hahaha goddamn is kermode pissed. he should get some contact lenses so he can join THE FUTURE and embrace 3D
NON-SPOILER Avatar 2 technical notes:
• the presentation is so good now compared to 2010, as long as you make it to a laser projector. All "Dolby Cinema" (not just "ATMOS") theaters are laser, and there are a good number of laser IMAX locations. you can check IMAX projector status using
this site: look for (or filter for) DL or DL2
• the HFR looks like garbage. it's used way more extensively than it should be, and it's distracting almost every time. I'm really bummed because all sites with a laser projector are also showing HFR - there is no escape. I'm slightly optimistic because I found it less irritating after the first hour - maybe I simply got used to it? if so, does that last? one can only hope. the HFR was applied flawlessly for the re-release, and I wish they were similarly conservative in using it for the sequel.
• the effects are insane, and there are countless times where it just feels like you're watching a documentary of an alien world. BUT there are just so many blue cartoon people, and some of them look hokey, especially when composited into a real set. it's kinda like in person meetings being fine and zoom meetings being fine, but a hybrid meeting is doomed to suck.
VERY-MILDLY-SPOILER-ADJACENT THOUGHTS:
• I thought this movie was a big step down from the first one. lots of people seem to think the opposite, for whatever that's worth. maybe it's because an irrational dislike of the sea & boats ? I think it's a "fellowship of the ring" situation for me. when I saw that movie (not having read any LOTR books) I thought it was really unsatisfying, all buildup and no payoff. I got the same feeling with this one. maybe - like the LOTR trilogy - I'll better appreciate it with more context / in retrospect. apparently Avatar 2+3 were initially a single script, and were split into two movies at some point.
• sort of related, but this is NOT a "sequel" in the sense of Aliens or T2. it's more of a re-launch of a new arc of movies
• I was certain I'd hate the kid characters, but they were probably my favorite part in terms of humanoid characters. it's just hitting me how damning this is, as "praise".
• the creatures looked pretty spectacular, but I would have loved for them to have a bit more personality...