After all the hype that "Avatar" received before it even opened, I wasn't sure I really wanted to see it. Movies that get hyped that much before their release always remind me of "The Fifth Element". Remember all the ads for that one? It was described as "Star Wars for a new generation", and it most certainly didn't live up to the hype. It wasn't a bad movie, in fact I watch it when it comes on television. But comparing it to "Star Wars" was a horrible move - there was no way on earth it was going to have the impact that "Star Wars" did and building up people's expectations of it that way could only lead to a bunch of disappointed people. And of course it did just that. Maybe the ads were intended to be tongue-in-cheek - the movie was sort of cheesy and campy, and an ad campaign that poked fun at that could have been a great idea. But if that was what they were going for, they failed miserably. As a result, "Fifth Element" was judged much more harshly than it might otherwise have been.
The buildup for "Avatar" was strikingly similar, in some ways. No, I never heard it compared to "Star Wars" but in every other way they raised the expectations for the film sky high. My expectations for the film weren't terribly high, and though I knew I would end up watching it at some point I wasn't rushing to the theater to see it.
After it opened and people I know started seeing it I was surprised by their reviews. They all loved it. Some of them went to see it over and over again. I decided at that point that we would go see it while it was still in theaters, but I still wasn't in any hurry. The Kidd really wanted to see it, but we had other things going on and didn't make time for it. We had so many holiday plans, there just wasn't time to fit "Avatar" in.
We finally made time for it while we were in Orlando for our New Years trip. We ended up going with Mr and Mrs O to the theater at Pointe Orlando. By the time the previews ended I decided that the previews alone had almost been worth the price of admission - "Iron Man 2", "Clash of the Titans", "Alice in Wonderland" . . . they all look like must-sees! But then "Avatar" started and despite how prepared I had been to dislike it, I was sucked in almost immediately. I know it's a long movie, but it really didn't seem long at all. Sure, there were a few scenes that could have been shorter, and it did drag in a few spots. The storyline was predictable - only one thing toward the end really surprised me. (And even then, then thing I had expected to happen did happen, just not at the spot I thought it would.) But even with all that, the movie was amazing. It was gorgeous and engaging. The 3D effects were well done and were well integrated into the film.
As the credits rolled the five of us sat and watched them, and then we gathered our things to leave. Mrs O mentioned that "Avatar" could end up being "Star Wars" for The Kidd's generation and it was the first time I have ever heard a film compared to "Star Wars" without finding the comparison ridiculous. She was right - it could conceivably be groundbreaking enough that people of The Kidd's generation will look back on it the way many of us look back on "Star Wars". Mr O did mention that it was basically "Pocahontas", and he had a point. There were some striking similarities, but we all agreed it was a fun movie and the effects and visuals more than made up for any weaknesses in the storyline.
I'll certainly be watching it again, and it will be a must buy for us when it comes out on Blu-ray.
I was catching up on Failblog the other day and was surprised to find something that reminded me of Mr O. Apparently someone else made the same observation he did, and though I loved the movie I still found it hilarious. Don't read it if you haven't seen the movie yet!
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