Comments on: So we went to see Avatar

By: tebonin

tebonin — Sat, 20 Nov 2010 02:47:17 +0000

Thought I would comment and say cool theme, did you create it for yourself? It’s really awesome!

By: Gloria

Gloria — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 17:43:33 +0000

Why a knife? Why not a fucking chainsaw?

“I thought it was a nice touch that the guy decided to go full Na’vi rather than stay in those pod things.”

Nice touch? His legs were useless as a human; as a Na’vi, he could run, jump, fly, bone Na’vi ladies. I’m surprised the evil colonel thought he was a good idea. He had everything to gain by “going native.”

Did anyone catch the evil colonel’s line “We’ll fight terror with terror”? WHAT TERROR?

I was ready for the rollicking, non-stop thrill ride that everyone keeps talking about. I really didn’t get it. I was bored pretty much until the final climatic battle. No, sorry, plants under blacklight don’t “awe” me. I’ve been to the ET ride at Universal Studios.

By: Killemalla

Killemalla — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 06:42:15 +0000

Why is the mech with the knife the sticking point? We’ve been seeing that since Neon Genesis Evangelion. They armed their giant mech with a BOXCUTTER, scaled up. Not even one of the cool boxcutters either, but one where the blades are designed to snap off.

By: ImperatorMJ

ImperatorMJ — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 16:37:29 +0000

A tiger attacks a regular old grunt, yes, you’re going to want a bayonet. Because even the most hard-assed U.S. Marine can’t punch a tiger to death. But if he’s wearing power armor, he sure can.

By: ImperatorMJ

ImperatorMJ — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 16:32:40 +0000

Giant notwithstanding, what’s a space tiger going to do against several tons of titanium and servos?

By: Kid Kyoto

Kid Kyoto — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 15:40:21 +0000

As others said, if you’re tromping through a jungle in a human-emulating suit, you’ll want a knife.

And if you’ve got tigers the size of Chevys you’ll want a bayonette on your gun.

By: ImperatorMJ

ImperatorMJ — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 14:39:30 +0000

Screw the knife — I was laughing at the bayonet. “Why the hell does the mech-rifle need a bayonet? Do they fight robo-space-Hessians?” It was like James Cameron anticipated my question so perfectly — so the Duke University mascot and the guy in power armor can have a sword fight.

By: Rick

Rick — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 01:03:00 +0000

I felt that closest comparison to the plot I made was Dune right down to very specific scenes, but ripping on something for taking points from Dune would be attacking all Science Fiction that happened post Dune

By: Matt Largo

Matt Largo — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 22:17:55 +0000

Michelle Rodriguez has been playing Vasquez for pretty much her entire career.

By: TheMountain

TheMountain — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 21:16:40 +0000

Beautiful effects. Horrible writing. Cameron may be a god of cinema direction, but he needs to hire a True Geek to write the technical parts of his sci-fi scripts. “Unobtanium”, Weaver’s character’s (top-flight scientist, remember) inability to describe the organic neural-net computer the Na’vi can communicate with, blowing up the giant tree instead of tunneling under it or taking it down from the top down like proper forestry. All signs of someone who has no tech chops. It’s almost into “380-point font on all the computers territory” a la “Mission Impossible 2″. And what’s up with Weaver’s and the other scientist guy’s Navi bodies having such a resemblence to their human selves while Worthington’s body looks completely Na’vi with no human facial characteristics?

By: Skemono

Skemono — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 20:30:21 +0000

And ask anyone who has done a tour in serious jungle, a machete is just not optional.

Except according to the background material for the movie, it is.

By: Ambrael

Ambrael — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 18:19:05 +0000

I’m surprised the mech’s knife is the sticking point it seems to be.The only reason to use such an impractical device as a mech in the first place is to duplicate human versatility, and the way to exploit that is tool use. By way of comparison, a sword is in every way a superior weapon to a katar or punch dagger. Therefore, a machete is superior to a extending utility blade. And ask anyone who has done a tour in serious jungle, a machete is just not optional.
And Lash, how can you think so much of Mankind’s regard for sapient life? We still have genocide today, and Hitler was just over fifty years ago. Give us a few years more to get over the personal reactions to his atrocities, and he’ll just be another historical ruler (like, say, Alexander the Great) who drew the world into a more global culture. And then add in that the Na’vi aren’t even human? I’m sorry, but that is all too realistic.

By: Lash Lightning

Lash Lightning — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 17:54:14 +0000

Just got back from seeing the movie, in 3D. Some spoilers to follow:

Frankly, I would have preferred to watch it in normal HD/format that Films are shown normally in cinemas. Even when still, some things seemed fuzzy when they weren’t meant to be, but I guess it may be because I had to wear the 3D glasses over a normal pair.

The tried and tested and reviled “All they need is a Honkey” story could easily be changed if the lead character was black. It wasn’t because he was white, but because he was a human who saw the situation for what it was: unjust, inhumane genocide. I thought it was a nice touch that the guy decided to go full Na’vi rather than stay in those pod things.

The villain didn’t get a gruesome enough death. The guy was practically Hitler and Stalin, rolled into one Post-Nam Vet. Normal soldiers, those who were purposely left unaware of the situation, got killed in exploding airships, eaten/bit by alien-pterodactyls and crushed between two creates of plastic explosives. The big, evil guy, got shot with three arrows. Say what you like about neuro-toxins, but I wanted to see him gibbed.

Lastly, do people really think so little of mankind’s care for sapient life? Frankly, I’d rather think that if one of the good guys went to the soldiers and said “Hey, remember that other guy who wanted to murder an entire race of people? Walked funny, terrible moustache, only one testicle?” and there would hardly be any soldiers left willing to take to arms.

But, yes, an average story (I dunno if you could call the story of a fight against genocidal mad-men “average”) but with some great computer effects and directing.

By: Technology and storytelling: not mutually exclusive entertainments » melle.ca

Technology and storytelling: not mutually exclusive entertainments » melle.ca — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 15:32:49 +0000

[...] as they note in this post (humorous intentions aside), James Cameron does know how to put a scene together. Orchestration as [...]

By: Evan Waters

Evan Waters — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 01:18:55 +0000

The knife is pure Rule of Cool. And I will accept that. The film has its bad parts, it follows the story model a little too closely, but the knife is awesome therefore it stays.

I’d say there are a few directors who can direct a good large-scale action sequence- Cameron, Jackson, and honestly I would include Lucas. Maybe the Wachowskis, too. But it’s definitely not served well by the modern “move the camera all the time” concept.