Smurfs get Sexy and Deadly...unfortunately Handy Smurf not available

Ok, like many of you know...I'm a bit right of center. So that's the news I generally read(I balance at least a 1/3..sad isn't it...like a safety factor)....anyway, so I was really not going to see Avatar because of the green message all the conservatives were howling about. But my sister wanted to go see when she was in town, so we went...so glad we did. Don't get me wrong, you will see everything coming in this movie...we have all seen it before a 100 times. At one point I thought I could sic up Last of the Mohican's with one of the scenes voice track. But for the first time in a decade...I wanted to go back and see it again right away...just plan beautiful.

Things I noticed:

1.  It takes about 10 minutes to get used to the 3d. It's just a matter of learning were to focus...everything is very subtle. Not the old school "hey let's throw a rock out of the screen" 3D. By the last 2/3 your just totally immersed.


2.  Why do all the animals on Pandora have 6 limbs, 4 eyes and 2 of those faux USB devices coming out of their heads except the smurfs?...gotcha...we need to identify with the smurfs...still.

3.  The story would have been SO much better had they followed the story they have posted online(background). In the movie a dirty corp just wants the "gold"...if you read the back story, and they even hint at it in the movie, Earth is dieing...and the mineral is helping to save the population of Earth. Wouldn't that have made a more powerful story if everyone could see a compelling reason for both parties motivations? Course it wouldn't play as well overseas where it is doing gang busters...anti American = money. Except when you need us to protect you!

4.  I loved the bad guy...on a scale of black and white...he was total black, but he was the definition of never second guessing himself, always did what needed to be done...honestly couldn't second guess a single move he made.

5.  Let me know if anyone else thinks it's creepy that all the "elders" of the tribe look exactly like the youngsters. I want some wrinkles...flab...scars!

6.  Speaking of scars...I walk in the woods at night with the dogs just because it freaks me out a bit...I come out with scratches everywhere...Avatar? Like I'm watching a Dove soap commercial.

7.  Only line that really turned me off was when the Marine Colonel said that Jake betrayed his RACE...hello...it should be Species...but seeing as how all the natives are played by minorities(wonderfully), and 99% of the soldiers are white, it can come off bad. I'm just too deep in politics...no that is just too blatant even for hollywood, did it on purpose.

8.  Course the engineer in me just wanted to know why they didn't have something in orbit to just take care of all this trouble.

9.  All in all, the story is old, but it had to be. Cameron wasn't going to get 500mil from the studios to develop the CGI tech to do a risky story.

Update:  If you were a super stealthy huntress, would you wear all those beads in your dreads?  Clink against each other and make all sorts of noise.