after millennia after millennia of humans telling stories, how many original tales are still untold? Besides that, everything else about the film is almost perfect. The cinematography, the editing, the graphics and even the dialog fits the movie like a glove. If you weren't impressed, then go take a peek at Cool World or Who Framed Roger Rabbit and see how far we've come in just a few short decades. While not the perfect film, it definitely entertains and leaves the viewer wanting for more. Highly recommended.
Wonderfull at all levels, especially in the ecological message. A story that is great but realistic: this is very important for me.
its been long since this movie has come out, and i have to say its just fabulous especially in this time, i cant say how much ive watched this movie, well lets say more then a 100 times, because every time you watch, you learn or find something new, and that i believe is because of the amazing graphics in use, anyhow if you havent watched it by now please do...
Watched this at the movie theater back in 2009 and gave it a try at home this year: while the 3D effects are still OK (although not that impressive anymore after having seen quite a few other action flicks with decent 3D effects since 2009), the story is just too flat, as are all the characters IMHO, to let it stand out besides all the other mediocre action flicks available!
Take a look a the original Matrix movie: this provided mind-blowing action sequences (for the time it was released) and still managed to provide a story and characters one cares about. Avatar is nowhere near that level of brilliance and for me a perfect example of Cameron flick that is hyped and provides no real sustenance.
Amazing movie ....storry good effects.
The longer I watched it, the lower my rating for it got... and well, I quit at about halfway. It's pretty, but even that is not much of an advantage, as I feel like these scenarios are not exactly new? It honesly felt like your standard magical forest, and being high-res did not make up for the lack of creativity.
Visuals/Cinematography: A+
Plot originality: B-
All flash, no payout. Horrible writing, generic, insulting story, and rehashed tropes. Disgusting.
Great piece of art with avant-garding visual effects, stunning both in cinema and blu-ray, other than that it's all fireworks, plot, history and characters are gigantic clichés.
'Forgettable' is the less insulting adjective i was able to find for this movie. I mean it's obviously pretty bland and boring, the story, the characters and all. Yeah the special effect are decent, but nothing truly amazing as the industry advertisers wanted to make us believe... I honestly wouldn't even suggest the one-time watch. It's just a disappointment and, at times, an insult to the spectator intelligence.
ps: i'm a fan of this kind of sci-fi/fantasy movies (as well as other genres) and i've watched many great examples of it. If a movie is well executed i'll like it is so regardless the genre, and i'll like it regardless. So don't even think i'm giving a bad review because i don't like the genre. Accept the fact that the movie is objectively mediocre.
Predictable plot and flat characters but somehow you just have to see it all play out...probably because of the visuals. It's worth one watch at least. #ShiftvW8
Aside all the hype surrounding the release of this movie......Its great.
leave bad comment alone.can't wait to see to see the sequel.the story and cinematographic is up to another level of sci-fiction genre.what a acting.
I think this movie was one of those love or hate types with leaving little room in between. I loved it and looking forward to the next one should it ever get made..Personally I think a 2 year wait would have been more than enough and don't understand why they are waiting so long to bring out the follow up.
One of my favorite films that I would recommend to everybody. Some would say the plot is very simple or empty, others don't like fiction at all and will get bored watching it, but it made me dream and very few films did that.
Was okay the first time but I've seen it sooooooooooo many times so its just rubbish
Loved this movie! I've seen it more times than I can remember. I can't wait for the new one!
Love it ! I think the world they created was just amazing and so beautiful they did an AMAZING job with the whole movie I think I also loved the plot and everything in general
I didn't have very high expectations when I went to see this movie. It quickly surpassed my expectations and it is one of my favorites.
Awesome film, one of those ones that you've gotta watch twice
This is the baddest ass movie I have ever seen! Best seen in blu ray or 3d!!
Overrated.. (The most intresting thing in the movie was the CGI enviroments..)
I wonder if there is a person who hasn't seen this movie yet.
much better with the extended cut
Excellent very big movie!
a visually beautiful yet forgettable and cliche white savior's wet dream.
I thought Avatar was overrated, till around when number 2 came out, and I gave Avatar a go. Never had i been so wrong. James Cameron truly makes his imagination come alive. I then watched number 2 straight after, and the only reason I'm not giving this a higher rating is because, to me, number 2 is 2 times better in every way. The fact this is already brilliant, iconic, revolutionary, immense, emotional, all the above, and yet can still improve is crazy.
One of the most incredibly animated and fantastical worlds you will ever see in your life
I still remember sitting in the theatre, moaning to myself the question "when will this be over?" because, for the first hour and a half, it felt like a nature documentary. It was gorgeous but so devoid of plot. Then, finally, a plot emerged! But it was rushed and basic. More was put into the graphics than into making this a GOOD movie.
…what if I learned to speak Na’vi
What’s there to say it’s avatar
Oh wow. Seriously. I know I've seen this before when I was a kid, but now that the second film in the franchise is out, I thought why not watch it again now that I'm older and can understand the story better. I'm speechless. This is awesome. The story really gets to you, even though it's got that usual linear film flow with the intro, climax, and resolution. But hey, for 2010, this is already a really, really good film. Though it's not the kind of movie I'd want to rewatch maybe because it's a bit lengthy or because the plot feels kind of predictable, but man, it totally got me pumped up for the second film. I'm totally in love with this and oh, I've got a crush na on Jake Sully. 'Yung avatar version ha. Eme!
Not entirely sure why I didn’t watch this when it came out. May well have just been the I was just being contrary to all that was popular at the time. 14 years later and it seems a bit ridiculous now. The plot was completely different than what I had imagined in my head. I’m not sure now what I thought but it wasn’t what it turned out to be. Not sure if that’s good. I think if I had realized “Ana Lucia” was in it I would have watched it sooner. Did anyone else get 9/11 foreshadowing vibes?
Anyway all to say, I guess I won’t wait q4 years to watch the second one.
Great visuals
Likable story
Characters 6.5
Story 6.5
Pacing 7
Visuals 9
Rewatchability Factor 6
Enjoyment or Emotional Value 8
Average Score 7.16
This is a bad Pocahontas remake
Review by saundrewBlockedParent2015-09-12T21:03:07Z
Frankly there are a lot of problems with this movie, but overall I still think it's good and worth a watch. Specifically, I'd say the plot is pretty ordinary, but the technical details are all solid enough to be watchable.
So yea, the plot is basically just what you see anytime a white guy visits a different culture. At first he finds it dumb and then he gets into it and swings against the racist team he showed up with. I'm not saying doing that kind of plot sucks, just that this film does everything exactly the way I anticipate. The scene that really pops out to me is the talk when the head guy of the corp who just flat out lays the plot down with Ripley... I mean Sigourney Weaver.
Other than that, I've got a few nitpicks here and there. Like, whats the deal with the hair sex thing? That would be one thing on its own, but then you do that with animals too. Whaaaaaat? And what's the deal with such frequent slow motion? I mean, the movie is long enough as it is.
But, all of that isn't such a big deal because the effects are interesting enough to watch. This is very interesting technically, especially back in 2009 when it came out. I really like the look of the world they're in too. The forest/jungle looks awesome with those floating mountains, and the animal designs are nice. I love that the horse things sound exactly like the raptors in Jurassic Park. So yea, check it out for the technical stuff and I bet you'll be into it enough for at least one watch.