Uniltìrantokx
Movie Title: Avatar (3D)
Reviewer: Jason L.
Summary:The people of Earth have invaded a planet inhabited by the Na'vi, a race of humanoid lifeforms that happen to be blue. They come to mine a large deposit of a high-selling mineral that Na'vi live on. Before flat out declaring war on the Blue People, the humans decide to give them a chance to leave the area peacefully, so they create Avatars, which are Na'vi clones infused with human DNA, so that the mind of the human can take control of the Avatar body and persuade the Na'vi people to leave. The hero, Jake Sully, takes control of an Avatar, and while gaining their trust through a tribal princess, Neytiri, he shockingly connects with them and sees the error of the humans' ways. But he is too late - the humans declare war on the Na'vi anyway, so Jake has to commandeer the Na'vi to victory!
Review:Well, I should start off saying that if you love big explosions, intense wars, and beautiful CGI and motion-capture animation, you would have already seen this big-budget blockbuster. But for those who care about context, this movie is NOT as bad as you would think it is. I mean, yeah the story is paper-thin, you can guess what the dialogue is fifteen minutes in advance, and the ending is pretty steep and poor, well...yeah. But it does have its moments, and even if you don't understand it, or even care for that matter, it will have you hooked, and you will walk out thinking your money was well spent.
And for all the people wondering whether they should see it in 3D or not, well, that kind of depends on you. When I put on my glasses and the movie started rolling, it didn't feel like I was watching a movie. I was thinking, "Yeah this 3D is cool and all, but there is no way I can take more than 15 minutes of it". And the 15 minute mark is where it gets final. By that time, you'll be in love with the 3D, or the guy in front of you will be pretty upset at you from vomiting all over him. And just a note, the 3D featuring the military base might throw you off, but the 3D during the Na'vi explorations scenes are excellent.
District Fine!!!
Movie Title: District 9
Reviewer: Eli Pontecorvo
Summary:An alien spaceship parks itself above the surface of Earth in South Africa near Johannesburg. Inside the ship is a population of a million insect-like bipeds that are ever increasing in number. They are taken out of the ship and given an area of land to live outside of Johannesburg that, over the years, becomes a run-down slum of shacks, junk, and refuse. The human inhabitants of Johannesburg demand their removal from the area, leading to the commencement of a mass eviction led by Wikus van der Merwe. After an incident with an alien substance, Wikus begins to experience a strange transformation that will no only alter his body, but his entire life as well...
Review:When I first saw advertisements for District 9 I thought, 'ah, another senseless shoot-em-up that has no viable plot or message.' However, little did I know that it would be have a far more meaningful story and purpose. from the beginning of the movie you see and feel pity for the victimized aliens that have been accepted so reluctantly by humanity. The way it is filmed in the first hour or so is also very interesting. It presents itself as both a documentary and as what might be considered a future instructional or historical film filmed by a cameraman that is actually there in the film's setting. The amount of actual narrative filming slowly increases until it is solely story-telling.
The main protagonist, Wikus, starts out as someone who is okay, but no less hateful towards the aliens as the masses who want them removed. However, as the movie progresses, he has no humans who will accept him and allies himself with an alien, causing him to have a greater appreciation for the oppressed population of foreigners. The movie does have aspects of a shoot-em-up, but all the battles and gunfights have a purpose. They aren't senseless, but necessary to the progression of the well-developed plot in which you are rooting for Wikus the whole way. The movie ends ambiguously, but not in such a way that it is a needless cliffhanger, just in such a way that any succeeding events can be left to the imagination. I recommend this movie to any and all who like an original story combined with an original style in a quality fashion.