My family and I went and saw the Avatar movie this past weekend. I have to say, Avatar certainly lived up to its $400 million budget! I was impressed by the computer graphics, which were definitely innovative. The acting was good, and I liked the storyline.
Avatar is about a planet called Pandora. In the year 2054, Americans have established a base on Pandora and are mining a special resource. Marines are used on the base for protection purposes, because the native populations are unwelcoming. Scientists are also on the base, attempting to research the planet. Their research is done using avatars, a human/native hybrid that is made using the DNA of a specific researcher. This allows a researcher to form a link with the avatar that is made from their DNA through a mental link. The research team, with the help of a Marine, worked to befriend the local population. Unfortunately for the researchers and locals, Americans possess an unquenchable thirst for expansion.
The acting in the movie was great. Sam Worthington played a Marine, and did a great job with his role. He has a certain attitude, which you can hear in his narration, which lends to his tough-guy persona. The other actors played their parts well, although I can't say anyone's acting was a stand-out performance. The costumes were great, although they too, were nothing stellar. The avatars were a combination of the actors and computer animation, and looked cool. You can definitely tell they are animated, but the animation blends perfectly with the scenes so the visual effects are fantastic!
Unfortunately, regardless of all the flashy graphics and the enjoyable plot, I found the movie borderline offensive! It's been a very long time since I saw a movie which was so blatantly racist. Normally when I watch a movie, I just watch it for enjoyment and don't bother analyzing the story. Unfortunately, my brain seems to have been on that evening, because from early on in the film, all I could do was think about how racist the film was. When we walked out of the theatre, the first thing my dad mentioned was how racist/stereotypical the movie was! The locals on Pandora were portrayed as very primitive. They worn loin cloths, war paint, and headdresses. They whooped their war cries, and had no stronger weapons than bows and arrows while the U.S. Marines laughed at their pitiful weaponry.
I suppose my issue with this movie was that I don't understand why Americans feel the need to portray native populations as primitive. Yes, we do have a lot of technology and an awesome military, however that doesn't mean we're entitled to portray ourselves as culturally superior! I grasp that they didn't want to stick to the stereotypical alien that is technologically advanced, however it was almost like we were laughing at primitive cultures. I was not a fan.
That being said, it's an enjoyable movie so long as you are watching it at face value and not really paying attention to subtext... which I know is how most people watch movies. So go ahead and go see the movie and make your own judgment as to whether you like it or not! The graphics are cool and the storyline is great, so I'm sure most people would enjoy it!
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Avatar is about a planet called Pandora. In the year 2054, Americans have established a base on Pandora and are mining a special resource. Marines are used on the base for protection purposes, because the native populations are unwelcoming. Scientists are also on the base, attempting to research the planet. Their research is done using avatars, a human/native hybrid that is made using the DNA of a specific researcher. This allows a researcher to form a link with the avatar that is made from their DNA through a mental link. The research team, with the help of a Marine, worked to befriend the local population. Unfortunately for the researchers and locals, Americans possess an unquenchable thirst for expansion.
The acting in the movie was great. Sam Worthington played a Marine, and did a great job with his role. He has a certain attitude, which you can hear in his narration, which lends to his tough-guy persona. The other actors played their parts well, although I can't say anyone's acting was a stand-out performance. The costumes were great, although they too, were nothing stellar. The avatars were a combination of the actors and computer animation, and looked cool. You can definitely tell they are animated, but the animation blends perfectly with the scenes so the visual effects are fantastic!
Unfortunately, regardless of all the flashy graphics and the enjoyable plot, I found the movie borderline offensive! It's been a very long time since I saw a movie which was so blatantly racist. Normally when I watch a movie, I just watch it for enjoyment and don't bother analyzing the story. Unfortunately, my brain seems to have been on that evening, because from early on in the film, all I could do was think about how racist the film was. When we walked out of the theatre, the first thing my dad mentioned was how racist/stereotypical the movie was! The locals on Pandora were portrayed as very primitive. They worn loin cloths, war paint, and headdresses. They whooped their war cries, and had no stronger weapons than bows and arrows while the U.S. Marines laughed at their pitiful weaponry.
I suppose my issue with this movie was that I don't understand why Americans feel the need to portray native populations as primitive. Yes, we do have a lot of technology and an awesome military, however that doesn't mean we're entitled to portray ourselves as culturally superior! I grasp that they didn't want to stick to the stereotypical alien that is technologically advanced, however it was almost like we were laughing at primitive cultures. I was not a fan.
That being said, it's an enjoyable movie so long as you are watching it at face value and not really paying attention to subtext... which I know is how most people watch movies. So go ahead and go see the movie and make your own judgment as to whether you like it or not! The graphics are cool and the storyline is great, so I'm sure most people would enjoy it!
3 comments:
Hub and I watched this movie twice (dl'd it, shh) it was amazing! Have a good Christmas?
Deb
Christmas was great! I love going to my Grandma's house :oD
My boyfriend wants me to go to see this but I'm not sure I'll like it lol.
Yeah we must have seen the same Wicked tour! Colin Donnell was in it and Marcie Dodd was supposed to be, but another girl played Elphaba instead. It was truly WICKED! i loved "defying gravity", it gave me goosebumps. My roommate saw it years ago on Broadway, now I understand why she kept obsessing about it! So i had heard most of the songs before :D
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