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January 11, 2010

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'Avatar' making the fans dizzy

CHINESE moviegoers have been made "dizzy" by the Hollywood blockbuster "Avatar" since its premiere in the country last Monday, in both good and bad ways due to the 3D effects.

"It is a fantastic experience," office worker Gao Shan said. "I felt as if I was on Pandora (the moon on which the film is set) and I was a member of it." She said it was her first taste of the 3D effect in the cinema.

Movie fan Li Na rushed to the Beijing Ziguang Cinema in spite of snow on the science fiction epic's opening day. When the 162-minute movie finally ended, she found herself in pain from the glasses she had to wear.

"But it is worth it," she said. "If there were an Avatar every year, the world would be perfect."

But the 3D epic also frustrated some moviegoers. A girl surnamed Sang in Shanghai told Xinhua she was stressed out in the two-and-half-hour's screening.

"I can't afford to watch a 3D movie again," she said. "The dizziness was really a pain."

Li had advice for anyone about to see the movie. "It's not necessary to wear the glasses throughout the showing time," she said, "just put them on at the last part."

The popular Sina.com Website also presented tips including a full list of the cinemas which had IMAX and 3D theaters.

An article posted on social networking site kaixin001.com on Wednesday even provided instructions such as the best times to use the washroom and which seats afforded the best experience.

One publication criticized the film for its "poor artistic taste." Outlook Magazine said "Avatar" was an example of too much technology making up for a lack of "literary significance" and "profound meaning." "It tells a mediocre story," it said. "What a sad movie for the film industry."

However, for Chinese moviegoers, the 3D experience is still a novelty. In September 2008, "Journey to the Center of the Earth" brought the first taste of 3D to Chinese audiences.

Chinese cinemas will also see domestic 3D movies coming soon.

Feng Xiaogang's forthcoming "Tangshan Earthquake" is expected to be the first Chinese movie in 3D and could be shown in IMAX theaters. The film, due in July, tells the story of the earthquake which killed more than 242,000 people in 1976 in Tangshan, Hebei Province.




 

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