A Second Opinion
This Week's Topic: Avatar
By Patrick Hunter
Last Updated:4:05 PM EST 1/27/10 Section: Viewpoint
Imagine yourself on a strange planet. There are strange plants and a variety of wildlife. Well, put on your 3-D glasses, and get down to the local movie theater, and you can experience it for real.
Who would have thought that a movie about giant, blue aliens would go on to be such a blockbuster hit? Apparently, the answer to that is James Cameron. His new movie, Avatar, is well on its way to becoming the highest grossing film of ALL time (eclipsed by Titanic, Cameron's OTHER movie). For a reported cost of $500 million, according to the New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/09/business/media/09avatar.html?_r=2), the movie has grossed a combined total of $1,861,760,244 billion (http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=avatar.htm).
There are many reports about why Avatar took so long to make. Originally, Cameron said that he would work on the movie after Titanic. However, the technology required to make the movie didn't exist back then. Cameron said, "After I made the Titanic film…I was sort of developing the 3-D camera technology…and that's what we used to shoot Avatar with" (http://video.about.com/movies/James-Cameron-Avatar.htm). So, Avatar went to "the back of the bookshelf," so to speak. However, with the recent advances in movie making, Avatar emerged once again.
Just recently, Cameron has come out and said that there is a possibility of an Avatar sequel. The only stipulation is that Avatar has to make a lot of money, for Cameron, in order to continue with a sequel.
In fact, the movie won a Golden Globe award for Best Picture, Drama. And Cameron himself won an award for Best Director, beating out such candidates as Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker). Some even wonder if Avatar will garner an Oscar for Best Picture and for Cameron.
Now, traditionally, I can't stand Computer Generated Images. I don't mind the occasional use of CGI, however, I don't like it if a movie has too much CGI (Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, anyone?) However, there are a few movies where it's acceptable to use. Pixar films are okay, and the CGI works for Cameron's Avatar.
Who would have thought that a movie about giant, blue aliens would go on to be such a blockbuster hit? Apparently, the answer to that is James Cameron. His new movie, Avatar, is well on its way to becoming the highest grossing film of ALL time (eclipsed by Titanic, Cameron's OTHER movie). For a reported cost of $500 million, according to the New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/09/business/media/09avatar.html?_r=2), the movie has grossed a combined total of $1,861,760,244 billion (http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=avatar.htm).
There are many reports about why Avatar took so long to make. Originally, Cameron said that he would work on the movie after Titanic. However, the technology required to make the movie didn't exist back then. Cameron said, "After I made the Titanic film…I was sort of developing the 3-D camera technology…and that's what we used to shoot Avatar with" (http://video.about.com/movies/James-Cameron-Avatar.htm). So, Avatar went to "the back of the bookshelf," so to speak. However, with the recent advances in movie making, Avatar emerged once again.
Just recently, Cameron has come out and said that there is a possibility of an Avatar sequel. The only stipulation is that Avatar has to make a lot of money, for Cameron, in order to continue with a sequel.
In fact, the movie won a Golden Globe award for Best Picture, Drama. And Cameron himself won an award for Best Director, beating out such candidates as Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker). Some even wonder if Avatar will garner an Oscar for Best Picture and for Cameron.
Now, traditionally, I can't stand Computer Generated Images. I don't mind the occasional use of CGI, however, I don't like it if a movie has too much CGI (Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, anyone?) However, there are a few movies where it's acceptable to use. Pixar films are okay, and the CGI works for Cameron's Avatar.
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