Avatar: The Way of Water

[Techwright]

I'm surprised no one has posted this.  So, as my high school biology teacher always queried:

"Thoughts, comments...upset stomachs?"

 

 

On spoilery comment from me:

 

Spoiler

I'm not sure I'm really thrilled with having Steven Lang's villain back (the new blue catman.  Even has the same tatoo).  It feels like we're going to be retreading the story, just in the water instead.  Hopefully with 4 movies in the works, it will quickly go into a new direction.

 

Also, they're pushing the Pandora-as-paradise bit really hard.  I'm not sure I can accept as paradise any place where big, vicious creatures wanting to kill you on sight are ever in close proximity.  I do like the design of the place though.

 

[ThaOGDreamWeaver]

Thoughts:

• First time around, I genuinely thought Avatar was a beautiful, spectacular thing that I had to see, but left me almost 100% cold as a movie. 
• Big budgets and great visuals don't make a movie on their own. You need plot, and character, and memorable lines - this is not a thing Cameron's delivered since The Abyss, or maybe True Lies if I'm being a bit generous. (TBF, I thought the same thing about Titanic. Pro-tip: I saw it in VF cinemas while doing teacher training near Calais, and Rose/Winslet is vastly less irritating dubbed into French.)
• Jake and the crew didn't draw me in emotionally, the plot pretty thin, and a couple of the characters were actively annoying. Lang deserved better writing, but Ribisi felt phoned-in and lazy.
• Despite all that, the story wrapped up neatly at the end of the first one. Barring maybe a major heel-face turn for Lang's character now he's gone native, which is possible, I don't feel a need to see where those characters go next.
• Yes, the new one is going to be just as endlessly pretty as the last one. But it's been a few years, I saved up for my own dinky home projector during lockdown, and I'll wait to get this on D+ to throw up on a bedroom wall. Or just watch it in bits as a test reel in home electronics stores for stupidly huge 4K TVs.

To answer one major point from TW's thoughts directly:

Spoiler

7 hours ago, Techwright said:

I'm not sure I can accept as paradise any place where big, vicious creatures wanting to kill you on sight are ever in close proximity. 

 

 

The Australian Tourist Board would like a word with you.

 

Edited May 16, 2022 by ThaOGDreamWeaver
No stunt drop bears were harmed in the making of this film

[Techwright]

12 hours ago, ThaOGDreamWeaver said:

The Australian Tourist Board would like a word with you.

 

I believe the original game's forums were where I saw an Aussie once comment on his homeland.  It went something like "All creatures in Australia fall into one or more of three categories: poisonous, predator, or sheep."  🤣

[ThaOGDreamWeaver]

Having met* the sheep, I count them as poisonous predators too. Even trees are trying to kill you. It fascinated me that Aussie pine cones would make a decent murder weapon.**

https://theconversation.com/bunya-pines-are-ancient-delicious-and-possibly-deadly-96003

 

Back to the topic in hand:

• Confirm that Stephen Lang is returning, as is Ribisi and most of the original cast.
• Lang has confirmed he's back up and running as Quaritch, and is the primary bad guy for the trilogy, though his character will evolve over time.
• Sigourney Weaver and Matt Gerald also back, despite both also having died messily. Who had the mass-rez power handy?
• I shouldn't have mentioned Winslet, as she's a key new character from the surfer clan Sully & co will run into.

_{*been repeatedly butted, trampled and run over by
**Admittedly one that's the size and weight of a bowling ball and covered in Wolverine-sized spikes.}

[Techwright]

13 hours ago, ThaOGDreamWeaver said:

Sigourney Weaver and Matt Gerald also back, despite both also having died messily. Who had the mass-rez power handy?

_{**Admittedly one that's the size and weight of a bowling ball and covered in Wolverine-sized spikes.}

I've no facts to go off of, but based on how Weaver's character ended up in the first film, I'd not be surprised to find out that she serves as the herald or "voice" of the planet, perhaps one that can be accessed via visions when the Pandorans use their hair neural fibers to bond with parts of the world.

 

10 kilos is astonishing.  That's closer to 2 bowling balls.

[Frostbiter]

I saw Avatar in 3D when it came out and the visuals were impressive. The rest of the movie was pretty bland. Unless this will also be released in 3D then I'm not sure the story is going to sell a sequel.

[Hyperstrike]

On 5/15/2022 at 10:09 PM, Techwright said:

I'm surprised no one has posted this.  So, as my high school biology teacher always queried:

"Thoughts, comments...upset stomachs?"

 

 

On spoilery comment from me:

 

  Reveal hidden contents

I'm not sure I'm really thrilled with having Steven Lang's villain back (the new blue catman.  Even has the same tatoo).  It feels like we're going to be retreading the story, just in the water instead.  Hopefully with 4 movies in the works, it will quickly go into a new direction.

 

Also, they're pushing the Pandora-as-paradise bit really hard.  I'm not sure I can accept as paradise any place where big, vicious creatures wanting to kill you on sight are ever in close proximity.  I do like the design of the place though.

 

 

We've already seen Dances with Wolves a couple times now.

[Techwright]

2 hours ago, Hyperstrike said:

 

 

We've already seen Dances with Wolves a couple times now.

Yes but this will be Dances with Alien Seawolves.  Very different.  😉

[ShardWarrior]

Cannot say I have any interest in this whatsoever.  I never understood the fascination with the original.  I found it a mediocre film at best. 

[Cancrusher]

I loved the first Avatar.  But you don't go to Avatar to enjoy the story.  You go to enjoy a stunning auditory and visual experience.  The movie (first one, at least) must be seen in 3D to truly understand why it was such a sensation.  It's the first movie I ever saw in 3D that really felt like the technology had arrived and delivered a completely immersive experience.  I literally felt like I was on an alien planet when I watched that film.  I have also watched it on our big flat screen TV at home- a completely forgettable experience, by comparison.

 

I certainly hope to see the new film in 3D.  Not sure if I will be able to, or if the experience will be as mind-blowing for me as it was with the first film.  I certainly hope so.  If the story is actually good this time, that would certainly be delicious frosting on an already scrumptious cake. 😋

[Techwright]

7 hours ago, Cancrusher said:

I loved the first Avatar.  But you don't go to Avatar to enjoy the story.  You go to enjoy a stunning auditory and visual experience.

 

Which is why I'm concerned that there are 4 films in the pipeline, apparently all being shot at the same time.  Short of a powerful story, can they really hold the audience on just the "auditory and visual experience"?  I enjoyed the first film.  Story-wise, it was a cross between an 1980s lone hero movie, and as Hyperstrike pointed out, Dances with Wolves.  But the decade-long gap better be due to writing and refining a solid 4-story script.

 

[ShardWarrior]

On 5/21/2022 at 12:21 AM, Cancrusher said:

But you don't go to Avatar to enjoy the story.  You go to enjoy a stunning auditory and visual experience. 

 

Having no story is one of the hallmarks of a bad film and among the primary reasons most films will receive poor reviews lol.  Visual spectacle only takes you so far.  The story is what makes a good film.

Edited May 23, 2022 by ShardWarrior

[Cancrusher]

2 hours ago, ShardWarrior said:

 

Having no story is one of the hallmarks of a bad film and among the primary reasons most films will receive poor reviews lol.  Visual spectacle only takes you so far.  The story is what makes a good film.

Yes, as you correctly point out, it's not a good film and no amount of special effects will make it so.  I would not recommend seeing the first Avatar if you want to enjoy a film.  I would recommend seeing it on the big screen in 3D, if you want to enjoy the experience of exploring an alien world, though.  🤓

Regarding this sequel, I will withhold my opinion until I've had the chance to view it as both a film watcher and an earthly explorer of alien environments. 🤷‍♂️

[DougGraves]

I enjoyed Avatar while I was watching it and didn't think about it afterwards.

 

I may see this.  But I have no particular interest in seeing it.