Sorry to bring this thread back, but I wanted to update it with my opinions now that they're informed

My wife and I saw it tonight. We saw it in the regular 3D and not the IMAX 3D, because all the IMAX screenings were sold out. Besides, they're all the normal theater-sized IMAX screens, not the real IMAX screens.

And while I'm on that, what the hell is the deal with that? I live in a metropolitan area with TWO IMAX theaters, and neither is showing Avatar at all, let alone in 3D.

So we lined up early and got pretty decent seats. Not dead-on, but about 4 and 5 seats from center.

I am not a fan of 3D.

I'm sorry, but it just isn't enough for me, and it's a combination of things. To me, it still didn't seem like it was quite there yet, technologically. It was certainly the best 3D I've seen, but it just didn't do it for me. And to those of you who saw the film in the same theater type I did, did the movie appear to be projected a tad dimly? It did to me, and I can't blame it on the theater. This one is usually very high quality and is only a few years old.

The entire time I watched the film, my eyes were not happy with me. I could definitely see issues between the glasses and the projected image. Hard to describe, but issues.

The biggest issue with the 3D was that my wife and I had had to strain so hard to see the image properly, and afterward, we had the worst headaches, ones that seemed focused entirely behind our eyeballs. Ugh. No thanks.

Next, to the visuals. Those were, of course spectacular. I definitely got a kick out of those, and all the props in the world to Cameron for that achievement.

Lastly, the story. I'd place it solidly between my low expectations, and the Golden Globe for best picture It certainly wasn't a new plot in the least, but at least it had a few other things to say. It turned out to be pretty darn good.

In general I was impressed by the pacing of the film, which never seemed to drag for me which is a feat considering its length. And it definitely got me excited at the end. Great stuff.


Overall, the negatives I had were minor. I wasn't hot on the 3D quality. Story-wise, I thought District 9 had a more interesting twist on this plot. And lastly, the whole movie was great right up until the credits. Then Cameron felt the need to splash AVATAR up on the screen in giant bold letters, which seemed super cheesy to me. But then it got worse, with the song that played over the end credits. That song is horrible. Ugh.

Still, I enjoyed the film, and was pleasantly surprised. It's not the best movie I've seen all year, and I've seen many better ones over the past few years, but it was far better than I thought it would be and turned to be quit good.


Back to the issue of 3D for one moment: perhaps it was just the technology I saw it with, though millions of other people saw the same thing. All I know is that I'm going to have to see an EXTREMELY convincing display of home theater 3D before I buy into the whole idea. Because if I had to watch even half of the TV I watch right now in THAT 3D with THAT quality, there's not a chance in hell that I'll be "upgrading" my equipment with that junk. My eyes ache at the very thought.