I have to admit that I was at the theater on the opening night of Avatar. I waited in line for over an hour just to catch a glimpse of possibly the biggest blockbuster of all time. A movie that was in the making for ten years and had millions and millions of dollars invested! I drove for two hours across state lines just to see this movie in a state of the art IMAX theater. I was just like everyone else; waiting there in line for the big moment-the opening of a legend.
Once the movie began I must say-I was impressed! The effects were spectacular, breathtaking, and believable all at the same time. By the middle of the movie I had truly forgotten that the people of Avatar were merely computer generated graphics and not real actors. The technology of this movie, in my opinion, exceeded any other movie by a mile. This was indeed a visually stunning work of art.
However, once you put the brilliance and art of this movie behind, there seems to be very little left. Like a chicken egg that has no yolk or protein; it's just a shell. Something just seemed to be missing. The story behind the movie just was not there. I was very disappointed in the story to the movie. A movie without a great story is just not worth watching. Special effects are great, but story is better. Stories can uplift lives and change the way we think. But, special effects can only please our eyes. Perhaps this is what led to its down fall.
An upstart, an underdog took its place as the best picture for 2009. Hurt Locker took its place for best picture of 2009. I can say that I have watched both movies. I can say that I enjoyed watching Hurt Locker more than Avatar. Hurt Locker portrayed a story that was very moving to me. It was a movie that had substance and meaning. Unfortunately, Avatar did not. I understand why an underdog like Hurt Locker was able to de-thrown the mighty Avatar. As the old saying goes the bigger they are the harder they fall. While Hurt Locker was not able to boast the largest budget ever, as with Avatar, it did take home the glory and the blue people on planet Avatar lost the fight.
