More than meets the eye...

Me and Julie went with my sister and my dad to see Avatar a few weeks ago. Initially I was skeptical of all the hype and build up so, I had to check it out. After scouring the interweb, I decided that we should go see the IMAX 3D version at the theater near our house. After reading countless articles written about the movie, needless to say, I was bitten by the Hypebeast. I was anxious to see this movie. I didn't know what to expect. The only IMAX experience that I have had was at Omaha's Henry Doorly about 15 years ago and I think I fell asleep half way through that experience.

So we got to the theater about 30 minutes before the movie started, met my sister, picked up our nifty 3D glasses, bought a little popcorn to go with some butter, and found our seats, which my sister and dad had been reserving for us all. The theater was packed and there were still more people pouring in. I just could not wait until the actual movie started. Everyone was checking out the 3D glasses and you could just feel that there was a buzz in the air. With about 20 minutes to go before the movie began, the previews before the previews started. I couldn't believe how long the previews were. There was commercial after commercial and then the movie previews began. These were actually in 3D so, it was just a little taste of what was about to come. Then finally, at last, the movie begun. The title starts to roll and my mind is all over the place. When does the 3D start? What kind of 3D will it be? Will we get a headache? Will there be stuff flying at us through the whole movie? And then, OOOO, AAHHH, WHOA, WOW, BAM, BOOM, HOLY, MAN, DAMN THAT WAS A GOOD MOVIE!!!

The movie was mind blowing. This was a milestone in the history of movies. 3D wasn't just a gimmick they added to the movie. 3D was the movie. Some people wanted a better story and greater character development but, those people are missing the point. Like it or not, the movie was about 3D and James Cameron's new technology. The movie was the result of developing this technology and it really shows what you can accomplish with it. I now have a reason to watch a movie in the theater again. Now it's more than just a movie, it's an experience. It was such an experience that it makes you want to go back again and again. I've been trying to think about how to put the experience into words with a comparison and here's what I have come up with. It's like dreaming with eyes open while you're wide awake...