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JohnInNJ 09/11/2010 1:45:00 AM
I enjoy movies where I can identify with someone, anyone, on screen. Such was not the case with "Avatar". The characters on both sides of the fence are extraordinarily cliched - I've seen them all in "B" westerns from the 1930's to the latest "Star Trek". I felt that everyone in the audience knew what was going to happen, they just wanted to see HOW it was going to happen, the special effects. Its as if Cameron wanted everyone to see his heart is in the right place and damn the writing and plot. For a 3-D movie, its inner vision is very 2-D.
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Don Simpson 03/06/2010 5:09:00 PM
Why has it taken me this long to find someone else who found fault with this movie? To be honest, I walked out knowing that not only did I just see a remake of Pocohantas, but one that was probably written from the Indian point of view not the white-mans.
(did anyone else notice, that, not only are they purer than we are, but they are even bigger than us)
Two fun games I made up to watch this movie with.
1. If you're astute, you can actually figure out, which Native American tribe he is talking about. (There are more than enough clues)
2. If you just want to have fun. Count the number of humans are there from non-European decent.
Unfortunately, (not as obvious as Star Wars Ep.1) the movie was left well enough open for sequels, and prequels.
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JohnR22 02/25/2010 9:38:00 PM
Great review! I wouldn't be so sure about that Nobel Prize...I put the odds at 50/50. Of course, if Cameron had wedged in some references to Anthropogenic Global Warming he would be a shoo-in for a Nobel (aka The Crackerjack of Prizes).
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Andrew 02/07/2010 1:58:00 AM
Well I thought after you guys gave Terminator 3 a free pass that the Village Voice was done for. Avatar is a childish version of Dances With Wolves, only with one-dimensional characters and dialogue which literally could have been cut and pasted out of a stack of marvel comic books. And was I the only one who wasn't impressed with the visuals? "Oh boy that blue fairy thing really does look like Sigornia Weaver!" "Dude! It's like some kind of dragon but it's also like a dog!!" BOOOR-ING.
Cynical? Blow it out your @ss! I thought "Up" was great movie and it's for children. We can all think of plenty of thoroughly entertaining movies with virtually no sophistication to the story line that range from good to fantastic. One of my favorite movies of all time is Point Break, which also follows the basic Dances With Wolves blueprint. By the way, remember when Keanu's girlfriend finds out he's a double agent? when It's the morning after they had sex for the first time? and she feels all betrayed and screams and yells at him.. and they eventually make up ect ect...
Avatar is a high-end piece of masturbation that should impress anyone who's never played a video game... But it's better than Paranormal Activity.
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larry 02/05/2010 11:34:00 PM
Never trust any reviews from The Village Voice. They do not do justice to film reviews. All their reviews pontificate negative spins and whirling dervishes. People who review movies on The Village Voice would even tear the Original Star Wars to shreds.
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mesimpson 01/27/2010 11:10:00 PM
I was disappointed with the lack of diversity in na’vi physical form. As if viewers might otherwise not be able to discern who the good guys are, the na’vi had to be made completely and uniformly physically perfect. As I recall, someone else once tried to follow that concept to a less than desirable end.
Are there really no fat, wide-hipped, short-legged, curly haired, gap-toothed, pigeon-toed, bridge-nosed, or mentally handicapped, na’vi? Do they ever come in different shades of blue or different colors? God help one of them who is born with a skin pigment disorder and turns out white.
If these individual anomalies do occur in na’vi civilization, what happens to them? Are they killed at birth? Is there a special place on Pandora we haven’t seen yet where they’re honorably sacrificed to Mother Eywa?
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Figured 01/26/2010 8:26:00 PM
You look forward to hearing from Limbaugh-Hannity? That explains your entire review.
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JM 01/26/2010 8:13:00 PM
"Let no one call so spectacular an instance of political correctness run amok 'entertaining.'" Then let me be the first. This movie/story *is* thoroughly entertaining even if the story is linear and formula. To those who see racism, political agendas, or cultural indictments, the next time you go to the movies, try to check your personal baggage at the door. You'll probably enjoy the show more.
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george benwell 01/21/2010 11:58:00 PM
As one of the irredemable bad guys (white, logger, male, property owner and human) I took a bit of offence at this naive oversimplified retelling of "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee". If stone age culture is such a joy why do societies exposed to modern developments choose technology 87 times out of 89 (approximate). I suppose if we could jack in to the Gaia consciousness by inserting our pinkies in a knothole we might be seduced by the wonders of subsistence hunter gathering, shaman medical care and drafty wigwams (or trees). Its marvelous to me that an ultra-rich hollywood hack could make a film that celebrates no technology by using uber technology and while demonizing corporate greed put a handsome paycheck in his already bulging pocket. There is more rascim in Avatar than in Mr. Hobermans review and it is predictable and boring as well. Oh, and by the way I am the proud beneficiary of Cree, Sekani and Iroquois heritage.
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barry kravette 01/03/2010 11:17:00 PM
what is it that bothers you hobermann, is it the money spent? or the connection to corporate americas rape of our planet. Which you fail to mention even once.your review was so bad it was worse than second rate.what film made for 1.65 do you like better? this film is a well told story of where our world is headed led by american greed.another thing, these were not american soldiers they were corporate blackwater private armies.Your sense of observation is as bad as your reporting. Please join the right wingers at fox
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Ilona 01/03/2010 6:34:00 PM
I thought I was the only one who hated this movie. I'll steal the line "good bad review", you nailed it.
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01/02/2010 9:01:00 PM
To clarify: a few ex-Marines among an army does not an American soldiery make, especially in 2154.
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01/02/2010 8:56:00 PM
Total projection in calling the mercenaries American. Maybe I missed the flags on their sleeves. It's a Hollywood film - would you have preferred the evil humans to have been all Arabs or Chinese? Anyway Worthington does a really bad job of covering up his Aussie accent.
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Jeff 12/31/2009 8:31:00 PM
Just saw it. You state in your review, "Worse, the viewer is encouraged to cheer when uniformed American soldiers are blown out of the sky..." Those weren't American soldiers in battle with the Na'vi, those were corporate-employed mercenaries.
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Dave 12/27/2009 12:52:00 AM
I was startled and put off by how cliched every single aspect of the writing was in this movie. Could it be that the entire thing was done by computer, screenplay included?
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Marcus Aurelius 12/24/2009 10:02:00 AM
How dare Cameron imply that Americans are anything but decent god-fearing honest businessmen. Pish! The very idea.
p.s. as the Navajo said to the extraterrestrials: "Watch out-- these people will steal your land."
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thegecko 12/24/2009 3:32:00 AM
You know, there were plenty of political figures, governments, and fictional entities embodying military action over diplomacy before the Bush administration came around. But you, like many critics, what to suggest that Bush invented such attitudes and now... anyone one else who implements them in a plot, is ripping off our former president? Comical...
FX and story aside, I think you and many other critics are overlooking one of the key reasons why this film is ground-breaking... and that has to do with it's affect on the Sci-Fi genre http://hubpages.com/hub/Avatar-Review
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gandhi 12/22/2009 11:18:00 AM
Ahhh, the review of a spiritual coward. Beyond the superficial things you attack in the film, the deeper main messages are exceedingly simple: do the right thing; be honorable and choose morality over money, whatever the cost, most especially personally. See the choice, make the choice. The film pointedly distills the story down to this choice. Yes, it is idealistic in the extreme, and I happen to prefer seeing the occasional brash effort placing this question into the minds of our younger audience, since they are the future, and yet are rarely asked.
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Equalnox 12/21/2009 12:10:00 AM
In your review, you refer to the racial slur used in the movie and make it your own in the following quotes from your review
"...you know that it's time for him to go native, complete with tender blue-monkey sex"
and
"Avatar itself doesn't reawaken until the bang-up final battle�aerial cavalry incinerating holy sites and bombing the bejesus out of the blue-monkey redskin slopes..."
I'm aware that the Na'vi are a fictious race, however, this makes me wonder how you refer to HUMAN minorities when they're not in the same room as you are.
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Jason Pomar 12/20/2009 1:16:00 PM
Preach on, brotha, for you speak the truth! I'm glad you felt the "Dances With Wolves" thread too. Cameron started with (what I consider to be) a good, original concept and just took a dump on it with 2-dimensional cliches of characters, stiff dialogue, and a predictable plot. What a shame. The visual spectacle (esp the acid trip low-light colors) was tremendous, and this is certainly the most seamless CGI I've ever seen - but I could never get past all the fluff in every other department (and what was up with that cheesed-out Lion King soundtrack?!?) Why, really, do extra-terrestrials just happen to function (personally, culturally etc.) just like Native American stereotypes? Our soldier-cum-alien hero engaged his new world with such nonchalance, as if Pandora were more like the Amazon than a mysterious, dangerous, far-off planet. And that speech Jake gives just before the big end-battle - and the "mountain stronghold" stuff - anyone else smell Lord of the Rings? I just hate that they had something with so much potential that simply ran aground in all but its visual mechanics... I haven't felt motivated to complain about a movie since the last thing labeled "Indiana Jones" (another one that avoided huge critical backlash by way of sheer goodwill at the undertaking itself, and for my own personal sanity I still say there are only three Indy flicks-) but because this ostensibly had so much to offer and yet left me feeling nothing, I can't help but pipe up. Folks, don't dismiss this dissension as "jaded" or "cynical" - because at the end of the day we're just calling a spade a spade.
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Richard 12/18/2009 10:56:00 PM
Thank you so much for telling the truth about this juvenile, hateful film. Nice to know there is someone willing to point out the emperor's (Cameron's) lack of clothes. So many of the other critics seem to have drunk the kool-aid. It's really scary. And what's going on with the other commentors? My guess is they're the same crowd who were rooting for "The Dark Knight" to win best picture last year. Sigh. Keep up the good work. You are a lighthouse in a world of darkness.
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DarkElfa 12/18/2009 9:26:00 PM
You are a jilted, cynical and racially insensitive man. thanks for making your opinion unimportant in the future.
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David Ehrenstein 12/18/2009 7:09:00 PM
You nailed it, Jim. The only thing missing is Celine Dion singing "Am I Blue?" over the end credits.
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pathik khatwani 12/18/2009 1:05:00 AM
Dear Sir,
You have absolutely no respect for Imagination.
What a cynic u r !!
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Steven 12/17/2009 1:39:00 AM
Just came from the press screening.
Wild applause...
Ohhh,girl sounds like your inner bitch beat out the fierce film critic.
Could it be that you wish you were King Cameron's queen??
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Rafael 12/16/2009 5:14:00 AM
Good bad review of the movie, This movie is going to be awesome so far 85% fresh in the rottentomatoes page.
