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Saw Avatar...
Well, I guess I'm mostly just disappointed or unimpressed. I mean, don't get me wrong, the movie was gorgeous, it just left me with an unsettled feeling. I mean, it's basically Dances with Wolves in Space, with a slightly less depressing (and way more unbelievable) ending. (Seriously, the two humans who stayed behind? Uh...they can't breathe the air, let alone, I dunno, procreate? Lol.)
I guess my biggest problem is twofold: 1) So Predictable. and 2) Nothing But Stereotypes.
I mean, I think you're possibly overburdening your "symbolism" and "themes" when you use well-known Native American actors to voice the primitive, naked, nature-loving alien species. (And don't get me started on the fetishization and over-idealization of the aliens themselves. Western, white-man fantasy perchance? Insanely thin, athletic, noble savage willing to fall in love and mate with you!) Is this movie really anything more than revisionist, apologetic rewriting of history? In SPACE!
Not single character at any point surprised me or showed any secondary depth. I guess Signorny Weaver's character would come closest. And obviously the hard-ass military commander is the worst caricature of all. And the main guy was a pretty good actor, he's just a character I've seen so many damn times that it's boring. (Come on, admit it, the second the Last Shadow thing or whatever was mentioned, you KNEW he would be the one to re-unite the clans.Thank you, white man. We couldn't have done it without you.)
And just once, I would love to see the technology vs. tree-huggers dichotmy be a little less black and white, a little less unbalanced. This planet they first depict at the beginning as being insanely deadly has nothing to fight back against metal and guns? Really? And I'm not talking about a raging pack of super-dinos or whatever. If you are going to touch on the comparison of the religion of technology vs. the religion of symbiosis, why be so scared to touch on the non-traditional? The spiritual? The UNEXPECTED?
Wow, I was not quite as apathetic as I thought at first. The more I think about this film, the less impressed I am. I mean, it wasn't even bad. It was just...formulaic. I find that terribly disappointing.
Though, honestly? Michelle Rodrigeuz's Trudy Chacon almost made the whole thing worth it. Can we have a movie just about her please? Add her to the stack of awesome women sacrificed to plot convenience.
Blerg.
I guess my biggest problem is twofold: 1) So Predictable. and 2) Nothing But Stereotypes.
I mean, I think you're possibly overburdening your "symbolism" and "themes" when you use well-known Native American actors to voice the primitive, naked, nature-loving alien species. (And don't get me started on the fetishization and over-idealization of the aliens themselves. Western, white-man fantasy perchance? Insanely thin, athletic, noble savage willing to fall in love and mate with you!) Is this movie really anything more than revisionist, apologetic rewriting of history? In SPACE!
Not single character at any point surprised me or showed any secondary depth. I guess Signorny Weaver's character would come closest. And obviously the hard-ass military commander is the worst caricature of all. And the main guy was a pretty good actor, he's just a character I've seen so many damn times that it's boring. (Come on, admit it, the second the Last Shadow thing or whatever was mentioned, you KNEW he would be the one to re-unite the clans.Thank you, white man. We couldn't have done it without you.)
And just once, I would love to see the technology vs. tree-huggers dichotmy be a little less black and white, a little less unbalanced. This planet they first depict at the beginning as being insanely deadly has nothing to fight back against metal and guns? Really? And I'm not talking about a raging pack of super-dinos or whatever. If you are going to touch on the comparison of the religion of technology vs. the religion of symbiosis, why be so scared to touch on the non-traditional? The spiritual? The UNEXPECTED?
Wow, I was not quite as apathetic as I thought at first. The more I think about this film, the less impressed I am. I mean, it wasn't even bad. It was just...formulaic. I find that terribly disappointing.
Though, honestly? Michelle Rodrigeuz's Trudy Chacon almost made the whole thing worth it. Can we have a movie just about her please? Add her to the stack of awesome women sacrificed to plot convenience.
Blerg.
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Actually, I was under the impression it was a two hour commercial for a video game. I saw copies in the store before the movie was even released.
(ok, I may be totally off the mark on that one, but I tend to measure movie promotional budgets by the number of Happy Meal toys that I end up recycling - the more toys I toss, the crapier the movie. It seems like the promotions for Avatar never end. ;p )
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I don't generally go to movies anymore so it's unlikely I'd go see it but the things that pinged you would also ping me.
Especially the anti-tech/noble savage dichotomy.
Thanks again!
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