Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Avatar and Dr. Who

Sadly, David Tennant is leaving Dr. Who. Check out this video interview with him and Russel T. Davies conducted by Richard Metzger right after ComicCon this year. He will be missed.

I saw Avatar in 3D on Friday. All I can say is, "Wow!" OK, maybe I can say a bit more. I kind of went in thinking I'd enjoy the animation, but the plot would be a well-worn one. I was wrong. I've seen other movies where we're the aliens. In fact, I reviewed Battle for Terra last April, which had a very similar plot. That movie was animated and had many of the same elements. The military is desperate to terraform this other inhabited planet because ours is dead and we're wandering in generational ships looking for a home.

Avatar made that movie seem like a little cartoon. Avatar wasn't just a movie, it was an experience. It's a little long at almost 3 hrs, but it was exactly as long as it needed to be.

I was furious with the military general and my Cherokee blood did boil at the way white men were clearing the land of natives again. I'd like to think that by the time we can reach other habitable planets, we'll behave better. But don't you think that the African slaves or the American Indians in the U.S. of the 19th century thought we'd have learned by now? That kind of thing is still going on today. There are still slaves in the southern U.S. if you know where to look. There are still "ethnic cleansings" going on in Africa, the Balkans, Southeast Asia and the Middle East. I'm sure I've forgotten some regions here.

Well, hurray for Avatar for making us think and making us mad. Well done all around.

Look for an interview with Cat Rambo on Christmas day. Merry Christmas!



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1 comment:

Maurice Mitchell said...

Avatar was a surprising slice of awesomeness. Good review, especially the Native American perspective.
You can read my review here if you'd like:
http://geektwins.blogspot.com/2009/12/movie-review-avatar-got-under-my-skin.html