I went to see Avatar this opening weekend on IMAX 3D at the Sony Metreon in SF. Predictably the show was sold out. Even though we got in line fully 1 hour before the show started we were relegated to side seats due to the long lines.
Great movie! A true breakthrough in movie making and a cinematic feast for the senses. I highly recommend it for everyone, truly a universally appealing film. SPOILER ALERT: If you haven’t seen the movie and want complete ignorance of any part of the plot, read no further. I’ll be mentioning one minor “driftwood moment” in the film for the purposes of this discussion.
Still with me? 12 years ago I saw James Cameron’s last film the epic Titanic. Like everyone else I marvelled at the technological effects of the ship sinking and was also moved by the story. After leaving the theater thoroughly entertained, I realized that there was a moment in the film where I suspended disbelief – [In a suspension of disbelief the audience tacitly agrees to provisionally suspend their judgment in exchange for the promise of entertainment. – Source Wikipedia].
That moment was when Leo and Kate were saying their final goodbyes while Kate had been lovingly pushed onto a piece of driftwood by Leo and he remained submerged in ice cold waters awaiting inevitable death. It was then I snapped back to reality and shouted “hey given the size of the Titanic, you would think that there would be at least one other piece of large driftwood floating around???? A door, anything?”.
From then on I have seen many other “driftwood moments”, some subtle, some more obvious.
My “driftwood moment” for Avatar is when they escape after being captured from their remote camp and jailed at the main compound. The rogue pilot which helps them escape in one of the flying helicrafts is fired upon by the outraged Colonel using hand weapons.
But after they fly off, 1) There’s no ON GROUND WEAPONS/MISSILES THAT COULD BE FIRED? 2) There’s NO PURSUIT??? 3) There’s NO TRACKING THEM?? 4) NO HEADING UP TO THE REMOTE CAMP where they captured them in the first place? They simply let them spend an hour or so attaching and moving their remote camp equipment with no interference.
George Lucas’ original Star Wars at least had the Millennium Falcon pursued after the team escape the Death Star following Obi-Wan being struck down by Vader. There was at least a gun fight with some TIE fighters, before ultimate escape.
Perhaps those scenes ended up on the cutting room floor for Avatar (the movie is after all already 3 hrs long). But no matter, it just goes to show that audiences are willing to put up with “driftwood moments” when the entertainment is this good and compelling. It’s a minor comment and definitely I’m not trying to be a stick in the mud (actually I’m a big IMAX fan and have accumulated some stock in the company over the last 5 years). I’m just pointing out that if we can buy into Pandora and the amazing world created by James Cameron, it’s OK to let other more inconsequential reasoning slip away. After all, that’s what getting to the movies for a little escape is all about.
I’m sure we’ve all had a few “driftwood moment” thoughts at the movies and maybe a few when looking at and evaluating technologies for our businesses. Even if you get swept away by the tremendous functionality and benefits offered, it always pays to look around for that other piece of driftwood just to make sure.