When the movie Avatar hit theaters, it wasn't necessarily a 'love or hate' movie. Even though many people expressed strong feelings about "hating" it, not many came forward and proclaimed that it was the most engaging, best movie they had seen to date. Even the people who liked it, tended to state "Well, the graphics where amazing, but the plot just didn't seem interesting." To people who know the basic rules of film can understand why.One of the first things you tend to learn in film classes, are unspoken laws of the film industry. The fact that if your script isn't formatted correctly, it will be tossed in the trash. Also, if you try to direct the way things are supposed to be said, you won't do well selling you script. Another one of these is that you can't really submit a screenplay that's longer than 120 pages. The only people that can ''break" these unspoken laws of the film industry, are people who have previously established themselves in the film industry. People like James Cameron.
One of the reasons for the proper formatting of the script is that when all the dialogue and action is typed out in the proper format, one page is approximately one minute of screen time. Usually producers will only consider 60 - 120 pages because it would amount to one to two hours. At nearly 3 hours, avatar broke all the rules of the length of what a single film is supposed to be.
There are reasons that many people wont accept a film over 2 hours, it's because it simply can't hold your attention most of the time. Avatar didn't really have a plot that needed the movie to last over 2 or 2 1/2 hours.
All in all, the only reason why Avatar was so widely disliked (in comparison to the popularity of some of his previous it practically bombed) was because it was too long. The announcement of a possible sequel only results in all the mass of people who thought the movie was to long, groaning in despair. It was already to long, why make it longer?
~Jessica Skrobarczyk
Article Here
Good review. I like how you used evidence, facts and detail. At the same time you were able to make it engaging to read. I think the plot wasn't well thought out, and anyone would, regardless of their education on films. It was pretty simple to see this, and that perhaps is the reason people thought it was "too long". The plot needed work, not the timing of the movie.
ReplyDeleteNice use of evidence. Maybe you could give some examples of how the movie was dragging. Or, you could metion a specfic person and say what they thought. (soz but i think the review was too long and it didnt hold my attention really good :P lol)
ReplyDelete- Yineng
I'm one of those "Well, the graphics where amazing, but the plot just didn't seem interesting." people, as well as a fellow movie maker (from AFS), I have to say, screen-writing isn't nearly as hard as it seems, but when you get to a movie that is over 3 hours, it becomes ridiculous. I completely agree with your stand on this. I can't even imagine what Avatar 2 would be about..., perhaps Jake Sully will once again be sent out into space, along with his Na'vi/Human hybrid children. Just thinking about such a thing is disturbing.
ReplyDeleteGreat blog post, I wouldn't worry about length, as it got the point across well.
Nicholas Flamel
Add me to the mass that's groaning at the thought of an Avatar sequel. Your last line and the post above me say it well: what could the sequel cover that was not already covered in this monster of a movie?
ReplyDelete-Ji