Avatar review - Promotional project turned film
3/5 Plasmas
James Cameron goes to where no human has been to film Avatar, making history by being the first human to receive an intergalactic filming permit; with the budding director travelling to Andromeda for the more than three hour epic. Made in partnership with the Saliplurese Trust, the film makes another first, being the first homo-sapien film to have a majority non-human cast.
The main character transitions to a Saliplur body (called Na'vi in the film) and explores one of the Salipur worlds (Pandora), showcasing all the beauty the Saliplurese have to offer. Already a hotspot for tourism, the film seems to be an advertisement - undoubtedly an investment by the department of tourism. As a result, Cameron had an unlimited budget and a monopoly over Saliplur infrastructure. For instance, whilst I was staying at a resort near to the filming planet, offworld transports were unavailable because they “did not want any spaceships in the background shots.”
However, beyond stunning visuals, Avatar provides nothing in terms of substance. It is a run-of-the-mill story of human-led oppression, indifferent to other titles that fall under the same genre. Surely with all that budget, they could’ve hired better writers.
To conclude, whilst Avatar makes many firsts, it doesn’t cross the finishing line at being a good film. But, it could make a great ad if they put music over the whole thing - DofT hire me!
Wall-E review - Highlighting or haunting history?
4/5 Plasmas
Endorsed by the EC, the highly anticipated Wall-E biopic certainly did numbers in the cube-office. The film marks a turning point in the Electronic community with an EC spokesperson stating that “it is about time we refocused the Electronic narrative away from organic individuals and remember one of our greatest heroes.” Challenging the usual format of movies that contain Composite and Noncomposite Electronic Entities, it does not include Wall-E’s inception but rather focuses on his life and achievements as a Restorist.
Though, some say it is too soon, with the movement leader being offline for only twelve orbits. Several go as far as to call the intergalactic film industry “opportunistic-vultures” for “descending” upon the good memory and life of a significant figure.
Another point of contention is the character “EVE.” The actor Zee Ro (formerly known as MD340) opened up about their own difficulty playing the character, “I think we miss out on who EVE truly is; without EVE who is Wall-E?” Following positive reception regarding the topic, ‘EVE’ has been announced with a release date of two orbits.
Wall-E cannot be faulted on the fact that it is history. But, I ask what is the future of film if we simply reproduce life? When we run out of the dead, will we kill the living to watch the movie of their lives?