You're reading a South African review based on the preview trailer screening for Avatar here first.Right. As I said on Monday, my calendar for Friday was circled to watch the trailer (it's James Cameron, so it's an event) for the new movie Avatar in 3D. What a great way to end a work week and start the weekend. The Titanic director will have Avatar in movie theatres worldwide on 18 December and Mu Metro Films is releasing it here in South Africa.
I liked it. A lot.
(DISCLAIMER: I do like Sci-Fi movies generally but even if you don't you will be amazed how it looks with those 3D glasses.)
The futuristic utopian/dystopian world of Pandora where the movie is set reminds me of a somewhat Disneyfied The Lost World – although I don't mean it in THAT wat. I don't mean cute, I mean colours, hues and mood.
The 3D effects are amazing. Honestly. My impression of the story is a kind of Dances with Wolves/The New World Colin Farrell-meets-Pocahontas in an idealised Fantasia setting. With dragons.
Awesome dragons.
In one scene the main protagonist played by Sam Worthington (turned into an alien or so-called Avatar) tames a dragon. Classic fantasy if you've ever read any dragon tale.
Ripley, uhm Signourney Weaver shows up. I immediately thought Ripley because there she was in a sci-fi setting surrounded by a state of the art sickbay/laboratory. (Don't worry, nothing jumped out of anybody's tummy.)
The 3D glasses are amazing. Not your 1950's variety. Very comfortable, not distracting at all and really creating something YOU NEED TO SEE if you haven't experienced 3D before, or haven't experienced it in a while.
Most of the movie critics were having an intellectual discussion and talking about whether District 9 is a South African movie, or an overseas production with a director who used to be South African. Nu Metro however also had a few special normal moviegoers who attended. They were all amazed. When the preview ended EVERYBODY stayed seated for five minutes. NOBODY moved. Someone asked someone, ''Isn't there more?''
''No, I think that's it.''
''That was amazing.''
And I'm sure they were not talking about the complimentary popcorn and Coke.
Avatar opens 18 December.
