Movies with fast paced action that allows no thought

"Great" movies are now works of visual art rather than moral of the story, or philosophy? How do you feel that movies boast themselves through enormous budgets and how much they earn when most likely the hit movie was just mostly visual computer effects and shallow characters?

What is your opinion on Avatar (by James Cameron)?

It proved visual effects can trump story telling. But then again, movies by default are meant to be portrayed visually, and that if one is looking for a good story they should look for a book? What is your opinion on the latter?

Movies with extremely appealing and eye catching special effects is something you can only see and enjoy for so long. While they can be extremely popular for a time they won't last the test of time if they have nothing else to show. Eventually something with better visual will come around.


I disagree about Avatar, story wise its not as bad as many people so desperately try to make it to be. It was a very entertaining movie with very good special effects and a okish story. The only thing that annoys me from Avatar is that ever since it was released too many movies try to advertise as 3D and the like.

I could see the ending of Avatar from the first 10 minutes. I like a movie that gives you a 180, or even a 360 and makes the ending that much better. Movies that are fast paced are pretty good because I always watch it a second time and begin to notice things that I didn't see before.

Originally Posted by Celsius

I could see the ending of Avatar from the first 10 minutes. I like a movie that gives you a 180, or even a 360 and makes the ending that much better. Movies that are fast paced are pretty good because I always watch it a second time and begin to notice things that I didn't see before.

Well its just like with his movie Titanic...you knew how it was going to end. It comes down to is the ride worth getting to the destination.

Originally Posted by danzig

Well its just like with his movie Titanic...you knew how it was going to end. It comes down to is the ride worth getting to the destination.

Well Titanic was different because the sinking of the ship was a plot device rather than the actual point of the film.

I contend that Cameron's best films thoughtwise are Terminator 1 and 2, although I've been notified by Rapax in another thread that Terminator 1 and 2 undermine each other. I'm still not sure what the problem is, but I've been notified that it is there.

I also liked The Abyss, and at the risk of losing my mancard, I also liked Titanic. I pretty much have the same opinion of Avatar as everyone else: excellent visuals, weak on story.

Originally Posted by LegionnaireX

Well Titanic was different because the sinking of the ship was a plot device rather than the actual point of the film.

I contend that Cameron's best films thoughtwise are Terminator 1 and 2, although I've been notified by Rapax in another thread that Terminator 1 and 2 undermine each other. I'm still not sure what the problem is, but I've been notified that it is there.

I also liked The Abyss, and at the risk of losing my mancard, I also liked Titanic. I pretty much have the same opinion of Avatar as everyone else: excellent visuals, weak on story.

Pfft count me in as well I liked Titanic alot, good storytelling is good storytelling and Cameron did a good job there. Forgot all about The Abyss I liked that movie too

Avatar was just a tech demo.

There was no thought in it.

I like movies that entertain. Avatar was entertaining so I liked it. Anyway I have to admit that we lack real epics like Ben Hur, Waterloo, El Cid, Gone with the Wind. We also lack dense movies like Das Boot, a clockwork orange, just to name a few.

Avatar had nice visuals, but that's it.

Gamer and the infamous Avatar (but since it's from James Cameron, it is no surprise).

I don't see why action/eye candy and a meaningful story have to be mutually exclusive, films that are able to find the middle ground are the best (Pixar films for instance).

Originally Posted by hippacrocafish

I don't see why action/eye candy and a meaningful story have to be mutually exclusive

They usually are. for one film that has both, there are a dozen that has one or the other.

Cameron seems quite into the whole indigenous people dying out cuz of other civilization taking over thing. You cant accuse him for not caring about the Avatar story seeing him hopping around in some docu with some paints on his face in the mids of some Amazon tribe.

I can see why its to hollywood hippy for many, but for many others its compelling enough. I've definitely seen worse story-telling this year. Watch Salt.

Add Commando.

The problem is, that the movies that sometimes overly hyped are the ones that tend to run into the trouble of being supported to much on the action leg of the chair and lack all support on all the other legs. However, there are definitely movies out there that achieve a balance. Of them I can name a few off the bat;

Saving Private Ryan (Opening Sequence and rescue at end)
Fifth Element (Car Chase and Lelu's fight during Opera)
Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon (multiple fight sequences, restaurant sequence popping to mind)
Matrix (first one, others were a poor attempt to achieve something they didn't even know what)
The Professional (end "I mean EVERYONE!" sequence)
Braveheart (can't recall battle, you all know it)

There is a reason for such scenes in movies. And the title tells us that reason, don't give the audience time to think about it. Let them be right in the middle of it with the characters. However, as the movies i mentioned above do so well, you also have to give time for the audience to breath and to begin to think again and let them see how the characters react and relate to that action as well. If you have a movie with constant action, and the characters don't progress or react to it in some sort of half believable way, then you just exhaust your audience and give no time to let any plot progress and well, you end up with nothing more than skeptical, like the A-Team or Transformers.

I will say one thing in defense of Avatar, it did give the audience time to breath. There were only two large battle sequences, the rest were events or progression.

Rambo IV didn't start off too quick, but this can not detract that it has the highest death rate of any film ever. Seriously, Rambo was shooting dudes in half by the dozen with a heavy machine gun by the end. Also, I was suprised at how much I enjoyed Terminator IV: Salvation. Nice little no-brain-much-fun film.

I think you are making a generalization. For every great movie that achieves a good level of style, visuals and story there are many that try to emulate it and fail.

Avatar was very successful with the 3D but IMO failed in everything else, and the movie industry is trying to emulate it but failing in th 3D area and not even bothering with the story.

Originally Posted by Louis Lux

I think you are making a generalization.

movies are not humans. this cannot be applied to movies at all.

now agree with me.

Starship Troopers

Originally Posted by Boyar Son

"Great" movies are now works of visual art rather than moral of the story, or philosophy? How do you feel that movies boast themselves through enormous budgets and how much they earn when most likely the hit movie was just mostly visual computer effects and shallow characters?

What is your opinion on Avatar (by James Cameron)?

It proved visual effects can trump story telling. But then again, movies by default are meant to be portrayed visually, and that if one is looking for a good story they should look for a book? What is your opinion on the latter?

My 3D geek heart enjoyed Avatar but my brain was offended every step of the way how uninspired the whole ing story was. The sad thing is: Eye candy should not trump story telling ... but it seemingly does for most people. So am I the freak of nature or is something wrong with people?

Same thing with the new Star Trek. All flashy, fast and slick but the whole ing story does not make a blip of sense within a universe where actually anything goes!

Imo it seems the marketing departments run the show now completely and optimizes the visual arts towards risk avoidance, profit optimization and market analysis. While it is somewhat understandable because the movie budgets are through the roof this completely sabotages what a narrating medium is supposed to do: Telling an interesting story or telling a possibly less interesting story it in an interesting way.

That's why to me District 9 with it's meager 30-40 million budget was ten times more interesting than Avatar with its 300+ million budget: Someone wanted to tell a story he was somehow invested in and not take something, throw it in a blender and have the art and marketing department optimize it for maximum effect from a financial standpoint.