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[m31]

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Ooh 3D humor!

[Mick Down Under]

Well if FF got the guts of the story down and the fact that I have never been able to see 3D, albeit in R/B glasses...It's different now huh?! Maybe I might...Nah, I won't see that one. I'll wait for it to come out in 3D on TV, I'll wait for a decent movie in 3D to waste money on at the flicks. I don't know if it will be any better for me, visually, I'll literally just 'wait and see'.


Mick

[JayDoc]

Just saw it tonight, my first 3-d since I can remember, other than Imax ocean documentaries. The 3d wasn't "in your face" (things popping out of the screen)--it just made you feel more "in" the movie. The story's simple (a bit of "Pocahantas" maybe?), but it's a classic, and in an awesome visual world, with a worthy message about humankind's plight, imho. So I'd say see it on the big screen, don't wait for TV (which is indeed going 3-d capable in the near/medium term, by the way).
But more on topic--they invented a whole fairly credible language for the film. Why not invent a whole (credible) musical system, too? Honestly, I forgot to listen for the whistles, but I'll probabaly see it again (I don't usually do that, but this film benefits from a large canvas), so I'll listen next time. The whistle is one of the oldest musical instruments, right (I'm pretty sure percussion would pre-date it)? So what would an extra-terrestrial, spiritual species like this sound like on whistle? Interesting to speculate, anyway...maybe not too different from us???
Best wishes,
Jaydoc

[RainInEden_K]

Visually beautiful movie with some good messages here and there. The 3D was pleasant and not too hard on the eyes.

I love the tribal feeling of the native people in the film. James Horner is always good, but truthfully I felt Hans Zimmer would have been a better bet to really capture a more unique sound.

But the places where the wind instruments come in are wonderful!

[Infernaltootler]

Bah to 3D it's just an excuse for cinemas to rip me off for even more cash than their hyper expensive snack foods and drinks.

[brewerpaul]

We just got back from seeing Avatar in 3-D, and I'd wholeheartedly recommend it. I can't recall being so totally engrossed in a movie in a long time. The nearly 3 hours passed very quickly. The movie is a visual feast with enough gorgeous animal and plant species alone to completely absorb you. Not to mention amazing landscapes. I can't even remember when I went to see a movie in a theatre more than once, but I may do it for this one-- it definitely benefits from being on a large screen. As mentioned by others, the 3-D effect is relatively restrained and does help draw you into the film.
Keep an ear out for Tony Hinnigan's lovely whistle (and other woodwind) touches.

[pancelticpiper]

I agree with BrewerPaul! The 3D is unobstrusive and I quickly forgot about it, except for the occasional scene that had water droplets nearer to the viewer etc.

The CGI people in some scenes look CGI, but in others are amazlingly lifelike. It didn't take long for the "willing suspension of disbelief" to kick in.

Yes some of the "noble savage" stuff is a tad corny, but hey, it's a feast for the eyes.

[Jayhawk]

I saw it yesterday, and I loved it. The 3D is definitely restrained yet it does add to the overall experience.

I'd compare it more to Dances with Wolves in space than any other movie.

The computer graphics are incredible (I do think the 3D adds to this) and bought into the natives and the world wholeheartedly.

As for the extra cost of 3D, if you catch the earlier/matinee showings, the price for the 3D version, at least in Kansas City, is actually less than the 2D version in the evening.

Eric

[chris_coreline]

beautuful visuals,
great story,
a savage inditment of humanity, if only films could adgitate as well as illuminate.

i didnt hear the whistle very much except at the end, i may go and re-watch it and pay more attention.

[Dale]

Just saw it in 3D which was pretty effective and not tiring on the eyes. In addition to the 3D, the real breakthrough is the way the CG system handles human(oid) faces and movement. This is the first movie I've seen that I thought it really worked. The eyes actually move and react like real-world eyes.

I enjoyed the movie and really got immersed in it much more than is typical of me. I actually found it rather intense.

[Thomas-Hastay]

Some Critics are calling Avatar "The Island Of The Blue Monkeys" (he he). I was very pleased with the movie, even if the plot was a little vapid and overdone. The trend for CGI over good story is getting old though (I guess Hitchcock spoiled me). Now if they could combine good storyline with great CGI, like LOTR, I'd be a very happy man!

[MTGuru]

I'm waiting for the remake of "My Dinner With André" in 3D CGI. Wow!

[Dale]

I'm waiting for the remake of "My Dinner With André" in 3D CGI. Wow!

No, no. The flash 3D CGI would get in the way of the narrative. Oh. Wait a minute...

[pancelticpiper]

Now it looks like a bunch of us who have seen it (Avatar, not Dinner with Andre) in 3D on a normal screen are going to bite the bullet and see it in IMAX 3D. Don't know what that will cost... it was $9 a pop for an early showing in 3D on a normal screen here.

I nearly always find the music in movies which are trying to create the sense of a new, alien world disappointing when they use only standard orchestral instruments (and use them in conventional ways).

If I were doing Avatar I would use toyos and duduks and kavals (the latter played by Spassov if I could get him).

[MTGuru]

Forbidden Planet (1956) set the standard for this, with an all-electronic score, not a single conventional instrument. Back when Xenakis, Stockhausen et al. were bleeding edge.

It's interesting that electronic and synthesized music has become so debased nowadays as pop schlock and cheap band-in-a-box that lush, neo-Romantic orchestral scoring peppered with world instruments is what audiences perceive as appropriately exotic.