Avatar in Tokyo
I finally went and saw “Avatar” yesterday afternoon. I can’t really give a good reason why I wasn’t interested in seeing it before, but somehow the pre-release hype and the masses of people saying “Dude, ‘Avatar’ rocks!” just put me off.
Should’ve known better, I guess.
First of all, I love James Cameron (Titanic, too) and the fact that this is a Cameron sci-fi action flick should’ve been enough to put my ass in a theater seat. Also, how was I not more intrigued by the idea of it being in 3D?
Oh well, I guess other matters just had me preoccupied.
But, yesterday, I did attend a sold-out showing at the Shinjuku Wald9 movie theater in the Marui (0l0l) Annex Building in 3-Chome.
What did I love about the movie? Surely not the basic storyline or the cheesy dialogue. I guess what I loved about it was that it was fun to watch. The two bad guys were played by actors who are personal faves of mine, Stephen Lang and Giovanni Ribisi. You might remember Lang as Ike Clanton in “Tombstone” and are more likely to remember Ribisi as Scarlett Johansson’s photographer husband in “Lost in Translation”. Both have done better work, but what people are remembered for aren’t always their most shining moments.
What else was great? Visually, the movie is stunning. Some scenes were so amazing I was quite moved. The final 30 minutes or so kicks ass on a level very few action movies reach. There, I said it… Dude, Avatar kicks ass!
In short, is “Avatar” worth the ￥2000 ticket price in Tokyo?
I think so, but then again I’ve been in the land of the rising anal-raping long enough to shell out more than I should for lots of things 
An American living in Tokyo. Can be seen bounding through Shinjuku Station most mornings, teeth gnashing, eyes bulging, a cup of cheap coffee clenched in one fist and a satchel in the other. God help those who don't see him coming.
March 8th, 2010 at 7:50 am
I’m downloading this now and I need to get some 3-d glasses.
The hype turned me off too but I finally got my HTPC goin so I’m dying to get some new titles to watch. Thanks for the review!
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March 8th, 2010 at 1:51 pm
Avatar didn’t get the best picture Oscar
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March 8th, 2010 at 1:55 pm
@Chris B:
Enjoy, Brotha!
@BM Mike:
Dude, that’s a good thing
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March 8th, 2010 at 7:39 pm
Isn’t it funny that Bigelow has beaten her ex? For me Avatar is far more a winner anyway.
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March 9th, 2010 at 12:57 am
hype or not the best, most engrossing and beautiful movie I’ve seen in years
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March 10th, 2010 at 2:46 pm
@Shaun:
I don’t know if that’s funnier than the fact that she directed the movie that broke Keanu Reeves into action superstardom.
@Jamaipanese:
Definitely one of the best movie-going experiences I’ve had in years. Don’t know how I would have felt seeing it on DVD first.
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June 27th, 2010 at 3:44 pm
I saw Avatar in 3D at the cinema when it first came out and iv been suggesting it to people ever since. Its a very long movie but its worth watching.
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July 2nd, 2010 at 6:32 pm
Through out the film, I was momentarily messed up by most of the similar things that were been discussed here, overall, I forgot them as my pleasure continued. Even the over zealous expression of capitalism or the “over-zealous military commander” were accepted as being a critical part of the story.But there one little issue that (oddly enough, I guess) irked me. There was no way to go back and view it after, but I’m pretty sure that when the Colonel was killed, he took his hands off the robot controls, trying to remove the arrow/bolt. Yet, with the Colonel’s death, the robot TOPPLED OVER! I would have expected such a machine just to simply stop moving and stand there.
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