Keeping Up Appearances

I went to see Avatar last week. Did you really? Yes I did. It was nosiness . I had to see what all the fuss was about. And you know what? It was amazing. The more hype there is about something, the more I seem to feel it should be avoided, but if you’ve done something amazing, and trust me Avatar is amazing, isn’t it OK to shout about it?

Avatar is a 3D film which features a fantastic world where rocks float in the sky (and yet gravity keeps the inhabitants firmly on the ground) the nighttime forest looks like the inside of a trendy nightclub, and the little green men with ray guns are actually big blue aliens who like trees and successfully repel futuristic armoured vehicles with bows and arrows.  No, I am not oversimplifying.

The truth is that Avatar’s story doesnt hold up to scrutiny and some of the inconsistencies are annoying, even while you are watching. The special effects, while mind-blowingingly clever are SO mind-blowingly clever that they cross the invisible wall. For the first time in a long time of watching hollywood science fiction I found myself thinking ‘These effects are really good’ That’s bad. I much prefer the occasions when I simply don’t think of the special effects at all, either because they are very real, or because the story is moving along at such a pace I don’t have time to think about them.

So, if you haven’t, go and see Avatar. It is a very pretty film and the 3D  and other visual effects are very very clever, but don’t expect a great or absorbing story, because there isn’t one.

Most especially don’t confuse clever with good, and don’t confuse appearance with substance. This morning I read a blog from a woman praising the pledge her son took when going to pre-school. He made a commitment to excellence in everything he did. Sounds good. Sounds very good, but how many pre-school children know what commitment or excellence mean? And how many parents want them to?  Isn’t it enough for our toddlers just to have fun? Full marks for appearance, zero for substance.

Which brings me back to nightgowns. Do you want to know how clever we are when we design them? Do you want to know all the steps we take in creating a new design, testing the fabric, wearing the garment, before we add it to our web site? Of course not. That’s just us shouting that we’re really clever  at what we do. You want to know what the garments will do for you, that it will feel fabulous against your skin, that the color will faltter your eyes and your hair, that the style will fit well and comfortably flattering you best features, and most of all that it will make you feel absolutely fabulous in a way that only garments that have been made especially for you can.

So go and see Avatar, and try not to get too upset about how good it could have been if it worried a little more about substance and a little less about appearances.

Related articles

• Videos: Avatar Earns 9 Oscar Noms – See How Cameron Created His Sci-Fi Epic (wired.com)
• Experience, Not Effects (derrickkwa.com)
• Avatar; A Must See Film, Is A Sequel Far Behind? (middletownmike.blogspot.com)
• Should Avatar win the Best Picture Oscar? (dvice.com)
• Is Avatar really a political movie? (blogs.suntimes.com)
• Is the World Ready for “Serious” 3D? (cinematical.com)
• ‘Avatar’ blues: $500 million settlement wipes out Navis (money.cnn.com)

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