I was probably one of the latest people to see Avatar. I finally saw it a couple weeks ago. It was one of those things I had to do. Imax 3D of course.
Let’s get something out of the way. Avatar is visually stunning. It’s really well created. The 3D is unlike anything anyone has ever seen on screen before (except maybe Captain EO at Disney). The other thing is the story line is nothing new. You don’t go to see Avatar for an amazing story. So all that said, why bother seeing Avatar?
Movies are basic financial investments. Every major studio takes on movies based on their ROI – Return On Investment. No major studio will willingly take on a terrible movie without the intent of making their bottom line.
Sure ‘Snakes on a Plane’ and ‘Deep Blue Sea’ were terrible movies, but they made money. (Deep Blue Sea made $91 million worldwide and roughly cost $78 million to make – a $13 million profit for the studios… not bad for a crappy movie).
What if you take a major name like James Cameron, brand new technology and major Titanic/nerd/geek movie hype and put it into one movie? Not only that, but build it up for years and release a tiny poster and teaser to keep the buzz going? I think that easily spells major win for the studio. Stay average with the script and over deliver in the appearance and you have a major winner. You have a multi-billion dollar winner! (Not to mention the rising price in box office tickets, including the higher cost of watching movies in 3D)
I have a tough time with Avatar. If it was about movie making, it would have some sort of historical significance in films. It won’t. The only thing people will remember about it is that it made oodles of money. People won’t remember the Hans Solo of that movie… in fact I don’t even remember any names of the characters of Avatar. It was a basic money grab. The ROI was bound to be high. Fox knew it would make up for every other terrible movie they put out this year. Avatar is a targeted movie for the masses, it’s aim was to visually stun people and open their wallets. It worked.
Still don’t believe me? Avatar hit the big screen on December 18th 2009 and is hitting the shelves on DVD/Blu-Ray April 22nd 2010. That’s 4 months between theatre release and DVD release. Now think about the production of those DVD’s/Blu-Rays. They would need to be in production of those discs by January at the latest. Millions of copies – special editions, packaging, extra features on the discs etc. I wouldn’t doubt if they had the DVD’s completed before they even released to theatres. That’s crazy! Get quick box office sales and keep the hype going with even quicker DVD sales. They want your money.
It’s a sad truth and it makes sense, but most movies are about the mighty dollar. You don’t see people lining up to see the indy movies, the ones made for the sake of good art AND a good story. You don’t see people lining up for them until someone they know stars in them (aka Little Miss Sunshine). The rare time you get an indy gem that everyone wants to see (aka Napoleon Dynamite). Movie studios want your money. I wish there was an alternative, but I’m not sure what it is.
That’s my two cents. What do you have to say about Avatar?
Matthew A. Hawkins
6 Responses to My Take on Avatar
Totally agree…I was a big fan of the whole Twilight series myself this year…that was definitely not a cash cow…
I enjoyed Avatar. I thought it was a blast in 3D. I do think it will go down in history (at least in my books) as the first 3D film that really realized the full potential of 3D. I don’t think it’ll just be the money it made, although that will also be a large part of its legend.
As a piece of art (or lack thereof), I agree that it was an obvious cash grab that won’t have a lot of re-playability as a 2D DVD, but despite that it will still sell a lot of units to tech nerds that want to show off their HD BluRay setups.
But I also think there’s another market we might not be considering. Although you and I tend to grit our teeth when we see sell-out movies like this become so popular, there are a large portion of the population out there that go to the movies solely to watch special effects and get carried away in the spectacle of things. They probably outnumber us, and they probably have more money than us, which is why that’s the market that Hollywood is aiming for.
I’m with you on liking the idea of a brilliant indie film making it big and everyone seeing it, but at the same time I’ve also noticed that sometimes I like the indie films because of the feeling that I’ve found something special that few will experience and even less will fully appreciate. So I say let the studios sell their money-grabs to the masses. Indie films will still be made based on principle, and we can appreciate them for what they are, with less chance of being distracted by texting teenagers or ranting rednecks.
In the end though, I did enjoy Avatar. I just won’t be buying it on DVD.
I was mesmerized by Avatar……..I’m probably the exact geek the last poster was referring to…(I already pre-ordered my blu-ray copy of the movie before I knew when the release date was haha)
I liked the story-line as well. What really appealed to me the most was that the whole culture of the “aliens” was thought out and relate-able to our humanistic dream of paradise with nature being inter-connected.
I think I spent most of the movie open-mouthed at the brilliance of the screen. It was also really neat to see that they had the main character, (who is called Jake Sully…and yes I remembered that), who was physically impaired able to re-experience the ability of movement through his avatar.
Cine-matically I was less impressed with the “3D” experience. I expected a lot more from the 3D. I figured it was going to take the 80′s experience of those blue/red lenses to a whole other level. Except it felt more subtle to me than jump-off-your seat. I didn’t feel the thrill of things popping out at me.
It was a movie more designed to appeal to the senses rather than intellect….there wasn’t deep, life-changing substance, that’s for sure. But in terms of keeping the movie experience alive this movie did that.
I think that as a viewer you get a lot more from watching Avatar than many other big-budget movies that have been released lately, for example, “Alice in Wonderland”.
I know that when I walked out of the theater I was gung-ho to join an Avatar convention, paint myself blue for a weekend and start speaking the Na’vi language. And I used to make fun of “Trekkies”.
Well Kate I do appreciate some of your comment. The story line on destroying something because it’s different is good, but overdone… Dances with Wolves, Pocahontas, Encino Man… no doubt the movie was visually stunning and unlike you, I really liked the 3d (at one point I thought I could fall out of my seat). The movie was cliche at best. Ignorant militant types playing stereo typical Americans, while supporting female role plays the culturally relevant, biologically discovering scientist… how cliche. It was predictable and shallow.
Ryan, look back in 5 years and see who remembers it for more than box office numbers AND if they do an Avatar 2, you will know full well studios are just seeing this as a giant cash cow. I agree with you on the way things are now. FInding that diamond on the shelf is always a great feeling. Movies like One Week are treasures. I just can’t help but see movies like Avatar as the cigarettes or fast food products of the industry. Cheap, fast and too many. Loses all art and credibility to me.
I actually appreciated the story more than I did the 3D – from the first time I saw the characters in the previews there was something about them that just didn’t impress me as other 3D animations have…
For what it’s worth though I haven’t seen any of the movies you list with a similar message – so for that alone I appreciated the time and the way the movie asked me to reflect on what I really should value and how often I miss it – sure it was definitely hokey and super sci-fi but it reminded me how silly our society is spending as much time as we do with so much artificial stimulation (like 3D movies) when there’s greater adventures to be had and people worth connecting with.
Then again – I was impressed with how Click creatively communicated it’s point.
The more I watch movies and films, the more I’m beginning to appreciate the messages to be had. I’ve learned there is a distinction between movie and film. Movies are stuff like Avatar or Click (although I agree with you on the creative aspect in click, it’s still a movie), where as a film like Braveheart, Cinderella Man, or a classic like Vertigo has some weight to it. Movies to me are one offs, where as films have substance. Not often enough stuff in the main stream are called films to me. Maybe it’s because of seeing enough movies/films I saw too many parallels with Avatar, but the equation they used in the story just wasn’t original enough for me to enjoy it. Cameron has had way better stories – watch Terminator 1 & 2 and even The Abyss (which has a great story in terms of the unknown and a relationship between a man and woman – which is really what that movie is about).
It’s interesting seeing peoples opinions on the story and the 3D. For what’s it worth, the ‘aliens’ reminded me too much of Jar Jar Binks…