Bernie Michalik's posterous site

This is not a movie review. Rather, if you and I were talking after the film, this is what I might say. (Don't read it until you see the movie).

* I kept comparing the film with older films of Cameron that I know, in particular, Aliens (not Alien) and the Terminator films (I and II but not III). Unlike those films, which are dystopian, this film is utopian. Pandora is really a paradise, a Garden of Eden.

* I loved how "bright" the movie is.Not only is it visually bright, compared to Aliens/Terminator, but the outlook is bright compared to those films. As well, the aliens in this film are the Na'vi...how different can they be than the monsters in Aliens? Indeed, in the Terminators and Aliens, the creatures from the future / other planets are monsters. (the original terminator is not that much different than Frankenstein, and the aliens in Aliens are really demon-like).

* While there is alot of differences between Aliens and Avatar, there are alot of similarities too. An obvious one is the appearance of Sigourney Weaver. Her characters are similar in both films and indeed, in both films her character struggles against the greedy corporate types and the aggressive military types. Giovanni Ribisi as Parker Selfridge is very similar to Paul Reiser as Carter J. Burke in the first Aliens. Likewise Michelle Rodriguez as Trudy Chacon, a Marine fighter pilot reminded me alot of Jenette Goldstein who played Private Jenette Vasquez, a tough female Marine in Aliens. They even dress alike. Indeed, one thing I thought interesting is that the female characters in both these films are very strong and in many ways dominate the male characters.

* It is ironic that Cameron cast Sam Worthington as Corporal Jake Sully because he was an unknown, but by the time we see him in this, he has starred in Terminator Salvation.

* I like that while Terminator Salvation still carries on the dystopian view of the future -- how could it not? -- both Star Trek and Avatar are very positive films. I think that is a good sign and good for science fiction.

I had more ideas, but I'll jot these down for now.