Twentieth Century Fox told people who went to watch the long-awaited Avatar they had to wait until Monday to publish their thoughts. Well, that didn't work so well, but it doesn't look like the studio has anything to worry about as Twitter quickly lit up with positive buzz. "I can't find anyone who seriously says Avatar stinks up the joint," writes Nikki Finke. "Instead, many are quite effusive in their praise and think it's kickass spectacular." Sure, no one is going out on a limb and saying that it will make as much money as Titanic, but it's at least not as bad as half of Hollywood feared. The Hollywood Reporter writes a gushing review calling director James Cameron "king of the world" and saying that despite the movie's 161 minutes, it "flies by in a rush." The London Times gives the movie four stars out of five, calling it "an overwhelming, immersive spectacle." While it recognizes that Cameron's 3D world might be a bit "tacky" at times and "takes a little getting used to," it's mostly "a place of wonder full of exotically freakish animal composites" and Cameron even manages to add "a thought-provoking political dimension to the story." The Guardian, in a cheeky nonreview, agrees it will be easy for cynics to "sneer at the plot" because the story is "cheesy in many places" but the film still "looked amazing" and "the story was gripping." Cameron said that if all goes well, he already has a "story worked out for a second film and a third film."
December 11, 2009 8:36 AM
[Image] From variety, The King of the World sets his sights on creating another world entirely in "Avatar," and it's very much a place worth visiting. The most expensive and technically ambitious film ever made, James Cameron's long-gestating epic pitting Earthly despoilers against a forest-dwelling alien race delivers unique spectacle, breathtaking sights, narrative excitement and an overarching anti-imperialist, back-to-nature theme that will play very well around the world, and yet is rather ironic coming from such a technology-driven picture. Twelve years after "Titanic," which still stands as the all-time B.O. champ, Cameron delivers again with a film of universal appeal that just about everyone who ever goes to the movies will need to see.
Read the full Variety review here
From Hollywoodreporter, A dozen years later, James Cameron has proven his point: He is king of the world.
As commander-in-chief of an army of visual-effects technicians, creature designers, motion-capture mavens, stunt performers, dancers, actors and music and sound magicians, he brings science-fiction movies into the 21st century with the jaw-dropping wonder that is "Avatar." And he did it almost from scratch.
There is no underlying novel or myth to generate his story. He certainly draws deeply on Westerns, going back to "The Vanishing American" and, in particular, "Dances With Wolves." And the American tragedy in Vietnam informs much of his story. But then all great stories build on the past
"The AVATAR reviews begin rolling in..."
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From Slate:
Not Hating "Avatar" Is the New Black
Twentieth Century Fox told people who went to watch the long-awaited Avatar they had to wait until Monday to publish their thoughts. Well, that didn't work so well, but it doesn't look like the studio has anything to worry about as Twitter quickly lit up with positive buzz. "I can't find anyone who seriously says Avatar stinks up the joint," writes Nikki Finke. "Instead, many are quite effusive in their praise and think it's kickass spectacular." Sure, no one is going out on a limb and saying that it will make as much money as Titanic, but it's at least not as bad as half of Hollywood feared. The Hollywood Reporter writes a gushing review calling director James Cameron "king of the world" and saying that despite the movie's 161 minutes, it "flies by in a rush." The London Times gives the movie four stars out of five, calling it "an overwhelming, immersive spectacle." While it recognizes that Cameron's 3D world might be a bit "tacky" at times and "takes a little getting used to," it's mostly "a place of wonder full of exotically freakish animal composites" and Cameron even manages to add "a thought-provoking political dimension to the story." The Guardian, in a cheeky nonreview, agrees it will be easy for cynics to "sneer at the plot" because the story is "cheesy in many places" but the film still "looked amazing" and "the story was gripping." Cameron said that if all goes well, he already has a "story worked out for a second film and a third film."
December 11, 2009 8:36 AM