Author Topic: Avatar: The Way of Water  (Read 9160 times)

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Offline Chino

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Re: Avatar: The Way of Water
« Reply #35 on: November 30, 2022, 06:08:59 AM »
We watched the first movie on blu-ray back in the day and all I remember is my wife and I predicting every scene that was about to happen. We both thought it wasn’t a very good movie.

Would seeing it in 3D have changed our minds? Maybe. But the story being so unoriginal was the real disappointment.


Seeing it in Imax 3D was hands down the most fun theater experience I've ever had.

This is where I'm at. I remember starting the first one years ago and remember laughing at how dumb "unobtainium" sounded.

It's a joke for engineers. "Unobtanium" has been used since the 60s by aerospace engineers.

It was also the name of the mystery mineral in the movie The Core.

Offline gmillerdrake

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Re: Avatar: The Way of Water
« Reply #36 on: November 30, 2022, 08:08:38 AM »
Seeing it in Imax 3D was hands down the most fun theater experience I've ever had.

Yeah....I remember how that felt.....especially when the first night in the jungle scene hit!! Movies changes forever after that moment.....
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Offline MetalJunkie

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Re: Avatar: The Way of Water
« Reply #37 on: November 30, 2022, 07:25:30 PM »
This is where I'm at. I remember starting the first one years ago and remember laughing at how dumb "unobtainium" sounded.

It's a joke for engineers. "Unobtanium" has been used since the 60s by aerospace engineers.
I don't think that makes it sound any less silly. To me, it just feels out of place for such a serious movie. It pulled me out of the movie the same way hearing the Wilhelm Scream does, nowadays.
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Online lordxizor

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Re: Avatar: The Way of Water
« Reply #38 on: December 01, 2022, 06:39:42 AM »
This is where I'm at. I remember starting the first one years ago and remember laughing at how dumb "unobtainium" sounded.

It's a joke for engineers. "Unobtanium" has been used since the 60s by aerospace engineers.
I don't think that makes it sound any less silly. To me, it just feels out of place for such a serious movie. It pulled me out of the movie the same way hearing the Wilhelm Scream does, nowadays.
I kind of agree. If they had acted in the movie like it's a stupid name that some dumb engineer gave it as a joke, that maybe would have been better. But when said in all seriousness, it's stands out too much.

Offline Chino

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Re: Avatar: The Way of Water
« Reply #39 on: December 01, 2022, 07:03:07 AM »
The word was said twice in a two hour and forty one minute movie. It seems like a really minor thing to spoil the whole film.

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Re: Avatar: The Way of Water
« Reply #40 on: December 01, 2022, 07:36:26 AM »
The word was said twice in a two hour and forty one minute movie. It seems like a really minor thing to spoil the whole film.
It didn't spoil the whole film for me. Just the moment.

Offline MetalJunkie

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Re: Avatar: The Way of Water
« Reply #41 on: December 01, 2022, 08:33:16 AM »
The word was said twice in a two hour and forty one minute movie. It seems like a really minor thing to spoil the whole film.
I wouldn’t say it spoiled the film. It’s just the only thing I remember from the probably half hour I was awake for.
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Offline Zantera

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Re: Avatar: The Way of Water
« Reply #42 on: December 02, 2022, 06:36:09 AM »
I agree it's a pretty stupid word even though I know it's not originated in the film. Hearing "Unobtanium" in Avatar did have a similar groan effect from me as when I hear the "I hate sand" line in Attack of the Clones, even though it's such a small part of both movies it's definitely something that could have been better.

Seeing Way of the Water on Dec 14th, should be a fun experience hopefully!

Offline Lonk

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Re: Avatar: The Way of Water
« Reply #43 on: December 02, 2022, 07:06:43 AM »
Honest question, what is so wrong about the word "unobtanium"?
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Offline Zantera

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Re: Avatar: The Way of Water
« Reply #44 on: December 02, 2022, 07:08:28 AM »
Honest question, what is so wrong about the word "unobtanium"?

It sounds stupid and out of place unless you're making a comedy movie and you purposefully use the silliest name you can think of

Offline ZirconBlue

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Re: Avatar: The Way of Water
« Reply #45 on: December 02, 2022, 07:21:38 AM »
Honest question, what is so wrong about the word "unobtanium"?


It sounds like a placeholder word that you put in the first draft until you can think of an actual name for the substance.  And, it's obviously not unobtainable, since they have obtained it.

Offline Chino

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Re: Avatar: The Way of Water
« Reply #46 on: December 06, 2022, 06:44:01 AM »
New promo images!








Offline The Realm

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Re: Avatar: The Way of Water
« Reply #47 on: December 06, 2022, 08:58:43 PM »
Some extremely positive early reviews are showing up from the Premier.

Offline Chino

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Re: Avatar: The Way of Water
« Reply #48 on: December 07, 2022, 07:37:06 AM »
Lots of positivity coming in!

Offline MetalJunkie

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Re: Avatar: The Way of Water
« Reply #49 on: December 08, 2022, 05:21:41 AM »
So I know Avatar was pretty groundbreaking, especially in regards to use of motion capture. James Cameron is always pushing the limits and developing or enhancing techniques. Massive respect for him, even if I didn't get into the first movie.

Is there anything groundbreaking about Avatar 2? Any new techniques or anything? Or is it mainly a natural progression/implementation of VFX that are already commonplace?
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Offline gmillerdrake

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Re: Avatar: The Way of Water
« Reply #50 on: December 08, 2022, 05:58:52 AM »
Got two tickets for next Friday night at 6:00 for me and my oldest. He's a huge fan of the first one and has been waiting for this for a bit.....so.....we will make a night out of it.
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Offline Chino

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Re: Avatar: The Way of Water
« Reply #51 on: December 08, 2022, 06:26:12 AM »
So I know Avatar was pretty groundbreaking, especially in regards to use of motion capture. James Cameron is always pushing the limits and developing or enhancing techniques. Massive respect for him, even if I didn't get into the first movie.

Is there anything groundbreaking about Avatar 2? Any new techniques or anything? Or is it mainly a natural progression/implementation of VFX that are already commonplace?

It's the next evolution of the tech he developed for the first film. One of the big leaps is the number of people that can be mapped at a time. The first movie was limited to a dozen actors or so (I think) at a time, and the computers would still shit the bed constantly. The new tech can handle huge crowds on screen at a time.   

They also developed and entirely new system of motion capture for underwater scenes. All the scene were filmed in actual pools (not with wires in space) and the actors were holding their breath for 6+ minutes at a time. It's going to be pretty cool to see how it comes out. It looks incredible so far.

Got two tickets for next Friday night at 6:00 for me and my oldest. He's a huge fan of the first one and has been waiting for this for a bit.....so.....we will make a night out of it.


 :metal


 

Offline hefdaddy42

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Re: Avatar: The Way of Water
« Reply #52 on: December 08, 2022, 09:10:10 AM »
Yeah, the combination of underwater filming and motion capture had apparently never been done before, at least like this.

I crap on Avatar a lot for the story, but the experience of seeing it in 3D in the theater was a lot of fun.  I anticipate seeing this one as well, for the visual and auditory experience if nothing else.  Hopefully it's a good movie, also.
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Offline ZirconBlue

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Re: Avatar: The Way of Water
« Reply #53 on: December 08, 2022, 02:31:27 PM »
Why is Cameron always trying to drown his actors?

Offline CrimsonSunrise

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Re: Avatar: The Way of Water
« Reply #54 on: December 10, 2022, 06:00:10 AM »
Why is Cameron always trying to drown his actors?
right?  :lol

I enjoyed the first movie, but not insanely so.  The trailer for this one didn't excite me too much but I think like many have mentioned I will check it out in 3D for the experience.

Offline ErHaO

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Re: Avatar: The Way of Water
« Reply #55 on: December 11, 2022, 05:26:09 AM »
Honest question, what is so wrong about the word "unobtanium"?


It sounds like a placeholder word that you put in the first draft until you can think of an actual name for the substance.  And, it's obviously not unobtainable, since they have obtained it.

It is a word actual scientists and engineers have used for a long time. It is not necessarily an Avatar thing.

Offline ZirconBlue

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Re: Avatar: The Way of Water
« Reply #56 on: December 12, 2022, 11:03:31 AM »
Honest question, what is so wrong about the word "unobtanium"?


It sounds like a placeholder word that you put in the first draft until you can think of an actual name for the substance.  And, it's obviously not unobtainable, since they have obtained it.

It is a word actual scientists and engineers have used for a long time. It is not necessarily an Avatar thing.


I am aware.

Offline MetalJunkie

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Re: Avatar: The Way of Water
« Reply #57 on: December 12, 2022, 11:09:52 PM »
Honest question, what is so wrong about the word "unobtanium"?


It sounds like a placeholder word that you put in the first draft until you can think of an actual name for the substance.  And, it's obviously not unobtainable, since they have obtained it.

It is a word actual scientists and engineers have used for a long time. It is not necessarily an Avatar thing.
I'm pretty sure engineers use "thingamajig," but I'd still find it corny if it was the name of a plot device.
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Offline soupytwist

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Re: Avatar: The Way of Water
« Reply #58 on: December 14, 2022, 07:13:40 AM »
Very similar reviews to the first movie - an absolutely amazing visual spectacle, but lacking in the plot, characters and dialog department.

Offline ErHaO

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Re: Avatar: The Way of Water
« Reply #59 on: December 15, 2022, 01:51:10 PM »
Honest question, what is so wrong about the word "unobtanium"?


It sounds like a placeholder word that you put in the first draft until you can think of an actual name for the substance.  And, it's obviously not unobtainable, since they have obtained it.

It is a word actual scientists and engineers have used for a long time. It is not necessarily an Avatar thing.
I'm pretty sure engineers use "thingamajig," but I'd still find it corny if it was the name of a plot device.

Thingamajig is more something you don't know the name of or forgot the name of. Unobtanium is something desirable that is either impossible or extremely impractical to obtain. But as with all slang, usage will vary.

Offline Lonk

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Re: Avatar: The Way of Water
« Reply #60 on: December 15, 2022, 02:00:17 PM »
Final trailer!

Oh man!

https://youtu.be/o5F8MOz_IDw


Edit: Tickets are on sale! I picked up a pair for Thursday night (a day early?) and a set of 4 for Friday night!  :metal :metal

Enjoy the movie tonight, looking forward to your thoughts since I know you've been waiting for a while  :corn
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Offline Chino

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Re: Avatar: The Way of Water
« Reply #61 on: December 15, 2022, 02:04:17 PM »
Thanks! I am soiling myself in excitement!!



I know you've been waiting for a while  :corn


Offline Zantera

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Re: Avatar: The Way of Water
« Reply #62 on: December 15, 2022, 03:03:39 PM »
Saw it yesterday and it was a similar experience to the first one, but I would say this one is better. The first one was like a 7/10 for me so I guess this one would be more like 8/10. There's still a few similar problems like a plot that isn't anything super creative or out of the normal and characters we've seen before but I would say it feels a bit better than in the first movie. And the visuals are great, loved pretty much all the water scenes.

Offline The Realm

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Re: Avatar: The Way of Water
« Reply #63 on: December 15, 2022, 03:39:24 PM »
I saw The Way of the Water yesterday. Really enjoyed it but it is a lot of movie! I did feel it was a little too long. The world building was awesome, as well as the attention to detail. I really liked all the kids. I'd say I will definitely go and see it again at some stage.

Offline Chino

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Re: Avatar: The Way of Water
« Reply #64 on: December 16, 2022, 05:46:36 AM »
Boy. That was an experience. I'm not really sure where to start.

Reintroduction of the humans:
Hot damn what an entrance. The prediction I've been making for more than a decade was way wrong. My money was on the humans never actually leaving Pandora. I figured there had to be at least small handful of settlements like Hell's Gate on the moon. Anyways, their return was ridiculous (not in a bad way). Seeing Home Tree toppled in the first movie seemed like such a colossal event, scale wise, and here we saw two get taken out like they were toothpicks. It was a hell of a scene. I'm not sure I'm in love with the whole "we did all this work in a year" thing. I'd think the rail road line they built would have taken longer than that on its own. I'll turn a blind eye though.   

Jake and his family:
I wasn't sure where I'd stand on this. I think it worked well for the movie, even though I think it pushed Neytiri to the back burner a bit. I went into the movie expecting one of the sons to die, but it still caught me off guard when it happened. I thought some of the teenage interaction felt a little too much like a lift and load from the first film at times. There was a lot of character building this time around, which I thought was a nice change from the first film. At times it felt a bit forced/rushed, which is kind of crazy when you consider the movie's runtime. I enjoyed seeing all the differences in cultural and physical ways of life between Jake's family and the new clan.

The story:
I think on the surface, it is a really basic story, but I'd argue there's still a lot there. I was on my toes the whole time, and I didn't really find it predictable at all. Spider is an interesting character with a lot of confict, and I'm going to make sure I pay extra attention to him tonight. Quaritch being saved at the end by him was an interesting way to go. Speaking of, seeing his recom origin was pretty well done, even if some of the dialog was cheesy, and seeing him crush his own skull was a great way to welcome him back.

I love that we go to see into Ewya, and see as the people see when they connect. Kiri being the physical manifestation of her is fucking rad. I didn't see that one coming, and I fully anticipate the Pocahontas jokes being replaced with Jesus jokes now  :lol Seeing her manipulate Pandora was really cool, and I got legitimately giddy in the theater when she took down that sub.

There were so few humans on screen this time around, at least it felt that way. This movie didn't really feel like the Na'vi vs the humans the majority of the time, which I thought was great. We didn't get a monster war battle like the first movie, but that makes sense given the humans have only been back building for a year. We also can't have an battle like that every movie, it'd get stale (there will be five once all is said and done). I thought the fight scene we did get was pretty great, and the whole sequence of Neytiri and her daughter trying escape the Sea Dragon from the inside while the boys did the same from the outside was masterfully done.

I actually really liked the kinship element between the Tulkun and the Metkayina clan and the fact the animals themselves had their own language and backstory. I also really liked that is wasn't Jake that bonded with one. Jake's family, and probably moreso the children as the movies continue, are going to be focus going forward. Which is great I think. Plenty of room for offshoots in side arcs in the main story.
 
The effects:
10/10 - A new bar has been set. Absolutely breathtaking.

New Vehicles and Human stuff:
We only saw a handful of new pieces of hardware, but I thought they were really cool. Sea Dragon was dope, and those crab mech machines were wild. I hope we get to see those again at some point.

The score:
The movie really let me down here, TBH. It was a good score, but it straight up recycled like 80% of the first movie's tracks. I get James Horner passed away, but I feel like there could have been way more originality there. I was really hoping for some. This won't bother 99.9% of people in the audience.


I'm already 15 minutes late to start my day. I've got tickets to see it again tonight and tomorrow as well. I'd give it an 8.5/10 so far. That may change. It was a long movie, and I think that will reduce how often people will be willing to see this multiple times in a theater compared to the first one. 

I'd recommend giving it a watch.

:chino:
« Last Edit: December 16, 2022, 07:16:09 AM by Chino »

Offline ErHaO

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Re: Avatar: The Way of Water
« Reply #65 on: December 16, 2022, 06:13:59 AM »
Seeing it in a couple of hours, Imax 3D HFR screening. As someone who really enjoys the first one, I am looking forward to it very much!

Offline gmillerdrake

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Re: Avatar: The Way of Water
« Reply #66 on: December 16, 2022, 07:12:53 AM »
6:00 tonight.....3D.....DLX Superscreen. I'm excited to see it but not nearly as excited as my oldest son. Outside of Brian I don't know of a bigger AVATAR fan than him so he's pretty stoked.
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Offline lonestar

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Re: Avatar: The Way of Water
« Reply #67 on: December 16, 2022, 07:31:31 AM »
Totally forgot it was opening this weekend. Probably go catch it early tomorrow.

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Re: Avatar: The Way of Water
« Reply #68 on: December 16, 2022, 10:36:46 AM »
Monday afternoon in IMAX 3d with jingle.son
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Offline ErHaO

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Re: Avatar: The Way of Water
« Reply #69 on: December 16, 2022, 03:45:10 PM »
I thought it was a great experience. Better film than the original. I don't think people who disliked 1 will like 2 that much better. It is a tried and true plot again for sure. But to me one with heart and relatable characters that perform well. And what appealed to me in Avatar 1 is still very much there. A unique world beautifully brought to life with a lot of world building. And film has a good buildup with a rewarding climax. The 48 fps surprised me, it made the action scenes very clear and sharp during fast movements. And the underwater scenes were done really well, often it is clunky and fake looking in films.

I have said it before, but still don't get the railing on Avatar 1 though. I recently saw and rewatched a whole bunch of non-mcu blockbusters and Avatar (Fast 6 and 7, Bumblebee, Ghostbuster Afterlife, Godzilla v Kong, No Time to Die) and on my re-viewing I think Avatar 1 is significantly better than any of those. To me most complaints are applicable to nearly any blockbuster, both new and old. I also can't think of much original properties than venture into fantasy-esque scifi settings that aren't a trainwreck. Even most Star Wars films are way worse, in particular the latest two mainline films.