Last night, four of us went to Lincolnshire IL to see “Avatar” premiere on a real iMax screen in 3D. Since the screen filled my vision and the 3D made the action extend pretty much into my lap, it was the most memorable cinematic experience of my life. But it wasn’t just the theatre alone that left me (Caroline) in shock and awe (though it’s hard to believe I was in a theatre at all, it felt like I was in the jungles of Pandora along with the characters), “Avatar” has such profound visual effects it is difficult to tell what was real and what is animated.
My expectations for this movie were really high, because writer/director James Cameron has been working on it for 15 years. He basically had to wait until the right technology could exist. It’s the most expensive movie ever made, costing more than $500,000,000. “Avatar” greatly exceeded my expectations. It’s overall very solid, but the visual effects are what blew my mind.
The way the Na’vi are animated make them look… real. This is due mostly to their skin texture and the INCREDIBLE way their faces move. The landscapes are also intensely rich with beauty, especially at night when the jungles become bioluminescent. The Na’vi themselves have some glowing pores. The plants and animals native to Pandora are completely dreamed up and visually stunning.
It’s obvious this movie was made for 3D, because there are many details that cater to it. At one point, a character swung her arm around and I ducked!
This movie is also solid in directing, editing, art direction, production design, original score and sound mixing/editing. I expect it to win MANY Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director.
You always know it’s a good movie when everyone talks about it the ENTIRE way back to Milwaukee. To quote Adam, “This must have been what it was like to see Star Wars in 1977…” Furthermore, Steven Spielberg, who had actually been there in 1977, said it felt exactly like walking out of Star Wars (to clarify, he was not in the car with us).
