So I saw Avatar in 3-D last night, and though I have many thoughts on the film, I can't really go into them without spoiling the entire movie. So instead, I've decided to share 5 non-spoilery facts about the film.
Non-Spoilery Factoid #1: It's Beautiful The plot may be somewhat predictable and the story problematic in several ways, but all of the hype you've heard about the technical brilliance of the film is true: it's an absolutely gorgeous movie, and I've never seen anything quite like it.
Non-Spoilery Factoid #2: "I Hate Manure!" The main villain of the film (this becomes clear quite early and is even somewhat showcased in the trailer, so I don't consider it a spoiler) is eerily reminiscent of Biff Tannen from Back to the Future and the Dip guy from Who Framed Roger Rabbit. He's insane and overblown and unintentionally hilarious at times, if only because he's so evil and insane that you expect him to start yelling "What's wrong, McFly? Chicken?" before flying away on his pitbull hoverboard.
Non-Spoilery Factoid #3: Someone You Know Will Fall In Love With Sam Worthington: He's brooding and intense and very easy on the eyes. Whether or not this film will propel him to Team Jacob/Team Edward national Tiger Beat heartthrob status remains to be seen, but I can guarantee that at least one person you know will have a crush on this dude as soon as they see the film. Maybe even an editor of a blog you read!
Non-Spoilery Factoid #4: Monsters Galore: If you're scared of creepy creatures, you might want to steer clear. There are plenty of amazing and horrifying beasts running around in the forests of Pandora. It's a bit like taking a trip to Jurassic Park, only this time you don't get the Jello-shaking warning before something attacks.
Non-Spoilery Factoid #5: It's Worth Seeing In The Theater: I was very skeptical going into the film (and I still have my issues with it, but we'll talk about that when everyone has seen it) and had a hard time mustering up any excitement. To me, it just looked like FernGully: To The Extreme!!! and I was prepared to be bored about 20 minutes in. However, once the film started, I was instantly hooked. For all its flaws (and there are many), it's truly a beautiful and awe-inspiring cinematic experience. I went into the film wary and sick of all the hype, but I left a believer, at least in terms of the technical aspects of the movie. It's not a perfect film, but it's an important one, and definitely worth a viewing.