Kirk Honeycutt of The Hollywood Reporter called “Avatar” a “jaw-dropping wonder” after the London premiere last Thursday, though he has only three words about the 3D — “crisp 3D realism” — in his lengthy and gushing review.
Many other reviewers had similar praise yet “Avatar” couldn’t overcome movies like “The Hangover” or, ironically, the 3D movies “Up” and the much smaller-scale “Coraline” in the eyes of the American Film Institute, which left Cameron’s movie off their top 10 list for 2009.
Roger Ebert called “Avatar” “sensational entertainment,” and the 3D sketpic even had kind words for the use of the 3D, referring to it as “one of the most carefully-employed. …doesn’t promiscuously violate the fourth wall. (Cameron) also seems quite aware of 3-D’s weakness for dimming the picture, and even with a film set largely in interiors and a rain forest, there’s sufficient light.”
About two-thirds of the approximately 3,300 screens showing “Avatar” are expected to be screening it in 3D. Yet reviewers had little to say about that element.
In a cursory mention of the 3D element in his review, Variety’s Todd McCarthy says the 3D is “agreeably unemphatic, drawing the viewer into the action without calling attention to itself. The third dimension functions as an enhancement, not a raison d’etre, so the film will look perfectly fine without it.”
Some critics were underwhelmed by the movie and the 3D:
* Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly said the movie is “likely to leave audiences simultaneously amazed and unmoved… it all but evaporates as you watch it.”
As for the 3D, Gleiberman says its use is subtle, with no gimmickry or any shot “that invited you to notice it.” The “…whole world is heightened, popping, bolder than life. I’m not sure if the 3-D of Avatar is really much more than a gilded-lily enhancement.”
Gleiberman give “Avatar” a “B” rating.
* Jake Coyle of the AP says it “feels unsatisfying and somehow lacks the pulse of a truly alive film.” His only comment on the 3d is that is has never “been used with such a depth of field.” He gives it 2 1/2 out of 4-stars.
Watch for a posting here late Wednesday/early Thursday offering personal perspective and a sense of the crowd reaction from the L.A. premiere Wednesday night at the Chinese Theater in Hollywood.
— By Scott Hettrick