My thoughts on James Cameron's Avatar are fairly complicated. I typcially love going to movies. I love the experience, I love the popcorn. I love walking out talking about what we saw, what we thought, what we liked, what we loved, hated etc...
I don't even complain about the prices. I go to be entertained. Luckily for us (Danielle and myself) we were able to go see Avatar and eat popcorn and drink soda for free (thank you for your Christmas gifts).
So we went to see Avatar with an open mind and a full wallet.
I have taken enough film classes, thank you Dr. Daly, to know what I am watching and to look at film with a critical eye. I take the same approach to books and TV, and tend to annoy people who watch with me because I see beyond the story and ask too many questions for my own good.
I suspended my critical mind while enjoying Avatar. And that is exactly what I did. I enjoyed it. We did not see it in 3D, and there was a group of teenagers who talked through most of the film (which got us another set of free passes, that we promptly used to see Sherlock Holmes for free, and loved.)
I have read a lot of reviews that come down on both sides of the "What did you think of Avatar" argument. And I can see the truth in much of what is being said both in support, and against the film.
Did the story lack originality? Absolutely.
Did Cameron rip off most, if not all of what was in the film? No doubt about it
Did I still enjoy it and its message? Yes
That being said, I just read This... which states pretty clearly all of the films short-comings.
For more on the Roger Dean rip offs check out This...
And if you have seen the film, I think it is safe to say that you will be stunned by how much was lifted from other people's work.
Was it a Fern Gully Rip off? Yes
I watched some James Cameron's Aliens last night and was reminded that it is one of my favorite SyFy films, regardless of how much he lifted from other peoples work. The same can be said for Resident Evil which lifted so much from Aliens that it is borderline criminal. Take some time to check out Michelle Rodriguez' character and compare her to the character of Vazquez in Aliens. Actually I bet if you set the two films up on TVs next to each other and start them simulaneously, they even match up time-wise.
My point is, there is very little originality out there.
I can't find it now, but there is an old episode from Star Trek, where Kirk finds himself trapped in a world where he realizes that he can control his environment with his mind just in time to defeat his enemies, and the gun appears in his hand. (Once again, thank you Dr. Daly)
Watching it, I realized, even something that upon first look seems so original, such as The Matrix ripped off its most basic premise.
What is the point of all of this? I guess my point is that although I know Avatar was ripped off from so man places I cannot even begin to name them, I still enjoyed it.
I don't look for every movie I watch, or book I read to change the way that I view the world around me. I think I have a pretty good view of the world as is. I read books (Currently Mistborn which is one of my favorites and needs to be checked out, and may be coming to a theater near you, or so says Drew)or watch movies, I read them, or watch them, to be entertained. I read them or watch them to have my imagination ignited. Avatar did this.
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2 comments:
Like you, I watch movies too critically. I think I broke my suspension of disbelief during my undergrad and it never healed properly. It drives people nuts. (It's also how I read, which drove many women friends nuts - not in a good way - when I read Twilight. But I digress...)
Movies like Avatar draw a big "meh" from me. I haven't seen it, but I got the whole story from the trailer. You know how Alien was "Jaws in Space?" Well, Avatar was "Dances with Wolves in Space." (I don't remember who said that first.) PS – My eyes don’t line up right, so even circularly-polarized 3D doesn’t work for me.
I like movies and books for *how* they are told, not for their story per se. I knew the Lord of the Rings story backwards and forwards before I saw Jackson’s version, but he captured visually so much of the *interpretative* side of the story that it was very much worth it (and the subsequent hours I’ve spent re-watching it.)
For example, that shot of Aragorn striding deliberately to meet – alone – the horde of Uruk-Hai presented neatly the pagan morals Tolkien preserved in his tales. I don’t think many movie goers batted an eye at it; I mean, it’s not like they’re going to kill off a hero in the first film. But that wasn’t the point: Aragorn *intended* to die and that shot was perfect. It may be Christian to face the impossible with faith (see The Song of Roland), but the glory of going to battle with the intent of dying predates Christianity (See 300, “Then we will fight in the shade.” Ooo. Still gives me shivers.).
I also loved loved loved Jet Li’s Hero. You could sum up that tale in two minutes, but the way it was told was what made the film worth my time.
Sometimes a wacky story – like Up – will capture my attention (you had two octogenarians fencing – one with a cane – in a giant airship with a house floating behind and dogs flying biplanes in pursuit…. And it made sense!), but I normally look for deeper connections. Wall-E, by far my favorite film of the last two years, “recycled” a ton of material (including using Weaver’s voice for the Axiom’s PA system), but doing so made it *more* meaningful, not less. You cannot totally understand Wall-E without watching 2001.
Anyway, I have a lot of friends that were moved by Avatar. Great for them. But what they’ve told me of it is stuff I already know/feel/understand – call me when there’s more (even, for instance, Coraline or Stranger than Fiction).
I know exactly which "Aragorn walking to his death" shot you are referring to, and it is one of my favorites as well.
I completely agree about Avatar and storytelling. I enjoyed the film in a vacuum. We didn't see it in 3D, and it was still almost too visually stunning to take in. It was like my eyes walked into an eye candy store and they were allowed to eat as much as they wanted, except they ate too much and got a sore stomach.
I agree about 300 as well. It was basically a pretty weak story...Over matched, noble Greeks take on ridiculous numbers of savage hordes, fight valiantly but die...yadda yadda yadda. Except the film was AWESOME because of how they told it.
My point is, I completely agree with you.
But I will still go see crappy movies because I love them.
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