This is the season for movies it seems. I’m not much of a movie goer having been very restricted by post-divorce financial realities until just recently. I prefer to read books over watching TV, so dying to see the next new movie release is just something I don’t do. This holiday season, however, there are several movies I am dying to see. In fact, there are no less than five. That’s a lot of ticket fees and popcorn costs!.
One of them, the recent release, Avatar, is getting quite a bit of press. I’m not much of a sci-fi fan but this one looked interesting to me because of my interest and involvement in the internet, blogging and social networking. The story is completely different than what I thought it was going to be based on the trailer I saw. I predicted it would be something more like Star Wars meets You’ve Got Mail, where two people in a virtual world get to know each other and fall in love in that virtual world and then end up falling in love in real life somehow. That’s NOT what Avatar is about. I still thought Avatar was a great story line though not hugely original (something more like Dances With Cats, really) but very entertaining even so.
Over at Yahoo, the movie is getting some press about the hidden messages it contains. Excuse me, but the messages contained in this movie are nowhere near hidden. In fact, they are obvious and blatant to the point of discomforting. Subtle is not a word that fits the description of the overt and almost obnoxious messages that are contained in this film. You can click on over to Yahoo’s Holiday Movie Guide to read the analysis. I won’t bore you by replicating it here. I agree with it for the most part. Enough said.
I still think the movie is well worth seeing.
In spite of the messages that come close to detracting from a good fun story, the video is one that I will see, all told three times by the time this holiday season is over. It is a movie worth seeing and enjoying just for the sheer creativity and technology involved. The creation of the world, Pandora, is over the top detailed and beautiful. The flight sequences, battle scenes and the creatures combine to deliver an experience that saturates the senses with color, motion, sound and adrenaline. One can’t help but sit back in awe and wonder at the creative brilliance behind the work.
Even if you aren’t into sci-fi, I’d encourage you to go along just for the ride. See it in 3D if you can. It will be a wonderfully entertaining experience that won’t leave you having to wrestle too deeply with complex ideological undertones. If you can get past the overt political and social messages, Avatar is a movie that is just good, creative fun.
The Wild Mind 