Comments on: Ten things I think I think about Avatar http://www.hatchomatic.com/2009/12/30/ten-things-i-think-i-think-about-avatar/ Page 73 - Johnson, Navin R.! I'm somebody now! Sun, 05 Feb 2012 05:23:45 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Joshua Hatch http://www.hatchomatic.com/2009/12/30/ten-things-i-think-i-think-about-avatar/comment-page-1/#comment-163 Joshua Hatch Sun, 03 Jan 2010 04:48:10 +0000 http://www.hatchomatic.com/?p=774#comment-163 There was definitely a larger planet in the background. You could see it in the sky. And the racial thing was really bothersome to me. Oh, poor native peoples. Helpless until the white man saves them from destruction! There was definitely a larger planet in the background. You could see it in the sky. And the racial thing was really bothersome to me. Oh, poor native peoples. Helpless until the white man saves them from destruction!

]]> By: William Couch http://www.hatchomatic.com/2009/12/30/ten-things-i-think-i-think-about-avatar/comment-page-1/#comment-161 William Couch Sun, 03 Jan 2010 00:27:30 +0000 http://www.hatchomatic.com/?p=774#comment-161 Alright, I'll weigh in here, too. 2: Regarding tidal forces, I got the impression that Pandora was the largest celestial object around, and that the other objects seen from the ground of Pandora, while large, were still not the largest. And I recall one character commenting at one point about the lower gravity on the planet, which could've been perceived as lower due to the attractive forces of the neighboring objects. 3 & 4: While obnoxious, I put aside my gripes with those aspects of the film, as I felt like Cameron was going for sheer technical demonstration. He created a fantastical new world, and deployed some absolutely top-notch graphics and animation, but he clearly skimped on the story and character development. 5: Agreed. This did bother me that he didn't push them further. That said, I could understand if he made them look more identifiable with forms of life we're familiar with so as to not create an additional element that the audience would have to buy into and become familiar with. For people like you and I who would nitpick, it's an issue, but I would bet the casual audience member didn't take issue with it, which is what I'd care to wager Cameron was going for. 8: I'm 100% those sudden zooms were purposeful. That's a style that's been utilized frequently lately, especially in sci-fi, notably in Battlestar Galatica and last summer's Star Trek. That effect is often used to give a film a more handheld, documentary-style feel, which considering how polished the rest of the camera work was in this film, wasn't an appropriate effect to use here. But I guess when you're Cameron and you've got nearly 300 million dollars, you can do things like that — and cast Michelle Rodriguez. 9: If he'd actually fleshed this out more, the film would've gone well beyond 3 hours. Do you want that? (But agreed, I'd like to hear more on it, too. We're science geeks, and things like "flux vortex" don't cut it.) 11: Agreed, and why the atrocious Papyrus subtitles, even quirkier title card at the end of the film, and then a nice, clean sans-serif for the end credits?! ~FIN~ Alright, I’ll weigh in here, too.

2: Regarding tidal forces, I got the impression that Pandora was the largest celestial object around, and that the other objects seen from the ground of Pandora, while large, were still not the largest. And I recall one character commenting at one point about the lower gravity on the planet, which could’ve been perceived as lower due to the attractive forces of the neighboring objects.

3 & 4: While obnoxious, I put aside my gripes with those aspects of the film, as I felt like Cameron was going for sheer technical demonstration. He created a fantastical new world, and deployed some absolutely top-notch graphics and animation, but he clearly skimped on the story and character development.

5: Agreed. This did bother me that he didn’t push them further. That said, I could understand if he made them look more identifiable with forms of life we’re familiar with so as to not create an additional element that the audience would have to buy into and become familiar with. For people like you and I who would nitpick, it’s an issue, but I would bet the casual audience member didn’t take issue with it, which is what I’d care to wager Cameron was going for.

8: I’m 100% those sudden zooms were purposeful. That’s a style that’s been utilized frequently lately, especially in sci-fi, notably in Battlestar Galatica and last summer’s Star Trek. That effect is often used to give a film a more handheld, documentary-style feel, which considering how polished the rest of the camera work was in this film, wasn’t an appropriate effect to use here. But I guess when you’re Cameron and you’ve got nearly 300 million dollars, you can do things like that — and cast Michelle Rodriguez.

9: If he’d actually fleshed this out more, the film would’ve gone well beyond 3 hours. Do you want that? (But agreed, I’d like to hear more on it, too. We’re science geeks, and things like “flux vortex” don’t cut it.)

11: Agreed, and why the atrocious Papyrus subtitles, even quirkier title card at the end of the film, and then a nice, clean sans-serif for the end credits?!

~FIN~

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