James Cameron's 'Avatar' - The next gen of cinema

i went to see the 3d version today in star city birmingham... WOW is all i can say and its perfectly true 80% action film and its virtually all completely new (nothing you can really link to anything exactly)

Well done to Cameron he deserves his pay packet on this one!
 
Yes, just saw it earlier today (Uxbridge odeon). Also the first 3D film I have seen. I am blown away. One of the most beautiful films I have ever had the pleasure of watching. :D
 
My hope is there will be an extended directors cut on the way for DVD/BluRay, which will add a lot more time to this film... I'd like to spend more time learning about Pandora, and also getting some more depth out of the characters...
 
Chris1712 said:
Personally, I'd go to the best cinema near you. Digital with the biggest scope presentation you can find, I personally prefer 2.35:1 by miles and this film certainly benefits from it. I assume at the imax presentations it was cropped to 1.85:1/1.78:1?
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Everything I've heard points to the film being shot in 1.78:1 then cropped to 2.35 for the 2D and RealD release. Agreed that you should go to the best cinema near you though: The film's great but if you've already got a decent cinema nearby it's probably not worth travelling 1hr+ to see in IMAX.

For Avatar we’re shooting in a 16:9 ratio, we’re extracting a cinemascope ratio from that for 2D theatrical exhibition, and for 3D theatrical exhibition we will do, in the theaters that can, we’ll be in the 16:9 format and the theaters that can’t we’ll be in the scope format.
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http://www.slashfilm.com/2009/05/31/3d-avatar-vs-2d-avatar-and-the-importance-of-aspect-ratios/
 
Glad to see people are enjoying it. :)

I know a million people will have asked this, but is it worth an hour and a half trip to watch it at IMAX, or will Odeon 3D do it justice?

sean said:
Agreed that you should go to the best cinema near you though: The film's great but if you've already got a decent cinema nearby it's probably not worth travelling 1hr+ to see in IMAX.
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Thank you! :D
 
sean said:
Everything I've heard points to the film being shot in 1.78:1 then cropped to 2.35 for the 2D and RealD release. Agreed that you should go to the best cinema near you though: The film's great but if you've already got a decent cinema nearby it's probably not worth travelling 1hr+ to see in IMAX.


http://www.slashfilm.com/2009/05/31/3d-avatar-vs-2d-avatar-and-the-importance-of-aspect-ratios/
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Yeah I read this before seeing, but I really don't believe it tbh! If it really was cropped from 1.78:1 then the extra frame must be mostly background, because it certainly felt brilliantly framed.

Regardless I prefer scope, its bigger in normal CIH cinemas :p.
 
naffa said:
Glad to see people are enjoying it. :)

I know a million people will have asked this, but is it worth an hour and a half trip to watch it at IMAX, or will Odeon 3D do it justice?

Thank you! :D
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To a London-sized one, probably (I travelled an hour and it was absolutely worth it) but probably not for a smaller IMAX.
 
Chris1712 said:
Yeah I read this before seeing, but I really don't believe it tbh! If it really was cropped from 1.78:1 then the extra frame must be mostly background, because it certainly felt brilliantly framed.
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I can't really argue with that because I've only seen the IMAX release and it was absolutely spot on. Though it was my first 3D movie so I guess I'll have to go see it in 2.35:1, for comparisons sake. ;)

Incidentally, the 3D Blu Ray specification has been finalised. It'll be supported by the PS3, it'll use IR shutter glasses (a la nVidia 3D Vision) but we'll all need new tellys. Wonder if it'll work with a 120Hz 3D LCD?
 
sean said:
I can't really argue with that because I've only seen the IMAX release and it was absolutely spot on. Though it was my first 3D movie so I guess I'll have to go see it in 2.35:1, for comparisons sake. ;)

Incidentally, the 3D Blu Ray specification has been finalised. It'll be supported by the PS3, it'll use IR shutter glasses (a la nVidia 3D Vision) but we'll all need new tellys. Wonder if it'll work with a 120Hz 3D LCD?
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On my viewing, I found the 3D in effect to appear slightly blurred, and fast moving action to be all the more choppy. I'd be interested to watch it again in 2D to see if there's more clarity at the expense of the 3D effect...
 
NeilFawcett said:
On my viewing, I found the 3D in effect to appear slightly blurred, and fast moving action to be all the more choppy. I'd be interested to watch it again in 2D to see if there's more clarity at the expense of the 3D effect...
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Just out of curiosity, where abouts in the cinema were you seated? As this is our first 3D IMAX experience I convinced everyone to sit as near to the middle, about 2/3rds of the way back. I figure this is the best way to experience the 3D effect?

Seft said:
To a London-sized one, probably (I travelled an hour and it was absolutely worth it) but probably not for a smaller IMAX.
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I should probably qualify my opinion with this: If you've got access to a truly huge IMAX screen with the proper sound setup then go for it. If you're travelling to a retrofitted IMAX with a marginally larger screen then not so much.
 
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Just got back from seeing it. Firstly the picture was amazing, the 3d was just stunning at times, everything about it was beautiful.

The film itself was amazing. I haven't been that impressed with a movie for a very long time... in fact, I can't remember the last time, probably since I was a kid.

I'm not going to say it was the best movie ever, it wasn't, it had its flaws. My biggest gripe was the sheer length. For a very brief moment during the middle of the movie, (before the big things start to happen) I realized my back was aching a little bit, I found myself wondering what time it was and how long was left, but that was only briefly. There are other small faults that I cant really describe without spoiling the movie.

I was surprised to find myself completely forgetting that I was watching a computer animated world for much of the movie. This is something that's NEVER happened to me in all modern movies I've watched, I've always known I was watching a computer and it was one of the biggest doubts I had before going in to see it. This movie alone demonstrates just how well computers can be integrated into movies and sets a standard that others should try to follow. Its not about how many pixels you can fit and shade together, its about how its delivered, and this is why James Cameron is one of my favorite directors.

Overall I'd give it a 9.5/10. It was predictable at times and the "theme" of the movie has been done before. It had some cheesy moments and occasional awkward script (especially the beginning,) however! It was almost perfectly put together and was an epic adventure that really makes you realize just what a movie can do. It wraps its hands around your emotions and brings you along for an amazing journey that at times makes you want to escape to its world. Its restored my faith in movies.

"The chiefs daughter was fit" I overheard on my way out :p

Highly recommended if you can see it in 3d :) I can most definitely see myself buying it when released on Bluray.
 
Chimerical said:
I wonder how many people will be buying 3DTV's and 3D Blu-Ray players to watch this on when it comes out on home release.
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Too be honest I doubt 3d tech will make it outside of cinema. Unless the technology is built into new TVs and doesn't effect the cost, then I seriously doubt it'll catch on.

Personally I'd like 3d tech to remain a cinema only feature, otherwise I can't see myself, or many others ever going to the cinema.

Raymond Lin said:
I wear glasses....how am i going to wear another pair on top of it ? lol
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They're really big, they should fit over your normal ones comfortably.
 
eggyoke said:
Too be honest I doubt 3d tech will make it outside of cinema. Unless the technology is built into new TVs and doesn't effect the cost, then I seriously doubt it'll catch on.
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It is supposedly, Avatar is going to be used as the flagship for getting the technology into people's homes (which is rolling out in 2010). I mean, there are 3D PC Monitors already and Sky can already broadcast it or something.

Its going to be expensive initially of course but whether it catches on is another matter.
 
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