I saw Avatar a few weeks ago and left the theater feeling something I hadn’t felt at the movies in a while: Awe. The immersive quality of the experience made me feel like a boy again (and that in itself was worth the price of admission).
The NY Times nailed it in their review of the movie:
Few films return us to the lost world of our first cinematic experiences, to that magical moment when movies really were bigger than life (instead of iPhone size), if only because we were children. Movies rarely carry us away, few even try. They entertain and instruct and sometimes enlighten. Some attempt to overwhelm us, but their efforts are usually a matter of volume. What’s often missing is awe, something Mr. Cameron has, after an absence from Hollywood, returned to the screen with a vengeance. He hasn’t changed cinema, but with blue people and pink blooms he has confirmed its wonder.
The story, admittedly, is a little simplistic, but honestly while I was in that theater with my 3D glasses on, I didn’t think about it; I was lost in the splendor of the world Cameron created. (This was my first time seeing a 3D movie with this new technology – the first film in my home town to be displayed with it.)
So, if you like that experience of wonder in the movies, and haven’t seen Avatar yet – Go! Skip the reviews and just immerse yourself into the awe of it.
