As reported earlier, the Phillips Clan Taipei Branch went to AVATAR (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0499549/) on Saturday after Kaye finished her music composition class.
While Taiwan has seen a ton of new screens for the 3D showing, we went to the same theatre we often go to for digital 3D, the Real 3D system, not IMAX (Imax honestly has way too much ghosting in Taipei while the digital 3D system has a much more pleasing setup and flexibility of viewing angle with its circular polarization system).
The movie was the complete opposite of suck. Yes, the story was predictable, James Cameron deals with archetypes and mythic structure. However, the execution was excellent. Then again, I am a sucker and a half for certain cinematic memes, yes, I did have tears well up when the animals joined in on the battle and it is apparent that Pandora's Gaia spirit had answered Jake's prayer. Like I said, I'm a sucker for such things.
The 3D kicked ass. I definately recommend that folks see this one in 3D and NOT in the flatness of 2D in a non-stereoscopic theatre. Seriously, do yourself a favor.
My daughter Kaye sat on the edge of her seat the entire time and even edged further forward whenever the dragons and dragonriding was shown.
As we watched the film, I could not but wonder if this truly does represent the turning point when 3D becomes both acceptable and technologically accessible to the masses. Folks like me have been shooting 3D film, video, and photos for years but the mass audience has never really had the imagination captured by the whole thing . . . but watching James Cameron's Avatar is like watching the future of entertainment media. Certainly, it has ushered in a LOT more screens and there are a ton of 3D home entertainment products set to be released in 2010. Koolness is almost upon us.
The film on the whole is NOTHING like what this particular rant says . . . http://www.movieguide.org/box-office/7/10075/avatar . . . while the humans are portrayed as the imperialist resource plunderers, the film is not advocating the death of all humans nor does it suggest that non-Christian pagan religions are valid (the Pandoran Gaia is not actually a supernatural being, it is a biological one and therefore is not in competition with human imaginary skyfathers). Nor does the film depict bestiality as the review claims (although, some would consider consensual sex with an alien species as bestiality so I'll leave that one for you to decide upon – no it is not explicit nor is it even portrayed as particularly sexual, the focus on that relationship is romantic and is portrayed as such).
Do yourself a favor, see this film in the theatre and see it in 3D.
All the best,
Brian
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Brian David Phillips, PhD, CH [brian@briandavidphillips.com]
Hypnotist, Hypnotherapist, Intuitionist, Trance Wizard
President, Society of Experiential Trance
Associate Professor, NCCU, Taipei, Taiwan
