Avatar - Will you see this $300 mill production?

[Gorn Captain]

The more I see of Avatar, its "influences" are indeed becoming obvious.
The mecha from Robotech.
The soldiers from Aliens.
The spaceships (with the vertical turbines) from Terminator.
The "look" from Roger Dean artwork.

And the more you realize that the inspiration came from someone elses imagination, the more it feels "not right". In other cases, he seems to be cannibalizing his older work.
In such a hugely expensive movie that took forever to make, you kind of expect something fresh.

[Brazoo]

>>You have oversexualized designs

....er.... maybe our tastes differ; but I kinda find them asexual myself. Males and females are very similarly built; faces follow the same underlying construction, and the bits of movement I've seen are similar too. (And if anyone around here knows oversexualized cat people, it's me!)

Wait.... should I be proud of that....?

Don C.

Those androgynous cos-play mutants have a certain androgyny/asexual thing going on that seems very big again in the tween market - look at those twilight movies. The androgynous/asexuality seems to be sort of a safe-sexy experience for young adults - especially girls.

[kennermike]

I love The Abyss.

me too Hector I think it was a hell of alot better then freakin TITANIC!

[ctc]

>I think it was a hell of alot better then freakin TITANIC!

Y'know.... I didn't like The Abyss; but I can't argue with this statement. Titanic was horrid! (It wasn't even TECNICALLY good! Check out the scenes when the ship is sinking; the shots in the closeups and the far shots seem to depict ships of two different sizes.)

Don C.

[ctc]

>a certain androgyny/asexual thing going on that seems very big again in the tween market

I think that's ALWAYS present. Remember N'SYNC? *shudder*

>androgynous/asexuality seems to be sort of a safe-sexy experience for young adults

Exactly! (There's a really good South Park episode about that.)

Don C.

[Brazoo]

>androgynous/asexuality seems to be sort of a safe-sexy experience for young adults

Exactly! (There's a really good South Park episode about that.)

Don C.

Awesome! - are you talking about the "Jonas Brothers" episode? South Park rules!

[Gorn Captain]

me too Hector I think it was a hell of alot better then freakin TITANIC!

I liked Abyss, too.
The scene in the sub where the woman has to drown first, only to be reanimated later, was some very good acting and tension building.

I guess the only letdown was the ending, which was a bit "soft".

[j_scott_o]

I haven't read anything about it. But, I have heard some about it. I thought this was motion capture, not CGI. Or, is it a combo. I heard the visuals, especially motion capture, is a lot better than the motion capture in films like Polar Express and A Christmas Carol. As for the movie itself, what I heard (and gathered from the tons and tons of trailers I've seen on TV), is this movie is very preachy.

Also, as someone mentioned, very anti-military. I got the impression it was a sci-fi Dances with Wolves, granted I really like Dances with Wolves. And, from the preachy standpoint, it is another "we are taking the resources from others"...ie oil, land, etc. We are destroying our planet, global warming, etc., a la Day the Earth Stood Still, Day After Tomorrow, etc.

And, this is where I think the movie may ultimately fail. For such a HUGE, OVER THE TOP BUDGET, if this movie is laced with political preaching, you are going to alienate a large portion of the population. It will be interesting to see the box office numbers. Likewise, it will be more interesting to see the numbers after the 1st week when all the word of mouth gets out. If I had to guess, it would be like 2012. Huge opening week, then start dropping big time. I'll probably wait til it hits Red Box, like I do most movies anymore...with a few exceptions.

[deputypowell]

Okay...let me say...I liked Aliens and my wife liked Titanic...yeah...I am going to take the kids to see it.

Let me also say, I remember when my dad took me to see Star Wars and he thought it was crap. This may be the childhood memory my kids remember for the rest of their lives even if I am not that impressed. I have to give it a chance.

[Mikey]

I liked the Abyss but thought it was way too long and drawn out.

It would have worked a lot better if the was worked into an hour TV episode of something.

BTW, Dr Who's The Impossible Planet borrows a lot from the Abyss

[Brazoo]

When I saw The Abyss in the theater, for the first 20 minutes I thought I was watching the best movie ever made - then the rest of the film was good - then the last 20 minutes I thought I was watching the worst movie ever made. To each his own!

[MegoMark71]

I have no desire to see this film. Nothing about it makes me want to go. I'm still wondering who thought it would be okay to greenlight this movie's budget. Even a hugely anticipated blockbuster would have trouble making money.

[mego73]

When I saw The Abyss in the theater, for the first 20 minutes I thought I was watching the best movie ever made - then the rest of the film was good - then the last 20 minutes I thought I was watching the worst movie ever made. To each his own!

Did you ever see the extended version which restored the on the brink of World War 3 subplot?

[mego73]

It will turn off people if it's too apparent in the finished movie, it might not be in the final version.

It will be interesting to see.

I haven't read anything about it. But, I have heard some about it. I thought this was motion capture, not CGI. Or, is it a combo. I heard the visuals, especially motion capture, is a lot better than the motion capture in films like Polar Express and A Christmas Carol. As for the movie itself, what I heard (and gathered from the tons and tons of trailers I've seen on TV), is this movie is very preachy.

Also, as someone mentioned, very anti-military. I got the impression it was a sci-fi Dances with Wolves, granted I really like Dances with Wolves. And, from the preachy standpoint, it is another "we are taking the resources from others"...ie oil, land, etc. We are destroying our planet, global warming, etc., a la Day the Earth Stood Still, Day After Tomorrow, etc.

And, this is where I think the movie may ultimately fail. For such a HUGE, OVER THE TOP BUDGET, if this movie is laced with political preaching, you are going to alienate a large portion of the population. It will be interesting to see the box office numbers. Likewise, it will be more interesting to see the numbers after the 1st week when all the word of mouth gets out. If I had to guess, it would be like 2012. Huge opening week, then start dropping big time. I'll probably wait til it hits Red Box, like I do most movies anymore...with a few exceptions.

[Brazoo]

Did you ever see the extended version which restored the on the brink of World War 3 subplot?

People have explained what happens in that version to me - I liked it when we saw hints of the sea-alien creatures and their powers, but the minute we clearly see them and everything they can do it kills the imaginative aspect for me.

It may very well just be a personal thing with me. I loved "Signs" right up till the aliens showed up at the end. I also far prefer the original cut of "Close Encounters of the Third Kind", the one that doesn't end with the redone shots inside the ship.