Avatar Review – A Visual Tour de Force

Avatar is the most visually gorgeous movie we’ve seen in our life.

A stunningly beautiful riot of colors in 3D, Avatar is a must-not-miss film for all movie buffs.

Folks, Avatar is the first 3D movie that really brings home the magic of the technology to awe you.

Every other 3D movie we’ve seen before is an impostor in comparison.

We watched Avatar in a movie hall on the East Coast that uses DLP technology from Texas Instruments (unfortunately, the nearest IMAX theater is over 150 miles round-trip).

Many Levels
Avatar (written and directed by James ‘Titanic’ Cameron) is a movie that delights on many levels:

* A fine sci-fi movie set over a three-month period in the year 2154

* An instructive morality play on the destructive greed of humans

* A love story between an earthling and a sexy, tall blue-skinned alien

* A preachy tale on the need to live in harmony with our environment

* A rara avis melding of computer graphics and decent human acting

Greedy Quest
As all but the schmucks know by now, Avatar is the story of heavy artillery bearing earthlings on a colonizing mission to distant Pandora in quest of a rare mineral cheekily named Unobtainium.

Pretty expensive stuff that Unobtainium. Costs $20 million a kilogram. So you now how big the stakes are.

Unfortunately for the earthlings, the natives of Pandora known as Na’vi are in no mood to move off their land to accommodate the demand for Unobtainium of the ‘men from the sky’ setting in motion the inevitable fiery denouement between the two sides.

Utopia Disturbed
Tall, blue-toned endearing humanoids with oval eyes, large ears, long tails and slender waists, the Na’vi move with a feline grace on the ground, lithely on the tree branches and amazingly in the air by leveraging gigantic birds as their jet-planes.

Pandora is an idealized, beautiful utopia where the Na’vi, the lush forest, floating mountains and the monstrous beasts all live mostly in harmony (Cameron’s sly attack on the relentless earthly onslaught on the environment in our times).

But the Na’vi utopia is violently disturbed with the advent of the earthly raiders packing big guns, large airships and a contemptuous attitude in pursuit of the holy grail of corporate profits.

The hero of our story is a crippled ex-marine Jake Sully, whose virtual avatar goes to Pandora from the mother-ship to reconnoiter the ground.

Voila, no sooner is he in Pandora than Jake’s avatar (constituted out of a combination of human and Na’vi DNA) falls in love with a Na’vi girl Neyitri, a member of the Omaticaya clan.

The film alternates between the lush green, humanoid-inhabited Pandora with its fearsome terrestrial and aerial predators and the spaceship where ugly battle plans are hatched by the human predators.

The most visually stunning moments of Avatar are the extraordinary depictions of the rich flora and fauna of Pandora and the Na’vis in that environment.

Good, Not Great
What comes in the way of Avatar scaling the stratospheric heights of classic excellence are the so-so story and corny dialogs (banal stuff like Come on, who’s bad? What you got? or Those dirty bastards aren’t getting the message or We’ll fight terror with terror).

Although never boring, the story and dialogs fail to match the compelling visual imagery on the screen.

Still, so powerful is the overall movie that we plan to watch Avatar a second time in the theater soon.

You will watch Avatar this weekend unless, of course, you are a blithering idiot and insist on seeing some bozo’s Velaykaran movie. πŸ˜‰

SearchIndia.com strongly recommends Avatar.

39 Responses to "Avatar Review – A Visual Tour de Force"

  1. araj   December 18, 2009 at 8:02 am

    @SI: “* An instructive morality play on the destructive greed of humans

    * A love story between an earthling and a sexy, tall blue-skinned alien

    * A preachy tale on the need to live in harmony with our environment”

    Going by that, the story sounds too simplistic (Like all Cameron movies, I must add). Cameron has this dirty habit of remixing his own stories. He has done that from Abyss to Terminator-2(and all of them are hugely entertaining). But he is a technical wizard(a lot like Spielberg) and immensely capable of infusing his infantile stories with a visual vitality, which rather stands apart incongruously from their rehashed themes(a lot lot like Spielberg). Watching his movies is like having sex with a robot; plenty of sensation but no feeling. I wouldn’t miss this movie though.

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    1. You write: Going by that, the story sounds too simplistic

    The story is the Achilles heel of Avatar but nevertheless the 3D visual appeal of the spectacle unfolding on the screen is overwhelming and tends to draw you in.

    If the story and dialogs were better the film would have achieved a thrust into higher orbit.

    2. You write: But he is a technical wizard

    Alas, if ever the word ‘but’ was misdirected, it’s here because Cameron sets an extraordinarily high benchmark against which many would-be successors will be measured for a long time.

    3. You write: Cameron has this dirty habit of remixing his own stories. He has done that from Abyss to Terminator-2(and all of them are hugely entertaining)

    Yes, but we tend to be more tolerant of people who draw from their own well.

    4. We’ve always considered Spielberg far too highly overrated and less of a technical wizard than Cameron.

    5. You write: Watching his movies is like having sex with a robot; plenty of sensation but no feeling

    Oh, boy. Bring her (Neyitri) on. We’re all game. πŸ˜‰

  2. DW-A(1/2)Dr.   December 18, 2009 at 8:27 am

    How many other movies have you watched second time in a theatre?

    Surprised at the low turnout there.

    I’ll have to wait a week to see it once. No tickets. πŸ™

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    1. You write: How many other movies have you watched second time in a theatre?

    No more than 2 or 3 in our entire life. But they were more by chance where a relative/friend dragged us along.

    2. You write: Surprised at the low turnout there.

    It filled up slowly…maybe 65%-70% occupancy at the end but yesterday was also a horribly cold night. In the low 20sΒ°F, i.e about -5Β°C.

    The relatively low turnout here could also be a reflection of the worsening economy.

  3. pauldeleo   December 18, 2009 at 8:45 am

    WOW!! that’s good to hear! we are going as a team from our office today (we booked the tickets in advance πŸ™‚ else we won’t get them this week end!)…reviews say that the second half is bit lagging though the first half provides you THE BEST visual treat, coz it’s a 3D. how do you rate the movie, it had n’t been a 3D? does it worth the money?..(just curious, before dipping into the 3D world)

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    1. You write: how do you rate the movie, it had n’t been a 3D? does it worth the money?

    Even without the 3D, Avatar is still a visually stunning spectacle. Most definitely, worth the money. But if you are watching it, 3D would be the way to go.

    2. We needn’t have purchased the tickets in advance at all. Could have easily got them at the box office here.

  4. trishna147   December 18, 2009 at 9:12 am

    thanks for the review, will watch it this coming weekend πŸ™‚

    im not gonna bother watching Vettaikaran (ever), i read the reviews on http://www.behindwoods.com and http://www.indiaglitz.com they indirectly trashed the movie…behindwoods rated the movie lower than Kanthaswamy, UPO, Aadhavan; indiaglitz says that half of it reminds of the movies Thirupachi, Villu (and a whole list of Vijay movies) and the stunts reminds you of Aadhavan and Kuruvi…

    and also, i forgot to mention, i watched a french movie called ‘District 13’ (Banlieue 13) some time back, it had pretty cool stunts, you should see it…

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    1. If the Velaykaran shit reminds us of Kuruvi, Villu et al, it can only be an abomination, an unwatchable nightmare.

    2. You write: i watched a french movie called ‘District 13’ (Banlieue 13) some time back, it had pretty cool stunts, you should see it…

    Banlieue 13 i.e. District B13 is on Netflix Instant Play. So we’ll watch it soon. BTW, there’s a sequel too – Banlieue 13: Ultimatum.

  5. Vetti Jijaji   December 18, 2009 at 9:30 am

    i am planning to go on a weekday afternoon on IMAX – The Dark Knight breathtaking on that screen.. this weekend is supposed to be maddeningly(for our area) cold.. lower 30s..

    I like Zoe – so my only grouch will probably be that they made her into a unrecognizable humanoid.. She looks kinda like Mrs. Will Smith.

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    We’d have loved an IMAX experience too but just didn’t feel like driving that far (about 175 mile roundtrip).

  6. gnair91   December 18, 2009 at 10:09 am

    Saw it but, alas , in 2d. Even then, i was blown away…couldnt take my eyes of the screen.

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    Why, wasn’t there a 3D option in your city?

  7. pauldeleo   December 18, 2009 at 2:51 pm

    yeah, i watched it in 3D…awesome, splendid, marvelous, ooof, couldn’t find any best adjectives to describe the movie..WOW, love in an alien world, imaginary flora and fauna, friendly beasts, united aliens, aliens have a God too, BAD humans yet some good humans..and so on…

    you bet, without the 3D effect the movie looks good, with 3D, its THE BEST..

    i wonder if there is anything else technically possible in CG as the best and most possible is shown by director..GUYZ PLZ DONT MISS THIS MOVIE.

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    You write: awesome, splendid, marvelous, ooof, couldn’t find any best adjectives to describe the movie..

    Couldn’t find any best adjectives, eh?

    Heard of the thesaurus. πŸ˜‰

    Glad you liked Avatar.

  8. amitshetty   December 18, 2009 at 10:08 pm

    Indian pathetic reviewers are giving raw deal to Avatar by calling it disappointment.
    This are the same people who said Kurbaan is excellent film.
    If Avatar breaks records then it is the time for them to pack their bags and take sanyas in Himalayas because their propoganda dont quite work.

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    In India, even Slumdog Millionaire was ignored initially.

    Only after the movie went on to win eight Oscars, did it get the deserved attention in India.

    The reason is simple – movies like Slumdog Millionaire and Avatar expose the Indian movie-makers for what they are – charlatans.

  9. iamsumu   December 18, 2009 at 11:21 pm

    While I would love to see Avatar on IMAX, it would be fun if the theater folks were to surprise the audience with a screening of “Vettaikaran” in the place of Avatar!

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    You write: it would be fun if the theater folks were to surprise the audience with a screening of “Vettaikaran” in the place of Avatar!

    God, we didn’t realize such horrendously sadistic thoughts lurked behind that benign posture. While we South Asians are of tough mettle, the Caucasians would never recover from that trauma.

  10. kd36939   December 19, 2009 at 1:49 am

    watched Avatar today in 3D. One of the best movies watched in recent times. unlike bollywood movies, every scene was worth the extraordinary money spent.

    the only mistake i did was gulp a large coke during the start of the movie… by the time the movie ended, all i could do was to look for restroom πŸ™‚ why don’t they have ‘intermission’ concept when you know that the movie is long?

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    The only occasion we remember an intermission in an American theatre was for Jodhaa Akbar. We’ve completely sworn off all soft drinks…our only weakness these days is regular club soda or Perrier water.

  11. satya   December 19, 2009 at 3:07 am

    just came back from avatar experience!!.phew what an experience.

    just loved the colours.

    But somehow the 3D glass was uncomfortable.

    I watched in AMC hamilton IMAX. I thought you live nearby?. there is one IMAX in AMC loews new brunswick also checkout

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    1. You write: But somehow the 3D glass was uncomfortable.

    We felt the opposite. For the first time, we felt it was worth wearing those 3D glasses. We removed the glasses a few times to check the difference and it was better with the glasses.

    Usually, 3D dims the picture. This time we didn’t get that feeling possibly because a lot of the picture was in low light (compared to regular films) whether in the thick forest or the spaceship.

    2. Our first intention was to go AMC Hamilton for the IMAX experience but when we called the theater the customer service lady told us the screen was only a little bigger than the regular screen…Not a whole lot bigger. We’ve been to AMC Loews New Brunswick on RT 1 a couple of times (saw Ghajini there).

    Maybe, when we see Avatar for the second time, we’ll watch it in AMC Hamilton or AMC Loews New Brunswick for the IMAX experience. We think our only IMAX experience so far has been in museums.

  12. elnino.aurora   December 19, 2009 at 3:43 am

    Just back from the movie.. managed to get prime seats πŸ™‚

    It was an ABSOLUTE DELIGHT to watch. Mostly everyone liked it.

    Sort of predictable story – thats but a minor glitch in a visual spectacle. Yet again, I found a Hollywood movie too long. I thought it could have been edited by a few minutes(which would mean loss of hardwork in animation- but it would have got Avatar a 5 star from me). But for its length, I loved every bit of it. Never seen better visuals and attention to detail-goodness me, most of what I saw on screen took my breath away.

    BTW, do check out the making of Avatar., makes for very interesting viewing- how they got about capturing the facial expressions, etc. I’d seen that before going to the movie and was able to appreciate the movie making even more. πŸ™‚

    Did you notice that glaring reference to the Iraq war- “If people are sitting on shit that ya want, make them yar enemy and fight to get it..” Dunno if this is the exact dialogue, but a lot of dialogues looked to be double ended.

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    1. You write: BTW, do check out the making of Avatar., makes for very interesting viewing

    We’ve not viewed the making of Avatar but read about it, most likely in our favorite magazine New Yorker, a few months back.

    Where did you see the making of Avatar?

    2. You write: Did you notice that glaring reference to the Iraq war

    Yes, of course. Saw the political references to environment, preemptive war, attack terror with terror et al.

    But then, not surprising at all because Hollywood with rare exceptions (like that B-grade star and idiot Reagan) has always been very liberal in outlook.

    Here’s a relevant excerpt from the New Yorker piece on Jim Cameron:

    Cameron was born in Canada, and grew up in a small town not far from Niagara Falls. (He revoked his application for American citizenship after Bush won the election in 2004.)

    3. BTW, we also felt it was a wee bit too long but it still didn’t detract from the joy of the movie.

  13. elnino.aurora   December 19, 2009 at 1:43 pm

    I saw the making of Avatar when going to 2012.. They played it with the trailer at Cinemark. You might find this link interesting.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7c4kNLz_4E8

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    Very nice and informative. Thanks. πŸ™‚

    We’re going to watch Avatar again soon, this time in IMAX.

  14. What_if   December 20, 2009 at 6:26 am

    Saw Avatar in 3D on Saturday 00.30 Hrs at Reel Cinema in Dubai (ticket approx USD.11/-) expected to be shocked &awed – and indeed I was.

    It is the pinnacle of Visual Delight which my eyes have set forth on, in movies till date. Why, even in my dreams, I haven’t seen such breathtakingly beautiful landscape in vibrant fluorescent colours and illumination as shown in the movie – at a planet called Pandora.

    If the colorful animated Paradise Bird in the movie UP, was like Tirumala Hills, the birds in Avatar can said to be like the Himalayas, by the time the bluish green birds sink into your psyche, a huge bird in Crimson red & yellow flies in, taking your awe a few notches up.

    The CG work in the space ship were also quite futuristic and unique.

    No wonder that, this movie will be set as a bench mark for future 3D movies.

    Couldn’t understand the dialogs spoken in Pandorian language by the characters, as the sub titles (instead of English) were in Arabic, which I can’t read. Hey! But who cares! When we can see the flow of the story by the gestures and the scene, language is no barrier.

    Of the English dialogues, something like, ‘The energy we have, is on loan, which has to be passed on, when our time comes’ caught my attention. If we take Energy in the context of Athma, it seems like, Cameron must have derived some of his inspiration from Hindu mythology and Vedas about life and even for the title of the movie.

    It’s very rare that we get to enjoy every bit in a film, so I wouldn’t mind sitting there for some more time – to immerse in such a visual delight.

    You can get Nirvana on smoking weed, drinking liquor, eating a fine meal for $9.95 and definitely also by seeing a film like Avatar.

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    Too bad about the Arabic sub-titles but most likely you could guess the dialogs from the context.

    Besides the energy part, the characters also essentially speak about the need to live in harmony with the larger environment.

  15. Vetti Jijaji   December 20, 2009 at 10:06 am

    @what_if: “You can get Nirvana on smoking weed, drinking liquor, eating a fine meal for $9.95 and definitely also by seeing a film like Avatar.”

    what_if hasn’t had sex yet!

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    You write: what_if hasn’t had sex yet!

    Then how do you explain the children. πŸ˜‰ SRK gave a similar reply to persistent rumors of his being gay. “Heavy petting?” he’s reported to have said.

  16. deepa   December 20, 2009 at 9:28 pm

    Watched Avatar 3D on Fri. I found it in between Last of the Mohican’s where the whole invasion and getting rid of indigenous people of their lands and Final Fantasy where it cross referenced with energy.

    I loved the movie, there was so much of depth and so many layers in which you pointed them all in your review. Did you guys also notice something else?

    The movie was taken like a video game.

    You seem him doing this video logs and its similar when you start off a game, there’s someone briefing you on the scenario, what has happened and needs to be done.

    The second part, you see him learning the ways of the Na’vi,how they hunt, find their way in the jungle – similar to second part of a video games where you learn your skills before you are ready to attack

    Thirdly, the final battle – again! The final showdown

    I wasn’t bored and it’s spellbinding. I was just so engrossed in the movie.

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    1. Since SI is more into mind games πŸ˜‰ and less into video games we didn’t notice the similarities with video gaming.

    2. Did you see it in IMAX (assuming you have IMAX in your region). We plan to see it on an IMAX screen (hopefully soon).

  17. amitshetty   December 20, 2009 at 11:45 pm

    I have heard that Avatar has not opened that huge in America due to weather problems.
    But here in India it is all-time blockbuster here.It has grossed 4.3 million US $ (20.3 crore) defeating 2012 who has done 4.1 million US $ (19.1 crore) in opening weekend.
    Inspite of Indian critics (except few good ones) who were trying to pull this film down, audiences here have shown thumbs up to this film.

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    According to the NYT, Avatar did $73 million in the U.S. this past opening weekend plus $159.2 million outside for a worldwide total of $232.2 million.

    Let’s wait and see how Avatar does over the next few weeks and months. Unlike most Bollywood movies, which usually fizzle out in a couple of weeks, good Hollywood movies are more virile and have extended staying power. πŸ˜‰

    The winter storm must have affected ticket sales because the heavy snow in the mid-Atlantic and North-East made it impossible to venture out. The roads are still a big mess in many states, from Vermont to Virginia.

  18. deepa   December 21, 2009 at 12:31 am

    @SI Mind games and less into video games ….

    cheeky πŸ˜›

    We had one IMAX but for some reason it closed down else that would have been our first choice

  19. Aswin_Kini   December 21, 2009 at 3:46 am

    Hey SI, could you help us regarding this.

    http://screenrant.com/avatar-plot-james-cameron-plagiarized-poul-anderson-call-me-joe-ross-32369/

    The info in this link seems a bit shocking, but could be true?

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    Just read the post in your link.

    But if you read the first few comments, there is not enough evidence of plagiarism.

    Also, check out this Wiki Profile of Call Me Joe. Again, the evidence to support plagiarism is thin.

    We’ll see if we can get the novella Call Me Joe at our local library. The roads are still a big mess after all the snow.

  20. SRINIVAS   December 21, 2009 at 6:53 am

    visual delight ….but no story …looks like the story was inspired from Indian movies

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    You write above: looks like the story was inspired from Indian movies

    Funny.

    Inspired by which of the following – Villu, Kuruvi, Aegan, Rocket Singh, Drona…? πŸ˜‰

  21. DW-A(1/2)Dr.   December 22, 2009 at 4:29 am

    I saw Titanic yesterday night and Avatar today morning. Honestly, I would rather see Titanic again. Avatar does not offer any mystery or suspense. All it offers is a lot of action. And I thought Dark Knight did better in that department. I am disappointed.

    The 3D effect wears off after sometime. As SI said dialogues aren’t anything worth remembering, the story is so predictable even if you miss an hour its ok. Even the action sequences were predictable (ok they usually are but I like to be surprised, again think Dark Knight or even Titanic). I am beginning to see through Hollywood hype machine…

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    What a coincidence. We got the Titanic DVD (set of 3) from our local library about two days back to do a comparison of the two movies. Will watch in a couple of days. We like Leo.

    More than fine story telling, director Jim Cameron pushes the envelope on the technology side in Avatar. In terms of visual appeal, Avatar will be the benchmark for several years to come.

  22. SRINIVAS   December 22, 2009 at 5:43 am

    rocket singh was a good movie …..maybe drona …considering that it was also supposed to be a sci-fi movie

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    Drona was not a sci-fi movie but a sick movie.

  23. Vetti Jijaji   December 22, 2009 at 9:28 am

    .6 Doc, please don’t tell us that you watched Avatar on the computer!

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    Funny. πŸ˜‰

    Why….Is it because he previously said there were no tickets for a week?

    Must have been in a theatre because he spoke of the 3D effect wearing off after some time.

  24. DW-A(1/2)Dr.   December 22, 2009 at 2:03 pm

    @Vetti Jijaji
    Nope. This one I had to watch in a theatre and I had to watch it in 3D. Went to a place nearly 60 km(2 hrs by bus) away and stood in line under the sun for another hour for the Avatar experience.

  25. Vetti Jijaji   December 22, 2009 at 10:05 pm

    Sorry doc, misunderstood your post.. too bad that you had to go through so much trouble to watch it.

  26. nisha.gupta27   December 23, 2009 at 10:19 am

    Avatar is the most shittiest movie I have ever seen. I would better see a cartoon film than this sci-fi film… Total waste of $200 million… I hope the movie gets doomed.. Even mother nature wanted the movie to be doomed and thats why there was such a big Snow Storm on the East Coast. Otherwise the movie might have made much more than what it made on the weekend… James Cameron would have got better admiration if he would helped poor people with that money instead of spending it in this way…

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    You write: Avatar is the most shittiest movie….better see a cartoon film….Total waste of $200 million….hope the movie gets doomed…mother nature wanted the movie to be doomed….such a big Snow Storm on the East Coast….James Cameron….helped poor people with that money

    Forgot to take your medication? πŸ˜‰

    • vjcool   January 12, 2010 at 11:41 pm

      I think I will go with Nisha here, I love animation movies, anyway like Cameron has said, this is no animation movie. I loved the first half and everything.. then came the tendrill like stuff and the healing scenes and I went.. damn, this is a straight lift from the Miyazaki movie ‘Nausicaa of the valley of the wind’ the tendrils come from insects .. and well..(they even have the memory database kinda thing) I think You should have a look at ‘Castle in the Sky’ by Miyazaki and ‘Howl’s moving Castle’ both have a westernised feel to it, Princess Mononoke is also good.

      I would also say that ‘Castle in the sky’ does seem to have inspired Cameron.. but its definately Nausicaa (the film is good, but the music is a little dated but a s a whole is fine)..

      anyway Avatar was really considering the amount of innovation and stuff that had gone into its making and the 3D technology has evolved but its sad to see the themes and ideas borrowed .. or its plain theft in some places.. Sad

      and nisha is true about the ‘better see a cartoon movie’ as the films I’ve listed above, like all Miyazaki movies have a solid storyline, good music and really feels for the environment.. its hard to put in words.. have a look, start with ‘Castle in the sky’

      SearchIndia.com Responds:

      Will watch the Miyazaki films you mention.

      Right now, 20-minutes into The History of Violence (Viggo Mortensen) based on Jyoti Ramakrishnan’s recommendation.

  27. Jyoti Ramakrishnan   December 23, 2009 at 5:21 pm

    Loved the first one and half hour of the movie because of amazing visuals. Next 40 mins, visual craze started fading and boredom came into play. Remaining mins, just couldn’t wait for the movie to be over. Except visuals, I didn’t like anything about the movie. Story was predictable, characters were lifeless and emotions seemed fake.

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    At least you got your money’s worth for 60% of the movie.

  28. 1012900   December 24, 2009 at 7:03 am

    Can u review other Cameron movies SI?

    like True Lies for example?

    I saw Trues Lies on tv(dubbed in tamil).. I don’t look too much into acting or plot.. I found this to b a complete entertainer.. The action was awesome.. what one would expect from a James Cameron film.. :)..!!!

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    We’ll definitely watch True Lies but may not review it.

    Movie looks interesting.

    Just read about it on Wiki.

  29. Twig   December 24, 2009 at 7:56 am

    In all the ‘alien’ movies I had watched, Aliens were the Villains, ready to take over the Earth.

    I always wondered why is that there was no movie ever made in which humans are the villians trying to take over a distant planet. Humans are inherently evil, you see. But this movie Avatar, had such story. The movie should have been more interesting with such plot line.

    Seen it yesterday. It is a fine movie. Visually very pleasing. Personally, I really really liked it though overall it’s just a fine movie.

    One of the reasons is it brought all the history in to my brain that went in to create the countries like America, Australia, New Zealand etc.

    Also, some body must have mapped Avatar to Indian stories/culture.

    Like for example/s: ‘blue’ monkeys. The main avatars in Indian mythology Rama, Krishna are always painted blue. “Namaste” – ‘I see you’ in the movie, and the word ‘Avatar’ itself.

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    1. You write above: Humans are inherently evil, you see.

    You are our man. πŸ™‚

    But we think humans are not just evil but horrifically evil.

    2. BTW, in District 9 too the humans are the bad guys. But the action happens on Earth.

    3. True, the story does not keep up with the visual imagery but from a film technology perspective Avatar will remain a landmark in the annals of the motion picture industry.

  30. sanewar   December 24, 2009 at 1:00 pm

    you know what, i had the double delight of watching both Avatar (in 3d theater) and District 9 (in a pirated DVD)two days back, well i have to say District 9 outscores Avatar very well in story and acting departments. But when comes to movie viewing experience i think Avatar will surely be miles ahead of District 9 (which i would like to watch in Bluray once its out). But i would always vote for District 9 if it comes between D9 and Avtr for Best movie.

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    Compared to Avartar ($300m), District 9 ($30m)was made on a shoestring budget.

  31. 1012900   December 27, 2009 at 11:09 am

    Avatar is doing really well here too..!!

    I cudn’t get even two tickets for the movie..!!!

    All the theaters including the horrible ones were jam packed !!!

    In Sathyam Cinemas.. There was 8 shows for Avatar.. but oly 4 for the much awaited Vettaikaran(or velaikaran or pichakaaran or wteva u call it)..!!!

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    You Write Above: Avatar is doing really well here too..!!

    But we think Vettaikaran has better special effects compared to Avatar. πŸ˜‰

    Read this excerpt from the Rediff review:

    [Vijay] pours a drink in a glass, swallows it, and then lights the lighter — and then blows the alcohol drenched fire in the villain’s face. Whereupon the villain falls dead.

    Source: Rediff

  32. DW-A(1/2)Dr.   December 27, 2009 at 12:48 pm

    LOL at how Vijay kills the villain! πŸ˜€
    Now I kind of want to see it…

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    You write: Now I kind of want to see it…

    Who wouldn’t. Not everyday one comes across Vijay kinda movies. πŸ˜‰

  33. 1012900   January 13, 2010 at 11:14 pm

    I am still not able to get even two tickets for Avatar.

    UNF***ING believable.

    No hollywood movie did so well here, as far as my knowledge goes..

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    Rumor has it that it’s harder to get tickets for Vettaikaran. πŸ˜‰

  34. guruprasad.s   January 15, 2010 at 2:00 pm

    True Lies is an enjoyable action-comedy. One action scene towards the end is spectacular, and in my opinion, paisa vasool. Arnold’s lack of thespian skills is actually an advantage in the movie.
    Have you seen Die-hard ? If not, then highly recommended.

    BTW, those who thought Malena is all about Belluci are mistaken. While she is there for the usual reasons, it is the boy in the movie who walks away with all the honours.

    He is the life of the movie. At the end of the movie, I was left feeling with more than a tinge of sadness for the boy.

    Now, SI, the movie is not to be postponed sine die πŸ˜‰

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    1. We’re going to be watching Malena in just a few minutes.

    Aayarithil Oruvan is not releasing here today (fortunately for us, if you go by the reviews) πŸ˜‰

    So we’re not heading out. Malena + some gin, it will be in just a few minutes.

    2. We’ve seen True Lies and the Die Hard’s‘.

    • Jump a Lahiri   January 15, 2010 at 4:42 pm

      tch tch.. you went for a “divine” justification for bumping up Malena to the top of the list.. but you haven’t watched “The Matrix” yet..

      SearchIndia.com Responds:

      Matrix, soon. Beri beri soon.

  35. vj_mdu   February 9, 2010 at 1:16 pm

    Why do think Spielberg is overrated?
    He has given many memorable films from Jaws to Munich. Of course Kingdom of crystal skull was not tht good. But one bad movie does not make him overrated.

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    The adulation to quality ratio is extreme in the case of Spielberg’s films. But then we think most things in life are overrated and hyped.

    Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is certainly not acceptable from someone with 50 years in the movie business.

    • vj_mdu   February 9, 2010 at 2:02 pm

      His age might have caught hold of him.

      I had seen only the review of his Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of crystal skull in this site.
      BTW, have u watched Schindler’s list and Saving private Ryan?

      SearchIndia.com Responds:

      You write above: I had seen only the review of his Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of crystal skull in this site.
      BTW, have u watched Schindler’s list and Saving private Ryan?

      We’ll add Schindler’s List and Saving Ryan reviews one of these days.

  36. Mud Haliar   February 26, 2010 at 11:09 pm

    Finally watched it. Definitely worth the 40$ (3 tickets + 6.50 convenience fee πŸ™ ).. sold out show in its 11th week.. (IMAX).. quite a few were watching it for the second time..

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    (via iPhone from our bed while watching Telugu film Aithe)

    We’ll watch it too in Imax one of these days.

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