Blue people attacking giant robots, evil astronauts mining Unobtanium, and scientists taking over alien bodies – welcome back to Pandora.
Pandora is a foreign world in filmmaker James Cameron’s movie “Avatar.” Showing from December 2009 to April 2010, “Avatar” pulled in $2.4 billion in the box office and now returns in IMAX 3-D.
With nine minutes of extra footage and brand-new fighting scenes with completely new creatures, “Avatar” is already making a killing with nearly sold-out showings at Sunset Place and Aventura Mall. However, some people feel that Cameron’s decision of re-showing Avatar was not one made with good intentions.
“He’s pushing the image way too much and giving into the hype. It’s not going to be as memorable as the first time. He just wants more money,” senior Victoria De Cun said.
However, many are eager for the return of Cameron’s critically acclaimed and innovative epic. Junior Avonlea Veilleux thinks everyone should see “Avatar” in 3-D.
“I love the idea of it coming back into theatres. It was a great film and I never got to see it in 3-D,” Veilleux said.
Money may or may not have fueled Cameron’s decision to re-show the movie, but during the first release of the film, there were not enough 3-D screens to support three big pictures. “Alice in Wonderland” and “How to Train Your Dragon” were released around the same time.
“There’s only two IMAX theatres in Miami. You’d have to drive all the way to Ft. Lauderdale for another one, but the movie is great. Technology-wise, it’s the most advanced thing in theatres,” Dennis Martinez, the manager of AMC Sunset Place Theatres, said.
A main deterrent for many students is the cost of experiencing 3-D. Watching an IMAX movie costs $14.50 rather than the usual $10. Senior Oscar Valido definitely felt overcharged for the expense. In fact, he wishes he never even saw the movie at all.
“Cameron, I want my $14 back and please never make another movie again,” Valido said.
New pricing may come as a disappointment to many, but some students think that the experience is worth the higher pricing.
“3-D pricing is not that much more expensive. It’s worth it to spend the money in 3-D because it’s a really cool experience,” senior Robert Friedhoff said.
Though some may protest, “Avatar” has proven to be immensely popular. It was nominated for nine Academy Awards and won for Art Direction, Cinematography, and Visual Effects, and won Best Motion Picture at the Golden Globes.
The movie inspired the creation of action figures and video games, and broke a record with 19 million units on DVD and Blu-ray sold within the first three weeks of release.
Home video release is usually thought to break the life cycle of a movie, but “Avatar” is among the few that proves this theory wrong. Other movies, such as “Dirty Dancing,” have been brought back as well.
“I didn’t even know they brought old movies back into theatres,” junior Farah Ansari said. “Maybe ‘Avatar’ will start a chain reaction of more old movies coming back. I wouldn’t mind seeing ‘Casa Blanca’ on the big screen.”
