Love it or hate it, after watching a James Cameron movie, there is always an extreme reaction. In this case, ‘Avatar’ got me really enthusiastic about it, and this was only after watching a short preview in a special screening yesterday in Mumbai, India. You can imagine my reaction after I watch the complete movie!

It took more than 12 years for James Cameron to bring this visual buffet to the movie screen for the benefit of us mere mortals. Granted, you might have heard of  the plot before, but what makes this movie more enjoyable is everything else surrounding the story. And of course, the 3D effects made the live-action scenes just flat-out fun to watch. I don’t know – and don’t pretend to know – the technology that goes behind 3D movie-making, but watching the scenes in 3D definitely made a lot of difference. Some of the differences were more subtle, while others were of the 3D kind but at a higher-than-expected standard.

Some of the scenes definitely felt like I was watching a slickly-designed game being played out. (Yes, I may be considered a noob since I wasn’t aware that Mr. JC recently previewed the 3D Avatar video game.) Throughout the screening, and at the end of the movie, everyone found themselves instinctively cooing the “oohs” and “aaahs” along with other appreciative noises. I was completely caught up as the characters went through the different emotions of curiosity, awe, caution, strength, and triumph.

It makes the regular movie watcher – or those who don’t usually find themselves on strange new moons fighting “a heroic battle to save a civilization” – truly feel like they are actually there in the labs side-by-side with Sigourney Weaver’s Dr. Grace Augustine (Ripley has had a promotion. Cool!) as the transformation takes place for Sam Worthington’s Jake Sully from a crippled soldier into his larger-than-life avatar. For those not in the know, Sigourney Weaver starred as Ellen Ripley in the 1986 sci-fi funhouse ‘Aliens’, and Sam Worthington latest endeavour is ‘Terminator Salvation’.

Four of my all-time favourite movies have been directed by Mr. Cameron himself, so you might think I went into the screening being completely biased for the director. Truth be told, I hadn’t heard of the movie until a month ago. This shouldn’t be taken as an indication of the impact (or lack thereof) of the Avatar publicity. To be doubly sure that my goldfish-like attention span doesn’t miss out again, I have the flyer from the screening pasted on my wall right at my desk.

Thanks to the Avatar India team who offered up some invites to OnlyGizmos readers and science fiction fans. I can’t wait for 18 December to roll on by so that I can run out and buy my ticket to watch this flick in an IMAX theatre.

A guest post for Annkur Ji. Hope he bears with this vexatious writing.

We all live, act and take decisions as per our discretion. The righteous listen to their conscience, the evil look in for their benefits. But sometimes and maybe always, we are bound to take decisions irrespective of how these  will effect people, friends and even us.

It is best to listen to our conscience when we get into these tricky situations. Whom to choose, the good or the right. The good will expect us to go wrong (either professionally or personally), just to become infinitely good and lovable. The right will get us all the condemnation from everybody involved. It becomes difficult to stand up alone being the right.

But the question is: How to discern what is being right?

The most difficult task is to strongly believe that our decision is right irrespective of all the ups and downs. A lot of times, we keep getting confused, trying to change and mend the situations around. Although not perfect, but there is a small solution. Sit and think, for as long as you can, debating with yourself about everything involved. Think putting yourself in others shoes. Think why somebody is acting in a particular manner. And then take your decision. A well thought decision taken from your conscience will never be wrong.

It is not necessary to be righteous, or rather thinking that everybody should think of you as the right. Support of the masses, is never possible even for the best of leaders. Forgetting family, friends and loved ones and their feelings during the process of decision making is the worst phase. But people around are not for always. In our whole life, we keep meeting people, keep losing people. The only omniscient factor throughout is our conscience.

So be right to your self. Do what you think is good. If confused, give it a good thought sitting in silence. Take a decision and pursue it with your might.

(This is a guest post by Anonymous, hope anonymous would interact with you below in comments)

Guest post by my lovely sister: Anchal

Our journey to Delhi (coming back from Agra) was adventurous. Highly frustrated with the long wait at the Agra Railway Station…OMG our train was over an hour late. Bearing the heat was the biggest fear. We managed to find a seat in an air conditioned waiting room. I doubt if the AC was switched on. Anyways, after a long wait, we went to the platform to discover a non Indian chap even more frustrated. Hehe and Annkur couldn’t have missed clicking him; and, why not? They make movies on Indian slums, we just got a picture.

And then the conversation began… Mr. Ohio truly inspired by “Jab We Met”  (that was the last Hindi movie he saw ) booked a train ticket to the capital without realizing the difference between an AC coach and a General Coach. But then, the sight of 200 people traveling together in the same coach in this heat scared him. And annkur inspired by Aamir Khan helped him get out of this. Hmm… negotiations with the TC fetched Mathew a seat… point to be noted: I and annkur had to share a seat. Mathew somehow managed to fit into that berth…I don’t know if he was too giant or the berth was too small.

Nice guy he was, studying films in Bangalore… This gave us a point to discuss; movies ranging from Jab We Met to Dev D and Deepa Mehta to Mira Nairji.

I hope that he has got his camera repaired by now. Lets see if he meets Annkur on the 19^th of this month when he lands in Mumbai.