AVATAR: special edition

[Johann]

I just walked out of AVATAR: special edition. (Walked out as in, just left (yes I stayed to the credits. Not walked out as in was horrified by the content and bailed on the movie)
It began at 6:30 PM so it clocks in at around 3 hours.
I only saw the film once before (in glorious 3-D) and this time was even more impressive. (and in 3-D as well- the ONLY way to see this movie)

The bottom line with this film is that it's just a Kick-Ass Juggernaut of an Action Film, with a real heart and a real message.
The final attack sequence/battle which ends with a Native (Na'Vi) victory of sorts is simply astonishing.
You cannot not be awed by the scope and vision of this. I was deeply impressed with the military touches- it seems like a modern-day Marine group was tapped to do just what plays out on Pandora. It's a great idea brought to stunning life by Weta wizards. I just kept telling myself that, yes, someone MADE this world. Some army of artisans and CGI craftsmen went to town here, rendering everything from the heat exhausts on giant gunships to water that collects in plant life to drink. It's all amazing. It's so lifelike it's unreal. Only the blue Na'Vi tribespeople seem the least bit fake/phony. And that's due to their complex movements I think. It's the same problem George Lucas had with characters like Boss Nass and Jar Jar Binks in his Star Wars prequels- they move a stop too slow to be 100% believable. But it doesn't matter. It's easy to give it up for this kind of ballsy and Grand Vision.

The cinematography is excellence. That's it, that's all. It's just sheer excellence. Shots that are too beautiful for words- real movie magic James Cameron has achieved here. It's no mystery to me why this movie's box office numbers are unmatched. Just watch 3 seconds of this 3-D Marvel.

As far as new scenes, we have a LOT more Pandora action and set pieces are extended considerably. I remember scenes being shorter when Jake first "trains" in the treetops with Neytiri. My memory isn't the greatest from seeing the movie only once before tonight.
There's lots of mushy/emotional stuff going on for the ladies in the audience, and a lot of rock and rollin' machine gun action happenin' for the guys. Something for everyone in AVATAR...I was blown away by the toppling tree (the spirit home/base of the na'Vi) that was just jaw-dropping, and it always will be. Just immense scope and believability...
And that attack in the skies afterwards with the gunships and giant Shuttle..Holy Fuck what a rush that shit is!
Jake swooping and diving on that beast and dropping grenades into vents..always a Marine...Colonel Quaritch's bail from that gunship in that AMP suit...That Dude gets a Rambo badge for toughness...a great military character...a great villain. Perfect foil for Sully.

What can I say? This special edition makes the film fuller. It feels like a Total Work now. Some will argue that some scenes didn't need the extensions but I say who cares? This longer cut did nothing to change the awe I had from the first time I saw it some months ago.
In fact it enhanced it. The movie I just saw seems like the definitive version of AVATAR 1. Unbeliveable special effects by Weta. I mean, WOWZA.

You can say what you want, Man, but AVATAR, regardless of your opinion of James Cameron (maybe you've jumped on that old backlash bandwagon?) is sheer thrilling entertainment. Of the highest calibre.

Get your ass back into a theatre seat to see the special edition of this TITAN of film history.
NOW.
GO.
IT ROCKS THE CASBAH.
For All Times.

[Johann]

More to say? SURE.


Colonel Quaritch, for all his nastiness, is the archetypical Marine senior NCO. I love his character. He's a well-thought-out nemesis for Jake Sully.
You always know where he stands as a Man and as a Soldier. I was impressed with his bravery and quick thinking too- he doesn't hesitate when it's time to bail on the gunship- he really springs into action! Not a scratch from that fall into the forest in the AMP suit!
Ok, maybe a little burn on his right shoulder....a villain you can love to hate.

The only thing about the story that had me questioning the plausibility is Jake himself. Why would he fall in love with Neytiri when he knows full well that he's on a "mission"? Why would he risk court martial or death just for a native that he just met? BECAUSE IT'S A MOVIE, that's why.
Only in Hollywood..

I wonder what the Wachowski brothers think of AVATAR. Those AMP suits are almost identical to the huge walker suits in Matrix Revolutions and when the "plug is pulled" on the tanning beds, each subject "drops out" of their Avatar, kinda like leaving the Matrix when the jack is removed from your skull. Plus, for primitive natives, the Na'vi have pretty good reasoning skills. They accuse Jake instantly of being a fake when he drops to the ground after having his tanning bed button pushed. Rather quick thinkers, those Na'Vi...and they go to war (with bows and arrows) with a vengeance on Quaritch's armada when the time comes. They don't hestitate. Which is kind of ridiculous. Wouldn't these natives be absolutely terrified of the massive technology that hovers above? Those giant flamethrowers...huge belts of ammo raining down...But I guess they aren't afraid of fearsome prehistoric beasts or creatures, so why bat an eye over titanic Scorpion gunships?

The kid in me loved the battles. That is some sweet action happenin' there. The fact that they're destroying sacred land and the sheer immensity of the WAR makes it all the more intense. Callous humans destoying "alien" environments. Hmmm.... Iraq anyone?

President Obama just announced that "Combat Operations are over" in Iraq yesterday.
I thought that Bush already declared that, 7 years ago. On an aircraft carrier, didn't he?
Remember that banner? "Mission Accomplished"? I sure do. Was that just a mirage, or what? what was Bush doing?
Oh yeah...LYING THROUGH HIS TEETH.

Ahem.

Back to AVATAR. I thought about it and this movie could actually be ripped apart by critics on various levels (I could do it if I hated the movie) but the movie lover in me recognizes what it is exactly that Canadian James Cameron has done here.
He's made the perfect example of drama vs. technology vs. story. vs. 3-D resurgence.
He hit more bases with this film than just about any other made. And the box office numbers prove the sheer universality of his vision- he touched the nerves of moviegoers around the globe, just like he did once upon a time with TITANIC.
He's moved the medium forward in a way that is desperately needed, especially when movies nowadays are getting dumber and dumber.
I'll take Avatar everytime over steaming shitpiles like The Karate Kid remake.

[Chris Knipp]

I thought about it and this movie could actually be ripped apart by critics on various levels

I do my best, ha ha.

Johan, I hope you'll look at the Nyff schedule, which I just put up and comment on the selections if you so choose. I'm excited to be going and it's going to be starting soon, less than two weeks from now (Sept. 1)