Avatar Review and Musing it awoke.


Avatar Review Engineer's style:

Script/Story: 2/5
Imagination: 3.5/5
Animation: 5/5
Acting: 4/5
Direction: 3/5
Overall:3/5

Avatar Review, Scholar's style:
ok It's kinda late. I watched movie four weeks ago but was too busy catching up at work. When movie ended my reaction was [at applauding people] bunch of idiots! everybody was like ooh and aah! but frankly that was not the emotion it awoke in me. I would have felt that if story too was equally powerful as the animation. Look at those blue people and beautiful scenery of Pandora and you can't help but admire Cameron.

Let's start with story: he could done have lot better. What was the story about? A fool can see that it was the story about how Europeans had attacked and tried to destroy native culture of [Insert any country here] but with cheesy and totally BS end. They failed at it! (Europeans failed) If you are going to make it about real issues then at least keep it real. We are not toddlers that we need to be fed in form of  baby powder flavored with different food, in  name of real food.
You guys are like but no! he wanted to give message about how we are destroying our planet and one day we might be out of resources. In that case final message came across was: Even if we keep destroying available resources we will be successful in finding new resources by hook or crook.

Imagination: I gave 3.5/5 because it was not pure imagination it was tainted by real rituals of different cultures. For example Navi's prayer music resembles so much to Muslim prayer music. There was a mosque not too far from my home and it blared Adhan (call for prayer or announcement for namaz time) five times a day on loud speaker.
As soon as they started prayer I was transported to my hometown. Then comes their ritual gestures to revive human grace. I swear that was like to be back in time namely in 17th century where people would believe in ancestor spirits and stuff. ok I need to explain: In Hindu culture there is a phenomenon called "mataji aavva" literally: materialization of goddess's spirit into human. here is the picture of Goddess.

 When this happens said human gains superhuman physical strength and sometimes ability to predict future. It's quite difficult to restrain the man/woman in this condition. Normally this happens when goddess is angry at somebody about something and wants to stop that behavior. Like if some mother in law is being cruel to DIL then goddess will come into DIL's body and forbid MIL from being cruel etc.oh sorry! I ventured in wrong direction. so point was when "mataji aavva" happens said person starts shaking violently back and forth just like in Graces' revival scene Navis do.  Disclaimer said phenomenon is a psychological disorder per Indian psychologists. you can guess that scene does not induce awe emotion. My brain was struggling between two totally different scenes it created in my mind. music was reminding of the mosque and scene was reminding me off person being restricted by 10 people and still in violent fury. I am pretty sure native Africans also can see some of their ritual being used as Pandora's own culture.
This is not imagination this is sewing of two cultures in worst possible way to create new, original culture. huh!!? even that sentence is awkward.

Animation: well it's 5/5 so nothing to say, except perfect, brilliant etc.

Acting: They got 4 because half of the actors are not real. The real ones have done good job.

Direction:  It gets 3 because let's face it there was not much to be directed in the story, was there? Half of the movie is cartoon and for the rest of the part there is a bedtime story to be followed.

Overall: It's like a mediocre product in a very shiny and expensive packaging with  extra oridinary and totally awesome accessory for the average product.
     -x- review ends here -x-

while we were watching movie my sister asked why aliens always have to be ugly. I said that's a good question. I will answer you in my blog. That way I can be sure about at least one reader. ;)

My theory is we always imitate what we see in the nature when we create fictional world. (damn! this theory  nullifies my argument about Cameron not being original but he failed at hiding his sources) Man is the most beautiful or symmetrical creature in entire animal kingdom. yeah when each feature is compared individually with different animals we fail but overall product is the best. So whenever we try to create a new creature we never can make it nicer than us. The other theory is in more than less movies aliens are bad guy, now bad guys have to be ugly.  Navi's are not that bad because they are not bad guys but still they are not really beautiful either. The third theory is total destruction theory. continue at your own risk. (inner critic raises eye brow with gimlet eyes(holler to dear friend glo!) me: What?! oh, i never condemn being cheesy, inner critic: friking hypocrite!) The perception of viewer is relative, viewer would be my sister, may be she has ultimate standard for being beautiful is, Man. so any creature other than human is not as beautiful as man. Well that is entirely possible as narcissism runs in our family. :P (Champa, please don't kill me)
Any other theories? please put them in comments I would love to discuss.

oh and interesting fact: Avatar is a Sanskrit word, meaning Incarnation of deity on earth.  Gotta give 10/5 for the title of the movie.

3 comments:

  1. interesting, meaningful and language is such keeps hold on you while going thru it.(its nt necessary to say I was forced to read.)she is good at interpreting what indicates what, why was dat, wats the psychology works behind that n etc...agree with reviewing points.
    about theories of ugliness of aliens
    it was ugly without even comparing with humans. There are many characters who are cuter and more beautiful than human species (imaginary obviously) May be u r right for first two ones but certainly not third one. So take yr words back.
    and u havnt discussed the pran or sum life they wer going to find under the earth of pandora planet n later it was not even mentioned later in the movie.

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  2. http://news.yahoo.com/s/huffpost/20100112/en_huffpost/420605

    Some people are really, really into this movie.

    I have seen 3 times which is enough for me. I was more amazed at the 3d aspect of it. The story had been told before but if you think about it from a pure marketing perspective you had to go with a mainstream storyline with mass appeal. How else would you make back the 300 mil that you spend on graphics?

    I am looking forward to seeing more movies in the future that use the 3d technology that Cameron developed to film this.

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  3. yeah it's a good point. I agree with you completely if Cameron had not made it for mainstream audience it would not gather as much money as it did. As much as I criticized the film I won't miss other 3-d technology movie either. ;) but I still won't give it full marks if story is not as good. :P

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