Movie: AVATAR

O_o

Thanks to a lovely and dear friend who sent us (my family) a little bit of "fun" money, this afternoon my brother and my parents and I all were able to go and see James Cameron's "Avatar" movie.
I've heard so much about it, from friends and from reviewers online, and (at least from my meager gleaning) it seemed to me that the response is almost half and half: people love it, or people hate it. The ones who played 'nay-sayer' often commented that it was too long, that the plot wasn't original, or that they got bored. So, taking all these with a grain of salt, I went today to see the movie with expectations both of the best and the worst (so that I wouldn't have my hopes too high if they were to be dashed).
The result?
...
I AM SO IMPRESSED! I need to find some synonyms for 'epic' because it was epic-ly epic!

- I love long movies, I wish all the good ones were 3 hours anyway! ^_^ Also, the friends I have that commented on its length being "too" long, are somewhat immature (at least in the sense of quality movies) and have short attention-spans. Too bad for them.
- The plot is not incredibly original, because good versus evil is NOT original! Those people are just asking for too much. Is there really any original movie plot? In Ecclesiastes, King Solomon says that, "there is nothing new under the sun," and he was and is right!
The plot had nothing wrong with it, in my opinion. You'll have to watch it for yourself to judge, because I won't spoil it by describing details of it.
- Being the creative author, artist, reader and fantasy-loving lass that I am... I ate EVERY BIT of it up with hungry eyes! There was so much to take in: the landscapes, the creatures, the plants, the culture... it was immensely creative and imaginative. Personally, I *adore* creating and making up new races and creatures, and this movie was full of beautiful and foreign animals and customs. Like I said, I just couldn't get enough.

My only two qualms are these:
The race of aliens called the "Na'vi" were very Native American tribe-like (which I loved, that's not the problem), and therefore had very scant clothing consisting of thong/loincloths, leather bodice-like wraps that only cover the lower rib-cage and waist, and necklaces. On the women this was especially a problem for me because, though they're blue and... slightly different, you often saw too much. A little more modesty would have suited me better.
Also, since there were a lot of military men and a few scientists (all clearly not God-fearing folk), there was cursing that I hadn't expected. It didn't seem necessary to me (crude language is never necessary, however), and for one who isn't used to that kind of talk, it was a something of a shock.

Other than these few things, I *completely* recommend it to anyone who has the least interest in fantasy and sci-fi, or even a good story. I came away feeling great and you really get into it without realizing it. The effects were done SO well (How could they not have been? Industrial Light and Magic [Star Wars] and Weta Workshop [Lord of the Rings] helped to create it all!) that the characters and creatures looked and sounded absolutely REAL.
Plus 3D was fun, we had good glasses, and I actually 'dodged' a few things. ha ha My Mom was also 'brushing' away some ash that was supposedly on my leg from an explosion. ^_^



If you get the chance, go and see it in theaters. If you don't, absolutely rent it when it comes out. Have a terrific beginning of the week!

- Codi Lyn -