And yeah, Avatar too, probably

So I saw Avatar today, in IMAX 3D.

There's a lot of hype around the movie, as you know, and a lot of people, such as myself have been skeptical. I realize I number among the few who waited this long to see it, but I will post this for those of you who haven't yet. To start, I admit the hype and power marketing made me feel really pessimistic about the movie. The content presented by the trailers just doesn't seem like an interesting story, and there is very little rationale provided for it being a good movie other than its "ground-breaking" visuals.

The reality of the movie is that, while motion capture has come a long way to avoid making CG models look fake, it still hasn't reached a point where every single motion can be considered completely realistic. There are moments that seem to lack tactility, although few and far between. I wish my eyes weren't looking for them with this pessimistic approach, because I think otherwise I could probably call this movie the best of the decade, along with the other thousands of people heaping praise onto it. In fact, my mother loved the movie, and we generally have similar tastes. She reckons my more active involvement in fantasy settings dulled my imagination a bit when it came to interpreting the movie's setting. I found myself much more interested in the plot, with the sometimes-headachey-3D as a secondary feature.

But hey, I did like it. More after the jump.

What I can say, however, is that this is among the best movies of the decade. My own pessimism tainted my enjoyment of a film that is otherwise a completely rounded package of entertainment. It delivers the wonderment of a unique and well articulated fantasy world, with its own people and traditions and history, combined with common earthly themes. I would sit here and point out every little flaw just to be a naysayer, but I would probably look back on this and think myself too cynical. And besides, those flaws are still a part of the package, which adds up to something pretty darn good.

The reason I saw this movie was to see just how it could be so well received, or perhaps I just wanted to gain ammunition for jeering it later. *cough* unobtainium. I did find the reason it's so well received - it's an epic war movie with true heroes and tangible goals. All the visuals are just icing on a cake made of the thickest, most lovable fudge imaginable.

So there you have it, I've jumped on the Avatar bandwagon, and I'll probably line up for the sequel now. I only dread now the potential for franchising to ruin the concept with half-assed cartoon spin-offs or poorly crafted action figures.

Let me also say that a highlight of the film was Sigourney Weaver's performance. I really found myself believing her situation and forgetting her identity as a scifi heroine. Her character was archetypal indeed, a female scientist who finds her passion in the field, writing books and leading research teams, with a strong opinion and the voice to get it out... but the way she delivered her performance, even within her blue person guise, she definitely stood out as a figure of interest. Makes me want to watch Galaxy Quest again, of all things.