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[J_Beck]

Why no thread yet???

I went with one of my friends who does a lot of 3D work and saw it again this time on a bigger screen (for 6 bucks in 3D which was nice) and the level of detail is just crazy. I actually didn't remember it being so detailed, the faces while not human had amazing skin texture with blemishes etc. and when the tears rolling down the face/how the dissipated. One nice trick they did was using cat eyes since we notice quickly if the eye isn't right since even in the best renders they still look pretty glassy. Using this different type it wasn't as big of an issue and looks like they are improving.

Then there was the environment, the mist alone was shocking in how realistic it looked. All the texturing is a step above most things I have seen then there are all the particle effects with tons of different ones going on in one scene plus smoke, I am scared to see the render farm/time this required. Once these types of effects become mainstream it will be crazy.

But the downside and the reason I got out of 3D is if you were designing this you did a tiny tiny part, just like designing a modern car this sort of thing requires a whole team just for specific effects. When I started it wasn't this crazy yet and would create models and or animations in mountain dew fueled nights....that sort of thing just doesn't cut it anymore, I like being able to take a photo and have a finished product in a few hours.

As a comparison they have Star Wars Episode 2 on and the 3D worlds look like a joke, they are modeled decently but pretty featureless, and no where near the amount of particle effects.

Hell the ones in Avatar make Wall-E look simple, 3D orgasm happens teeheeeheeeheee!

[colordeaf]

I saw it. I want to write a blog comparing the message with Pan's Labyrinth (not a bad movie at all, mind you) but I'm feeling bummed because someone on my livejournal list thinks the plot is crap and that it looks like Delgo, which is entirely untrue D:

I recommend this movie, definitely. I even dressed up my Subeta human avatar (virtual dress up doll to you) as a blue-skinned alien.

[tw2113]

If they ever make a movie out of the video game series Metroid, I want it to look like avatar if not better

[colordeaf]

Also, Blue Lips by Regina Spektor has some apt language regarding the themes of Avatar, doesn't it?

[l i s a]

i saw it with my nan, it was a bit lengthy, but i loved it!

[my beautiful idiot]

I saw it about a week ago, and at the end, everyone cheered. I've never been to a movie where everyone broke out into applause at the end, but then again Avatar is a fairly epic piece of work.

Overall, I thought it was good. It was lengthy but the story was solid and the characters were interesting.

[Morpheus Laughing]

I haven’t seen it.

I’ve never been fond of films where both cgi and human characters are used.

Having said that, I might watch it if someone can convince me that the story is something special.

[my beautiful idiot]

A lot of people have compared it to Dances With Wolves, but I guess that depends on how much you read into it.

I mean, it's a good story. It's a guy that decides to do what's right and save the "enemy" instead of doing what the "good guys" want, more or less. But I wouldn't say there's anything vastly unique about it.

[CeeGBee]

A lot of people have compared it to Dances With Wolves, but I guess that depends on how much you read into it.

I mean, it's a good story. It's a guy that decides to do what's right and save the "enemy" instead of doing what the "good guys" want, more or less. But I wouldn't say there's anything vastly unique about it.

I think it would be closer to say: What if the enemy are the good guys?     Hmmm... moral dilemma.

[embitteredatheist]

It's actually closest to FernGully, in my opinion. 

[matt james]

Yeah, it was bloody brilliant. I didn't see it in 3D, but it still blew my mind.
I wasn't 100% satisfied with some elements of the storyline, but everything else blew me away. Definitely one of my all-time fav movies.

[J_Beck]

I haven’t seen it.

I’ve never been fond of films where both cgi and human characters are used.

Having said that, I might watch it if someone can convince me that the story is something special.

This is not Jar Jar Binks, go see it

Seriously the level of detail on the faces plus the fact that the facial movements are mostly motion capture not animated really take a lot of that 3D character stereotype out of it.

[buttercup.]

I'm torn.

I really don't want to see it.

But I feel like I should. As a nerd and avid nerdy-movie-watcher.

Last time I had this feeling, it was about district 9. So, this is why I'm very very very very skeptical about Avatar.

[J_Beck]

I'm torn.

I really don't want to see it.

But I feel like I should. As a nerd and avid nerdy-movie-watcher.

Last time I had this feeling, it was about district 9. So, this is why I'm very very very very skeptical about Avatar.

The studio should start writing me commission checks 

But District 9 was an alright movie, I have seen a lot worse this year and for 5 bucks (Tuesdays in Lowell) it was worth it.  Would I watch it again?  Yes on HBO etc. but it is not a major movie in my opinion.

Avatar I have seen twice and would again if anyone else asked me to go, the 3D world just looks amazing.  I don't see movies multiple times and there is just so much in the world and all the technical aspects.  This movie will drive me to get a blue ray player which I have been putting off.

[Morpheus Laughing]

Thanks to everyone who mentioned plot comparisons

I haven’t seen it.

I’ve never been fond of films where both cgi and human characters are used.

Having said that, I might watch it if someone can convince me that the story is something special.

This is not Jar Jar Binks, go see it

Seriously the level of detail on the faces plus the fact that the facial movements are mostly motion capture not animated really take a lot of that 3D character stereotype out of it.

I suppose the detail could win me over but I've seen footage and it has the combination problem that bothers me. i.e. CGI and human elements. CGI on it's own doesn't bother me (or even if it's used discretely in a production) but the subtle differences between the psychics of CGI and the real world have a kind of jarring quality that messes with my suspension of disbelief.

[J_Beck]

Thanks to everyone who mentioned plot comparisons

I haven’t seen it.

I’ve never been fond of films where both cgi and human characters are used.

Having said that, I might watch it if someone can convince me that the story is something special.

There are actually very few scenes with direct interaction between them, it's mostly all humans or all CGI characters.

This is not Jar Jar Binks, go see it

Seriously the level of detail on the faces plus the fact that the facial movements are mostly motion capture not animated really take a lot of that 3D character stereotype out of it.

I suppose the detail could win me over but I've seen footage and it has the combination problem that bothers me. i.e. CGI and human elements. CGI on it's own doesn't bother me (or even if it's used discretely in a production) but the subtle differences between the psychics of CGI and the real world have a kind of jarring quality that messes with my suspension of disbelief.

[Morpheus Laughing]

I went to see Avatar (3d) and it wasn't actually that bad. The CGI elements didn’t bother me enough to ruin it. Fantasy action films aren't really my thing but I’d sooner see something like Avatar over the majority of blockbuster films I’ve being asked to see in the last 5 years or so. About half an hour of the film was a little tedious because epic battles don’t really engage me but the rest was much better than the average fantasy film. 

Oh and - The detail was impressive.

[Tiervexx]

I went to see Avatar (3d) and it wasn't actually that bad. The CGI elements didn’t bother me enough to ruin it. Fantasy action films aren't really my thing but I’d sooner see something like Avatar over the majority of blockbuster films I’ve being asked to see in the last 5 years or so. About half an hour of the film was a little tedious because epic battles don’t really engage me but the rest was much better than the average fantasy film. 

Oh and - The detail was impressive.

yeah, the detail was so high that the CGI did not clash with the real footage at all.  It all simply looked real.

[Morpheus Laughing]

I went to see Avatar (3d) and it wasn't actually that bad. The CGI elements didn’t bother me enough to ruin it. Fantasy action films aren't really my thing but I’d sooner see something like Avatar over the majority of blockbuster films I’ve being asked to see in the last 5 years or so. About half an hour of the film was a little tedious because epic battles don’t really engage me but the rest was much better than the average fantasy film. 

Oh and - The detail was impressive.

yeah, the detail was so high that the CGI did not clash with the real footage at all.  It all simply looked real.

The trailers show-up the physics more so than the film. It could be the detail but it might also be about the juxtaposition of clips in the trailer. There were bits of CGI that will probably date faster than others but it didn’t bother me anything like as much as I thought it might - It was even possible for me to feel quite a bit of empathy due to the facial expressions and body language, which is not something I normally get from human-like CGI characters. 

[Tomatoes and Radiowire]

pocahontas.

[The Angel Raliel]

watched avatar on sunday.... although technically superb it is a shame the story was so simplistic....
anyone else notice how it is basically Dune? (alien planet being the only source of a much needed commodity that is intrinsically linked to the psychic bonds of the planets life.... one of the outsiders becomes one of the alien freedom fighters as predicted in prophecy and who bonds with the planets animal life to destroy the invaders)

[tw2113]

I've heard it compared to Dune, Pocahontas, Fern Gully, and Dances With Wolves

[Tomatoes and Radiowire]

pocahontas.

this

[CeeGBee]

pocahontas.

this

Naw, cuz I'm sure there really are waterfalls and talking forest-creatures on Pandora....

[Agonistes]

pocahontas.

this

Naw, cuz I'm sure there really are waterfalls and talking forest-creatures on Pandora....

not to mention spontaneous and kicky musical numbers.  and let's not forget the preachy ones; cmon, don't you know they paint with all the colors of the wind?

[Tomatoes and Radiowire]

seriously... this is discussion is moot.

it's like saying two porns about a pizza delivery guy are different because "yeah I'm sure that one had HUGE tits, and the guy in this one was totally half latino"



 

OR NO, LIKE SAYING AVATAR AND POCAHONTAS ARE DIFFERENT FUCKING MOVIES BECAUSE ONe DIDN'T HAVE FUCKING SING ALONGS!!!!

[Savannah]

As someone who has read a lot about the story of pocahontas and captain smith,and the discovery of america ; i think the avatar is a more idealized version of that story. You know indian people couldn't survive the war, they even didn't fight they just prayed to their ancestors and wished not to be attacked as far as i know, they were all friendly and patient and tried to talk it over. Maybe because they were hopeless, the immigrants were not as crowded as indians were at first but they were much more ahead of them in terms of technology. Yet the creatures of the pandora planet are not also religious but also they are offensive when they're attacked. They keep fighting and don't meet their fate calmly. Of course there are many differences too.
The movie made me think that we always assume the aliens as more developed and powerful creatures then us. The Avatar looks like a "what if?" movie to me, the planet is not that developed, they don't know any guns but arrows, but i see they're more civilized than the usual people. They don't deserve what they don't deserve, they don't invide they just defend themselves. I think this movie is something that should remind us what is important. To develop and invent a lot, or to stay civilized and don't forget we're all siblings? Doesn't it remind us how ambitious we- all people- are?
I find it utopic. It's something more like getting back to the ancestors to me.

[Agonistes]

seriously... this is discussion is moot.

it's like saying two porns about a pizza delivery guy are different because "yeah I'm sure that one had HUGE tits, and the guy in this one was totally half latino"



 

OR NO, LIKE SAYING AVATAR AND POCAHONTAS ARE DIFFERENT FUCKING MOVIES BECAUSE ONe DIDN'T HAVE FUCKING SING ALONGS!!!!

neither movie had sing-alongs.  pocahates was a musical.  but they're both cartoons, at least avatar is half a cartoon.  and, they're different fucking movies, perhaps with the same exact plot?

[CeeGBee]

seriously... this is discussion is moot.

it's like saying two porns about a pizza delivery guy are different because "yeah I'm sure that one had HUGE tits, and the guy in this one was totally half latino"



 

OR NO, LIKE SAYING AVATAR AND POCAHONTAS ARE DIFFERENT FUCKING MOVIES BECAUSE ONe DIDN'T HAVE FUCKING SING ALONGS!!!!

neither movie had sing-alongs.  pocahates was a musical.  but they're both cartoons, at least avatar is half a cartoon.  and, they're different fucking movies, perhaps with the same exact plot?

But the Disney venture loses points for having an actual historical basis
which it fails utterly to represent....

(Pocahontas probably had tattoos.... and she probably wore a lot less clothing than the Disney version...)

[Agonistes]

seriously... this is discussion is moot.

it's like saying two porns about a pizza delivery guy are different because "yeah I'm sure that one had HUGE tits, and the guy in this one was totally half latino"



 

OR NO, LIKE SAYING AVATAR AND POCAHONTAS ARE DIFFERENT FUCKING MOVIES BECAUSE ONe DIDN'T HAVE FUCKING SING ALONGS!!!!

neither movie had sing-alongs.  pocahates was a musical.  but they're both cartoons, at least avatar is half a cartoon.  and, they're different fucking movies, perhaps with the same exact plot?

But the Disney venture loses points for having an actual historical basis
which it fails utterly to represent....

(Pocahontas probably had tattoos.... and she probably wore a lot less clothing than the Disney version...)

the disney version failed from the beginning for not using a 'fairy tale', in their grand tradition of animated musicals.  making a fairy tale out of actual events does not cut it.  an ex girlfriend of mine was a series of great granddaughter to pocahontas, along with half the country, but she has a photograph that's been handed down to her, which is cool.  no facial tattoos, but the photo's in colonial clothing so it's hard to tell.  she didn't look a lot like the cartoon version, though.

eh, i'm tired of preachy entertainment altogether.

[CeeGBee]

seriously... this is discussion is moot.

it's like saying two porns about a pizza delivery guy are different because "yeah I'm sure that one had HUGE tits, and the guy in this one was totally half latino"



 

OR NO, LIKE SAYING AVATAR AND POCAHONTAS ARE DIFFERENT FUCKING MOVIES BECAUSE ONe DIDN'T HAVE FUCKING SING ALONGS!!!!

neither movie had sing-alongs.  pocahates was a musical.  but they're both cartoons, at least avatar is half a cartoon.  and, they're different fucking movies, perhaps with the same exact plot?

But the Disney venture loses points for having an actual historical basis
which it fails utterly to represent....

(Pocahontas probably had tattoos.... and she probably wore a lot less clothing than the Disney version...)

the disney version failed from the beginning for not using a 'fairy tale', in their grand tradition of animated musicals.  making a fairy tale out of actual events does not cut it.  an ex girlfriend of mine was a series of great granddaughter to pocahontas, along with half the country, but she has a photograph that's been handed down to her, which is cool.  no facial tattoos, but the photo's in colonial clothing so it's hard to tell.  she didn't look a lot like the cartoon version, though.

eh, i'm tired of preachy entertainment altogether.

Alleged to be a photograph (first practical forms: early 1800s) of Matoaka/Pocahontas (d.1617)?

There's only one known image of her "from life": link... but there are a number of modifications of it
floating around that claim to be, despite important changes in her appearance.

[Agonistes]

seriously... this is discussion is moot.

it's like saying two porns about a pizza delivery guy are different because "yeah I'm sure that one had HUGE tits, and the guy in this one was totally half latino"



 

OR NO, LIKE SAYING AVATAR AND POCAHONTAS ARE DIFFERENT FUCKING MOVIES BECAUSE ONe DIDN'T HAVE FUCKING SING ALONGS!!!!

neither movie had sing-alongs.  pocahates was a musical.  but they're both cartoons, at least avatar is half a cartoon.  and, they're different fucking movies, perhaps with the same exact plot?

But the Disney venture loses points for having an actual historical basis
which it fails utterly to represent....

(Pocahontas probably had tattoos.... and she probably wore a lot less clothing than the Disney version...)

the disney version failed from the beginning for not using a 'fairy tale', in their grand tradition of animated musicals.  making a fairy tale out of actual events does not cut it.  an ex girlfriend of mine was a series of great granddaughter to pocahontas, along with half the country, but she has a photograph that's been handed down to her, which is cool.  no facial tattoos, but the photo's in colonial clothing so it's hard to tell.  she didn't look a lot like the cartoon version, though.

eh, i'm tired of preachy entertainment altogether.

Alleged to be a photograph (first practical forms: early 1800s) of Matoaka/Pocahontas (d.1617)?

fuck, i didn't do the research.  it's a daguerreotype, or something.  but it's supposed to be her.  i didn't examine the thing, she keeps it in a box.  anyway someone in her family researched it back, and she has this item that got passed down to her, so either way it's kind of cool.  maybe it's a painting, and i'm retarded, that's a possibility as well.

[CeeGBee]

Pokie's one of our local treasures 'round here, particularly as I used to work at Jamestown....

...but yeah, there's that one engraving, and there's an oil painting based on the engraving,
but with her skin lightened and her facial features softened to appeal to a European audience
(and her ghastly white beaver-fur hat changed to a more fashionable black...)...

Then there's another oil that tries to undo the changes from the first...

...is probably something approximating her actual appearance while she was living in England.

[Savannah]

Pokie's one of our local treasures 'round here, particularly as I used to work at Jamestown....

...but yeah, there's that one engraving, and there's an oil painting based on the engraving,
but with her skin lightened and her facial features softened to appeal to a European audience
(and her ghastly white beaver-fur hat changed to a more fashionable black...)...

Then there's another oil that tries to undo the changes from the first...

...is probably something approximating her actual appearance while she was living in England.

this portrait was featured on one of our lesson papers. and our teacher said that she was not as beautiful as she was pictured at the cartoon actually. people found her weird and looked down on her in england. that's not surprizing, even she was the most beautiful woman of world, she must have looked different to them. just like neytiri does. they're beautiful on their territories, we so called modern people have difficulty to understand them. something about standarts i guess. anyway they're both the characters of romantic stories which impress the ordinary people. i think they have a common point, their stories are a lot more different then the fairytales. fairytales are meant to give children moral messages,especially to the girls. take little red riding hood, it has many metaphors. wolf symbolizes grown men. and if you tell this fairytale to any kid,s/he will understand that it's dangereous to talk to strangers at the end. pocahontas and captain smith's story doesn't  give such messages, besides i think it's more impressive to adults, and so is neytiri and jake's. both of the stories prove that if you really love someone you can give up your religion family nationality etc.

[Tomatoes and Radiowire]

seriously... this is discussion is moot.

it's like saying two porns about a pizza delivery guy are different because "yeah I'm sure that one had HUGE tits, and the guy in this one was totally half latino"



 

OR NO, LIKE SAYING AVATAR AND POCAHONTAS ARE DIFFERENT FUCKING MOVIES BECAUSE ONe DIDN'T HAVE FUCKING SING ALONGS!!!!

neither movie had sing-alongs.  pocahates was a musical.  but they're both cartoons, at least avatar is half a cartoon.  and, they're different fucking movies, perhaps with the same exact plot?

But the Disney venture loses points for having an actual historical basis
which it fails utterly to represent....

(Pocahontas probably had tattoos.... and she probably wore a lot less clothing than the Disney version...)

It's like Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes.
they just borrowed the name.
given I understand that Sherlock was not real, but for that matter who cares if Pocahontas was real. disney changed the story into something entirely different and THAT will be remembered.

[nottheonethatscrazy]

I loved Avatar, but I found this kind of funny:

[spider jerusalem]

The movie made me think that we always assume the aliens as more developed and powerful creatures then us. The Avatar looks like a "what if?" movie to me, the planet is not that developed, they don't know any guns but arrows, but i see they're more civilized than the usual people. They don't deserve what they don't deserve, they don't invide they just defend themselves. I think this movie is something that should remind us what is important. To develop and invent a lot, or to stay civilized and don't forget we're all siblings? Doesn't it remind us how ambitious we- all people- are?
I find it utopic. It's something more like getting back to the ancestors to me.

I really did not think about this. I also don't think this is the first time aliens are treated as less developed than us (maybe on cinema?). or maybe I was the one who imagined that they may not be so evolved. Also, I think is part of the human nature to develop and forget we are siblings and forget civilization - not that I like or agree with it.

however, all this *possible* interpretations of what James Cameron wrote does not make the film look better to me. I really didn not like it. The 3d is really good, though I watched it on 2d. But nothing else. For me, is Pocahontas on Steroids.

James Cameron should go back to his Terminator and Alien times... I'd like to see another not so family-friendly film made by him.