How to Enjoy Watching Avatar

The past few weeks has seen moviegoers go completely crazy over James Cameron’s latest creation and, truth be told, it’s with good reason that they do so. Avatar is a beautiful and thrilling experience that caters to most people’s tastes, with a decent storyline all wrapped into a sweet candy shell of intense visuals your eyes can feast upon.

In spite of this; however, Cameron’s work, which was first conceived way back in the mid-nineties and stalled for a good while since, has its shortcomings despite having been so long in production. Here is a simple four-and-a-half step guide to minimize the risk of disappointment and ensure that you are able to make the most of the two and a half hours of entertainment that Avatar has to offer.

Step 1: Forget what you know

The largest trap that most viewers of this film fall victim to is to buy into all the hype that’s behind this film. In no way is it a perfect movie, as many sources may have you believe. If you can avoid raising your expectations too high, then you should avoid setting yourself up to be disappointed.

If you haven’t been following all the news about this movie up to its release then you are at a distinct advantage, especially if you can take things for what they are, rather than what they should be. This leads us to the next step.

Step 2: Immerse yourself

This may be a no-brainer for most movies in general, but many people tend to forget that without maintaining a good sense of “Suspended Disbelief” they often end up looking at the film’s setting and scenarios subjective to reality.

This brings about cynicism to what the film tries to make you believe and, while there are films that do take this too far, Avatar actually pulls this off well; building a world that is both alien and plausible all at the same time. You just have to want to accept it, otherwise you’ll find yourself picking it apart fairly quickly.

Step 2.5: Watch it in 3D

If a 3D theatre is available to you, you owe it to yourself to watch it in the specially made theatres if at all possible. This makes it three times as easy to lose yourself in the atmosphere that the film tries so hard to build and maintain.

IT'S LIKE I CAN TOUCH YOU!

Step 3: Enjoy the visuals

This effectively counts as a corollary to step 2.5, but what this step actually involves is focusing your attention more on the visuals than on the storyline. In its final form, Avatar turned out to be eye candy, more so than a thought provoking piece of film.

While it tends to be evocative of imperialism with strong undertones from Pocahontas (which is in no way a bad thing), the plot is hardly that deep but still fulfils its role in giving the film some purpose beyond that of an action film.

Step 4: Go with friends, just in case

As a last resort, don’t risk going to watch the film by yourself! Find a group of like-minded friends who you can watch the film with, so that if the worst comes to worst you will always have someone with whom to rip on the film if you felt that the experience was irredeemable in every way. This way you will still get some form of entertainment out of the film, even if you disliked it.

And, there you have it. Avatar might not be the movie to herald in the new century, but it is a good opportunity to experience an interesting take on an old idea in new ways and you would do well to make the most of it while you can. Just try not to enjoy it too much, lest you end up getting bitten by Post-Avatar Depression.

[Edit, 10pm, 23rd January: Added an extra fourth step for good measure.]