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Avalon (2001)

Starring: Malgorzata Foremniak, Wladyslaw Kowalski Director: Mamoru Oshii Rating: R (Restricted) Format: DVD
3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (40 customer reviews)
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Product Details

  • Actors: Malgorzata Foremniak, Wladyslaw Kowalski, Jerzy Gudejko, Dariusz Biskupski, Bartlomiej Swiderski
  • Directors: Mamoru Oshii
  • Format: Anamorphic, Color, Dolby, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
  • Language: French (Unknown), Polish (Dolby Digital 5.1), English (Dolby Digital 5.1)
  • Subtitles: English, French
  • Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  • Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
  • Number of discs: 1
  • Rating: R (Restricted)
  • Studio: Miramax
  • DVD Release Date: December 16, 2003
  • Run Time: 107 minutes
  • Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (40 customer reviews)
  • ASIN: B0000D9PNY
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #33,363 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

    Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

    #5 in  Movies & TV > Animation > By Animator > Mamoru Oshii
    #89 in  Movies & TV > Art House & International > Asian Cinema > Japan > Science Fiction & Fantasy

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Occupying a hazardous fantasy war zone located somewhere between David Cronenberg's eXistenZ and the Matrix trilogy, Mamoru Oshii's Avalon is a must-see entry in the subgenre of virtual-reality thrillers. Combining live-action set in a dystopian near future (filmed in Poland) and digital imagery set within a state-sponsored virtual combat game called Avalon, this sluggishly paced but visually dazzling film is another brain-teaser from the director of Ghost in the Shell. The action focuses on a maverick Avalon ace named Ash (played by the lovely Polish actress Malgorzata Foremniak) who advances to the game's highest and most mysterious level, "Class Real," a virtual world so authentically convincing that some--called "the Unreturned"--choose never to leave it. As with the Matrix trilogy, Avalon is more intriguing in premise than execution, filled with hushed tones and heavy-handed portent. Still, the amber-hued ruins of Oshii's virtual landscape are oddly alluring as a means of escape--a warning from Oshii, perhaps, that even the most exciting virtual reality is a trap that can prove deadly to those who fall into it willingly. --Jeff Shannon

Product Description
From Mamoru Oshii, the acclaimed director of GHOST IN THE SHELL, AVALON is a mesmerizing sci-fi thriller with explosive action and state-of-the-art visual effects in the stunning style of THE MATRIX! In the not-so-distant future, desperate young people risk everything to play "Avalon" -- an illegal and potentially lethal virtual war game where addicted combatants earn points and wealth. For one of the game’s greatest warriors, the "noble soldier" Ash, the search for Avalon’s legendary game stage Class Real will either lead to an entirely higher level of existence -- or be a journey from which she will never return! With awe-inspiring visuals and an intriguing futuristic story, lose yourself in the excitement of this amazing cinematic adventure!

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Customer Reviews

40 Reviews
5 star:
 (14)
4 star:
 (16)
3 star:
 (3)
2 star:
 (4)
1 star:
 (3)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.9 out of 5 stars (40 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
50 of 51 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Not the Original Directors Vision!, April 18, 2004
By "ajhuron7" (San Antonio, Texas USA) - See all my reviews
Here we go again. MIRAMAX basterdizes another movie. MIRAMAX tends to buy the rights to these great movies & then changes them. I've seen the original AVALON so I can comment on what's been changed. First, the original washed out color of the film is replaced with an deep orange. This really ruins some of the original scenes.At least some colors in the original movie came out. MIRAMAX has ruined the directors vision. If you have this DVD see the extras on the cinamatography & SFX. At least there you'll see the original color that was intended by director Mamoru Oshii.The 2nd thing that's been added is the additoinal dialogue. The main chracter explains the game after her 1st victory. This has been added by MIRAMAX. And lastly at the end or character explains it all or tries to.All this was added to the movie. The directors intention is to make you guess & ponder this wonderful story. But MIRAMAX has decided for you. About the only thing I'll give them credit is the great English dub. I also enjoyed the extras. I have to give this 3 stars. If you can write a protest letter to MIRAMAX. It's so sad how a american Distributor can tamper & ruin a directors vision. I'd recommend getting a foreign version of this movie if you can.
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars An Interesting Film Worth Seeing, July 23, 2004
I am writing this only to help counteract some of the idiocy in other reviews. This movie is not for everyone: no movie is. It is a beautifully shot, wonderfully sculpted, slow-paced, and thought-provoking movie. It does not hand the answers to you on a plate, and that may bother some people, particularly those lazy viewers who rely on Hollywood films to tell them what to think with no room for imagination.

It is not a rip-off of The Matrix. If anything, it's derivative of Oshii's earlier films and thought, which heavily influenced The Matrix. I also loved Ghost in the Shell for many of the same reasons that I liked Avalon. It has some of the pacing of Taste of Cherry. It allows a person to settle in, relax, and absorb all of the deliciousness of the style of the movie and to get inside Ash, the heroine.

The special features are worth seeing. The director is very clear in his interview what his thoughts and intent are in the film. This film is a piece of art, and as such it allows each person to take from it what they want. I can understand people not liking it, but it cannot be denied that this film was done with care and passion and expresses the vision of an interesting person.

There are so many movies out there that are merely eye candy, like the recent Star Wars films, that are so bad otherwise. And so many movies that rely on violence or special effects and are wholly unoriginal but satisfy the kind of viewer who laments how his girlfriend fell asleep and who calls the director, "pretentious." There are few people in the world with the creativity, passion, and artistic sense of this director.

Avalon is not the greatest movie ever made, or even in the top 100, but it is far better than most of the dreck released each week, and it is a movie that makes you think and stays with you. It is worth seeing by anyone who enjoys something a little different and has the patience and courage to use their own brain and not have a movie that's spoon-fed to them.

And then there's the wonderful basset hound.
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Must-see for anyone interested in the nuances of filmmaking, February 17, 2004
It is unfortunate that we've been so jaded by the Hollywood version of what a film should be that we would pass up the nuances that can make an otherwise mediocre film into a great film, albeit if mainly for its cinematographic value. Some appear to have judged Avalon, and the efforts of its director (Oshii), within this context--even presuming that the film is nothing more than a bad Matrix wannabe. This is not the case, in my view.

I much prefer to be enticed by subtle details and given an opportunity to become immersed in mood than bombarded with a lot of special effects and high-flying acrobatics. This is what I found to be so refreshing about this movie.

As for providing explanations to everything, well, I don't know that that is always needed in a film in order for it to be entertaining. So is it that I find it interesting that our Western mindset cannot deal with finding deeper meanings, through our own interpretations, in most anything that we encounter. It's as if we expect to pause our brains and be entertained through mere visual stimulation. Of course, I know that this is not really what others have described. Still, this is the type of movie that I believe deserves better than what I've read in these reviews. It's funny that I say all this and it was precisely the visuals that made the film so endearing. There's nothing passe about achieving a high level of beauty in a film, and we are fortunate to have "some" directors still mindful of this growingly archaic attention to detail.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Surpressed by Weinstein [MIRAMAX] - ORIGNIAL MATRIX
Kiddies - check the dates - PRE-DATES THE MATRIX

Okay I can;t find the reference but I heard of Avalon via the web - I didn't read the cheats or reviews. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Harry Widoff

3.0 out of 5 stars What happened to the dog? (spoilers)
The movie is basically in 3 parts. 1) The introduction to the game - 5 stars; 2) The setup of the mission - 3 stars; 3) The execution of the mission - 1 star. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Leslie A Munday

4.0 out of 5 stars dreamlike visuals
don't let the subtitles drive you off, there is very little dialog here & the story is told visually. Read more
Published 13 months ago by zed mizar

1.0 out of 5 stars Another miss from Mamoru
Here is another miss. I'm sorry but Mamoru is just not a good director. He's had more failures than Elizabeth Taylor has had marriages. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Dave Meki

4.0 out of 5 stars Buy it Just for the Music
This movie is a strange combination of mystical Japanese computer art with a brooding Polish mythology that no matter how creative and determined you are, your lives are... Read more
Published 15 months ago by Robert R. Birge

4.0 out of 5 stars Oshii blurs the lines of reality again.
Avalon is a tough movie to review. On the one hand its a slow, methodical sci-fi movie that is visually stunning, but seems to be overly long and unnecessarily obtuse. Read more
Published on June 4, 2007 by Roman Martel

2.0 out of 5 stars Style Over Substance: "Avalon" Renders a Gorgeous Virtual Reality Environment, Then Kills It With Clunky Pacing And Dialogue
Having heard numerous good things about "Avalon," from "Ghost in the Shell" director Mamoru Oshii, it has been on my essential viewing list for quite some time. Read more
Published on March 27, 2007 by K. Harris

5.0 out of 5 stars The Matrix and much more
This movie has a similar virtual reality angel as the Matrix trilogy, but is more challanging to follow, but well worth it.
Published on January 20, 2007 by John H. Spruhan

4.0 out of 5 stars A superlative odyssey
Perhaps one of the most gorgeously filmed movies I've seen (but I'm partial to the anything with a golden glow). Read more
Published on December 31, 2006 by Opinionated

4.0 out of 5 stars Good plot!
A woman is addicted to an illegal war game. She's one of the top warriors of the game and even makes her living by playing it. Her goal is to be the first to complete it. Read more
Published on July 11, 2006 by Zombilicious

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