ROUND 1: ZERO TO HERO
AVATAR: With the recent onslaught of 3D feature films, it looks as though moviegoers’ close encounters of the third kind are here to stay. James Cameron’s AVATAR and Tim Burton’s ALICE IN WONDERLAND are two notable flicks that have set the bar for future 3D releases. But, gimmicks aside, just which film was the better blockbuster? Leave it toCombatCornerto decide. The hero of AVATAR is Jake Sully, a paraplegic ex-marine who is freed from his wheelchair with the help of his avatar’s body. He joins forces with the indigenous Na’vi species to fight against human destruction of their native land.
ALICE: The heroine in Tim Burton’s take on the Lewis Carroll classic is – you guessed it – Alice, a 19-year-old girl with a mind of her own. Alice saves the day when she slays the Jabberwocky and dethrones the tyrannical Red Queen.
Alice deserves kudos for channelling girl power, but whereas Alice reluctantly takes up her cause, Sully actively fights for his. Sully scores!
SCORE: AVATAR – 1
ALICE IN WONDERLAND – 0
ROUND 2: PLIGHT OF THE PLOT
AVATAR: AVATAR has all the elements of a great epic: love at first sight, betrayal, redemption, and revenge. Yet, despite these familiar ingredients, the plot is an original set in the year 2154, chronicling the tensions between the humans who want to mine a mineral calledunobtanium on a faraway moon and the native species that live there.
ALICE: By contrast, ALICE IN WONDERLAND is far too predictable and leaves viewers with the sneaking suspicion that they’ve seen it all before. And that’s because they have. The plot is weak and can be summarized as thus: “Girl falls into rabbit hole. Girl is told to kill dragon. Girl kills dragon. Girl leaves the rabbit hole. The end.” Pathetic.
AVATAR’s plot pushes ALICE down the rabbit hole. AVATAR earns another point!
SCORE: AVATAR – 2
ALICE IN WONDERLAND – 0
ROUND 3: VISUAL EFFECTS FRACAS
AVATAR: In the absence of a good story, viewers can still revel in the films’ visual effects. AVATAR serves viewers a platter of exotic sights and dreamlike worlds unlike any others seen before. It is therefore no surprise that the film won an Oscar for Best Visual Effects.
ALICE: The visual display of ALICE IN WONDERLAND is similarly stunning. However, while the colours dazzled and the characters befuddled, some of the effects were choppy, including the Knave of Hearts’ awkward walk. Furthermore, the impressive visuals only served to reinforce the story’s inadequacy.
AVATAR’s effects are so good that you feel like you’ve been transported to Pandora when you watch it.
SCORE: AVATAR – 3
ALICE IN WONDERLAND – 0
ROUND 4: MESSAGE IN A “BATTLE”
AVATAR: To be a good movie, films don’t necessarily need to have an underlying theme or message. Sometimes films are good simply because they’re fun to watch. Thebest movies, however, resonate on a higher level. They speak to the human condition, challenge and inspire us to act. AVATAR does just that. The film exposes the very worst of humanity and, through Sully’s heroism, encourages us to be better.
ALICE: ALICE IN WONDERLAND is a beautiful film, but Tim Burton doesn’t give us any other reason to care. On one hand, the film sends an important message about the power of one’s imagination and not conforming to society’s expectations. On the other hand, there’s no dominant moral of the story.
Simply put, ALICE IN WONDERLAND is like the Red Queen: it has no heart. AVATAR scores again!
SCORE: AVATAR – 4
ALICE IN WONDERLAND – 0
ROUND 5: “GROSS” MISCONDUCT
AVATAR: If it is true that moviegoers vote for their favourite films with their wallets, then AVATAR has been a resounding success. The James Cameron film has shattered the director’s TITANIC record, grossing over $2.7 billion worldwide. That makes AVATAR the highest-grossing film of all time.
ALICE: Meanwhile, despite all the hype that surrounded its release, ALICE IN WONDERLAND made a more modest income of over $829,374,000 in box office sales worldwide.
AVATAR makes evenunobtanium look attainable! AVATAR mops the floor with ALICE.
SCORE: AVATAR – 5
ALICE IN WONDERLAND – 0
ROUND UP: ALICE IN WONDERLANDmayhave Depp, but it has no depth. Disney’s newest incarnation of the classic tale held a lot of promise, but – truth be told – ALICE IN WONDERLAND just isn’t that wonderful. AVATAR offers a unique cinematic experience that combines a hero we can believe in, a timely message, brilliant visual effects, and commercial success with a helping of good old fashioned storytelling. So, if it’s wonder you want, then AVATAR is the answer.
Web Links:
www.avatarmovie.com
www.disney.com/aliceinwonderland