Thursday, January 7, 2010

Avatar: 3 Thumbs Up

Take one thumb away for the usual Cameron-esque clunky dialogue. Take another thumb away for the plot recycled from Pocahantas and Dances With Wolves. Take another thumb for the non-dimensional characters. You now have less than zero thumbs. Luckily, you can add a thumb for the unbelievable visuals. And another thumb for the unbelievable visuals. And another for the unbelievable visuals. And one more for 3-D used in an intelligent, nuanced way that's immersive rather than assaultive. 'Jawdropping' is a movie-review cliche, but my jaw literally dropped for much of 'Avatar'. It's a must-see.

4 comments:

Patrick Scullin said...

I agree completely, but listen, you bastard-- it's like you're one-upping my review that I'm working on right now. I'm going through with it anyway.

I do think you need an abacus to count your thumbs. Your thumb count is off.

Great review.

G.D. said...

You're the second person to comment on this, Pat. My good friend, the master producer Tom Keramidas, said the same thing. But I suggest you, Tom and all other confused readers peruse it again. Start with two thumbs. Take three away. Add three back in for the amazing visuals. Then the extra bonus thumb for 3-D. That takes you to four. It's a complicated endeavor but rewarding in the end, much like Homer's 'The Odyssey' or hooking up a new flat-screen TV.

Patrick Scullin said...

Gary, I as many a nun in Ohio could attest, I sucked at math. And especially story problems.

Thanks for the lesson. I'm still confused...
http://www.thelintscreen.com

Anonymous said...

I agree with Edwina