Rarely does a movie exceed my expectations. Believe it or not, Transformers (first one) did that and so does Avatar. I first read about it 3 years ago and does time fly. So after my first (3D) viewing, I can safely say that this is yet another special one. Special as in no movie will ever come close to this, not for another 3 years or so. Avatar is a movie that stands alone on its visual innovation and strength.
What makes it so special? Not the plot, hardly. If you are looking for sophistication in terms of storytelling and other technical innovations, then Citizen Kane threw down a gauntlet few have ever successfully picked up. Avatar is a mish-mash of various themes, from Pocahantas to Call Me Joe. Cameron stands on a lot of people here.
And so perhaps what will leave a lot of people in wonder will be the delicately detailed scenes of the Pandoran wilderness. Cameron draws from his underwater experience here and delivers visuals that are, well, truly special. The "3D" does not add or subtract to the experience (I still have serious reservations to this medium), so I don't think the 2D viewers will miss anything.
It's a novel experience, and that's truly a hard to find thing in this age of sequels and reboots. But what's more exciting is that Avatar, if not a benchmark, should be at the very least a driving force for others to do better. I'll be holding my breath.
What makes it so special? Not the plot, hardly. If you are looking for sophistication in terms of storytelling and other technical innovations, then Citizen Kane threw down a gauntlet few have ever successfully picked up. Avatar is a mish-mash of various themes, from Pocahantas to Call Me Joe. Cameron stands on a lot of people here.
And so perhaps what will leave a lot of people in wonder will be the delicately detailed scenes of the Pandoran wilderness. Cameron draws from his underwater experience here and delivers visuals that are, well, truly special. The "3D" does not add or subtract to the experience (I still have serious reservations to this medium), so I don't think the 2D viewers will miss anything.
It's a novel experience, and that's truly a hard to find thing in this age of sequels and reboots. But what's more exciting is that Avatar, if not a benchmark, should be at the very least a driving force for others to do better. I'll be holding my breath.
