Avatar

I know it's a little too late(not my fault), but I finally watched Avatar. In 3D.

As with all movies I watch, I will write a review on this, but first I want to comment on GSC's customer service.

This time, by far, was the most troublesome seat booking fo me. Ever. Since you could only watch 3D in Gurney Plaza (for the entire state of Penang-GSC's fault), I had no other choice but to try book a seat there.

Terence Wang calls GSC.

"Welcome to GSC's phone reservation. Please note that only limited seats are made available for phone reservation. More seats are made available-(Terence)Yes, yes, come on- through our online ticket purchase and at the respective cinema box office counters. For Gurney Plaza, press 1. For... (presses 1). Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief. Press 1. 72 Tenants of Prosperity. Press 2...3...4...5... For international movies, press 6. For more English movies, press 7. (presses 7) Valentine's Day. Press 1. Avatar(3D)-(Terence)Finally-Press 2. (presses 2) Sorry. No show time is available in our system. Please try again later. Terence:" What the *'beep'.

I went through that for several weeks. How could that stupid *'beep' answering machine tell me there was no show time in their *'beep' system when they have an option for Avatar?!

I had no other choice, so I opted for online booking.

Have you booked a seat via GSC's website? If you  have, you know how awful it is. If you don't, never, unless:

i) You have a super fast internet connection.

ii) You are absolutely desparate.

Here's what will happen to you: You will have to wait 20-30 minutes for the page to load. Every page. Mutiply that by all the pages you need to visit, and you get 2-3 hours of waiting. More often then not, you won't get there at all. And when you get there. it's usually sold out.

It disrupted all the plans I had to watch it until Feb 16, when I was really desparate and used ticket purchase instead of booking.

Summary? It's terrible.

But now the movie.

I spent quite a big sum on the movie, and it was worth every sen. Period. The CGI, the setting, the action, it was mostly good.

The Good

Firstly, no other movie has ever made an alien environment look so real. No, not even Star Wars. As Jake rides in that bird passing over the forest, not once you will think it's fake. You will sit there, in your uncomfortable seat, eyes glued to the screen, (maybe) saliva drooling down your mouth.

Secondly, the technology used. Now, James Cameron filmed Avatar for around 10 years. But, all the robots, helicopters and special effects used are perfectly up-to-date and sometimes even better than some other movies. How does he do it? Unknown.

Finally, the battle. That was, undeniably, the highlight of the show. All the talking and learning earlier on blasts wide open to a full on attack. It's so good, I can't describe it. Here's an idea(though still not good enough to describe it):

The Bad

The one complaint I have of Avatar is the 3D glasses. They gave the effect all right, but they made the screen slightly blur. Some 3D effects also didn't work properly. I believe that this problem is local, because reviews from other countries gave great comments about it and did not mention this problem. Dolby take note.

Secondly, the plot. As you walk out of a cinema, you realize that the story was actually quite simple. Human attacks, sends marine undercover, marine turns on them, both races fight, human loses. But then again, this simple plot helps you to follow it better.

A final point I would like to add is that somehow you get the feeling that the film wasn't composed together that well and could have been shorter, at least for the front part.

Summary

8 out of 10. If there was no problem with the glasses it would be 9. Honestly, Avatar is great. It might not be as memorable as Titanic, or as action-packed as Terminator 2, and it isn't Cameron's best effort, but it's still a really good movie. If you still haven't watched it, go. It's still on.

But avoid the online booking. If possible.

Terence Wang wants GSC to improve thier service with 'drastic measures'.

*Censored

Disclaimer: This article is a movie review and does not intend to insult or offend anyone, not even GSC.