What was your first showing like?
 

I'm curious, for the rest of the forum, what was your first showing like?

My wife and I went on opening night. I had been excited about Avatar since seeing the trailer back in the summer. I was able to get tickets for a Friday evening showing online, though we had really terrible seats - in the front (well, about 5 rows back) and on the far left of the screen.

We see a good number of movies each year - I would estimate probably 30-40 a year in the theatre. A Friday or Saturday with my wife and I usually consists of a nice meal followed by a trip to the cinema. It's just one of the things we really enjoy.

Despite the 3D looking a little off, I was transported into one of the most amazing cinematic experiences of my life. But the best part, for me, was right at the end. After a movie that messed with my emotions all the way through, right at the very end of the movie, when they zoom in on Jake's eyes ... and they open ... and those drum hits ... then AVATAR appears on the screen? At that point the theatre literally burst into some of the loudest applause I've ever heard in a theatre.

The last movie I saw before Avatar that got any applause in the theatre was Return of the King.

So what was it like for you guys? What made your first trip to Pandora so special?

One of the friends I went with the first time kept making sarcastic comments which spoiled the immersion, and I had a cold, but I still loved it.

My first showing was a last minute night out with friends.

We decided to go to the cinema and Avatar was the only film showing at the time (its quite a small cinema).

I am ashamed that my first thought before going to see Avatar was "Meh, this is just another over-hyped film, it will suck."

I was going with two friends a few days after it was released and I was pretty excited because I had seen the trailer and had the feeling that this movie could be one of the greatest I have seen for a long time. I was the only one of the three of us who had seen the trailer, though, so I said to my friends just that they are going to like it. I woludn't want them to expect to much.
After the movie we were speechless and completely overwhelmed, they because they hadn't expected anything, me, because I just had expected one of the greatest movie I've seen for a long time, but what I just had seen was by far the most outstanding movie I've experienced in my whole life.

My first viewing of Avatar was the most cathartic and inwardly validating experience I have ever had.

I went to see it with a friend, who only interrupted my immersion with a couple of comments. He had seen the film a couple of weeks before (I saw it in Madison, WI, on my way from North Dakota to Tennessee). Basically my eyes were wet the whole time, with extra wetness at appropriate moments :shy:. I recognized Pandora as a very realistic representation of my home. I had never seen it before, but when i saw it I recognized it. I recognized the way the People conducted themselves with each other. It was also wonderful to see the "Indians" win for a change. I was literally (silently) sobbing in response to Neytiri when she jumped up and screamed "Eywa has heard you!" I was, after all, seated next to a male friend... :P

A couple of years ago I had a dream where I was given the choice to go with one of several species of alien beings before me. There were tall greys, short greys, blue guys, reptiles, and one Leonine ET all by himself. I knew it was a male from his mane as well as his energy. Also he was holding a jar in his hands which contained a genetic experiment so delicate that it required his constant attention. I chose to go with him because he felt like family.

This dream came back to me after the film, and added to the conviction that "I know these people!"

I cried during Dances with Wolves... but not through the whole dang film!

I also did not want to talk about the film for a couple of hours after watching it. I was still downloading and processing the massive amount of archetypal data that I was opened to by the film. My father had the same response. I was surprised to hear that many others, including Zoe Saldana's 10-year-old niece, had the same experience.

Pure awesomeness.

What is wrong with me tonight? :D

I read this topics name as
"What was your first showering like?"

--

Really, I only saw Avatar because I'd heard a bit about it and seen the trailer once and just happened to be bored with an evening and £10 to spare.
I actually bought food for it... what a waste of money, because I just forgot about it fairly early in, and was just sitting there, watching.

Afterwards was really weird, I felt kind of happy, but wasn't really sure why, I recommended it to a few people but don't think they ever did see it I also felt that distant feeling that I'm sure will be so familiar now to many people, but didn't really think about it then. PAD didn't set in until the next day, and I had no idea what had caused it until a day or so after that.

Very well said

That sums up my experience as well. I was stunned. I'm surprised that I was able to put one foot in front of the other and walk out of theater. It was incredible. Hours? It was more like a whole day. I was not expecting to be hit so very hard.

I think you've got something on your mind Eltu :P


On topic, I knew very little about the film, I knew I wanted to see it but this was mainly from all the hype - this was February time, I heard a couple of guys at work mention they were going to see it & I asked them if I could tag along. We went to the Imax cinema & I was simply blown away for the entire film, I'd never seen a film that literally took me to another planet, the whole thing was beyond epic.

Incredible
I remember it vaguely, as though through veil of mist, as I was totally encapsulated by the film. I was on the edge of the seat for the whole 3 hours. It was that incredible that I (as mentioned in A-F) lost motor control at the end of the film. I was stuck in the seat for a while trying to comprehend the film :D

My friends had decided two days before opening "Hey we're going to see Avatar," they presented me with a link and ordered me to buy a ticket. I had no idea what Avatar was, having not seen previews, heard any hype or really, known that it existed.

The viewing itself was rather subdued. No applause, no cheering, no crying or anything (that I heard). Still, it was IMAX 3D.

I saw it the day after it came out. Just because I had nothing better to do. Honestly, from the trailer I thought it looked a little weird...

I was like, in a trance the whole time. XD It actually wasn't till hours later after I first saw it that I realized how amazing it was. I had PAD, but didn't realize it until I joined AF. I was so glad that I wasn't the only one who felt that way...

Gone with a friend when avatar was coming into austria cinemas. Had quite low expecations but the hell i was amazed in the End.. A perfect experience no matter at what part you look at. :)

Most loved movie of all time for me :)

Booked 2 weeks in advance.

Left college at 2:30 and set off to see it at the Imax for 5:30

Arrived at the Imax 3:00. Got a drink and queued up for 2 and half hours.

Cinemas was packed and fully booked. Noone spoke throughout the entire film and it was literally the best experience i've had at a cinema.

~Skxawng

I went with my Grandparents and my Mum when I first went to see it.

It was quite good as there were no annoying people sat by us and you could literally hear a pin drop in the room, but my Nan was a little irritating. She and my Bamps are not really fans of sci-fi at all and I got the feeling that they got a little bored through the slower second section but when the action kicked in, they were fine.

At the scene where Eytukan is dying and Neytiri rushes over to him, sobbing, she says something that resembles "wakey" at one point. Of course my Nan jumps all over this fact, nudges me, whispers "did she just say wakey wakey?" to me and laughs, completely destroying the moment. Now I can never watch that scene again without thinking about that. Oh yeah... cheers a lot Nan. :D

But anyway... annoying family members aside, it was a really good viewing.

I was a bundle of nerves when I first went to see Avatar with the family... I had watched all the trailers and was super excited. I was bouncing all around up until the movie started, and then I just went still.

I just sat there and tried to absorb it all. I started crying about halfway in, and didn't stop until hours after the movie was over. My life changed during that viewing, though I didn't realize to what extent until just recently. I remember seeing the credits roll, and not realizing for a few minutes that I was supposed to get up and leave. I managed to stand, and I was trembling and sobbing. I'm sure I looked like a mess :P

And then I stumbled out of the theater, into the gray parking lot, and got smacked in the face with the Pandora effect. I sobbed harder. My dad was trying to figure out what was wrong, but I was literally beyond talking. I remember making a wide sweeping gesture with my hand, trying to show him that it was everything around us that was so depressing. I think he understood somewhat, because he stopped asking after that.

Before we could go home, we had to go to OfficeMax to pick up some ink for our printer. I had to stay in the car I was crying so hard. It was like something in me broke... I could stop crying for maybe a second or two and then my brain showed me another image of Pandora and the crying started again.

When we finally got home (still crying at this point lmao), I stumbled over to my couch and collapsed, still trying to absorb everything from Avatar. My stepmother was concerned, asking me over and over again what had happened. I managed to say, "The movie was sad," and she looked at me like I was crazy and walked away. I stayed on that couch for two hours with my face buried in a pillow.

The next couple of days were torture. I couldn't eat, couldn't sleep, couln't focus on anything other than Avatar. The Pandora effect hit me hard. Finally, after about a week of suffering, I stumbled upon the Avatar forums. And then my life changed again.

Wow that was really long. Sorry about that lol :P

Well, in short I didn't want to go, but my dad who saw it and loved it convinced me.

I spent most of my first experience watching it half being immersed in the people and story, and half really, really hoping that the movie wouldn't end.

I remember just before the last scene when Keytiri takes Jake's mask off thinking to myself, "They're going to have his eyes snap open then cut to black, those bastards," because I didn't want it to be over ><

Tanhì, oel ngati kameie... Your story is all too familiar :'(
The one good thing for me was that I don't live with my parents, because even if they mean well, people asking what's wrong can just be annoying, especially if it's not something you could explain like PAD is.

Tanhi's story was more like how I was on my second viewing.

My first viewing, I was pretty much in shock the whole time, and for hours afterwards. I knew it was the most amazing thing I'd ever seen, but it was just too much to work through.

My second viewing, howver, is when things really hit home. Unlike my first, I was alone, and that may have had a little to do with not being so reserved. But everything in the movie just crushed me, tears at both the happy and the sad parts. Immediately after I left, PAD set in very hard and didn't even lessen for about two weeks. About halfway through that time is when I found Avatar-Forums, and it helped quite a bit.

Fifteen times in now, though, it still brings tears in several parts.

I never really felt PAD until the day after my first time. The first time I saw Avatar was the only time I didn't really cry or react very strongly. I did a bit during the destruction of Hometree and Eytukan's death, but those were the only places I really remember, and I didn't a lot then.
The next day though, I just felt really depressed, I couldn't even link it to Avatar, I had no idea what it was. It took me a few days before I suddenly realised that I was thinking of Pandora, then went to see Avatar again that night, that time I reacted much more all through it, like I have all the other times I have since seen it. I found AF a day or two after that, and it was just so nice to realise I wasn't alone :)

Also I forgot to eat my popcorn during the first showing. I was too busy watching the movie.

My first viewing...


Happened on opening day. I was glad to be seeing it. Went with my sister in the morning. I had mixed feelings because I had watched "Star Trek" a few days before, and was really excited from all the hype that movie had, how it was considered such a phenomenal film. Then I finally saw it on DVD and wasn't really that impressed. Sure, the SFX were astounding, and the story wasn't half-bad, but it really really didn't live up to my expectations. Thought it was ok but not great at all... but then, I'm not a Trekkie.

This is what I was worrying about Avatar, that it might be the same kind of thing. Still though, I was excited. I watched it in a Liemax first time (it wasn't bad, ok?) and I was just... wow. My eyes were attached to the screen, more or less. Every scene had me holding onto my seat, ESPECIALLY the scene where Jake was trying to get his mask in the end and failed. I was in complete anxiety, I thought Cameron would make this turn into a "Titanic" moment when Jack dies.

The first time I saw the "I See You" scene I held back the tears. I would've started balling in the theater the first time had I let go. I kind of regret holding them back, because after that it was never the same. Ever. The tears never came easily, and I finally made myself cry about two viewings ago (my 7th). When Jake came on the Toruk to the Tree of Souls I was smiling. I had a huge adrenaline rush during the "Gathering the Clans" montage. I was amazed at the computer graphics, how the Na'vi looked so real. They were... real. I couldn't believe it. I'd never seen anything like it before. Gollum looked like a cheap, Playstation 1, Narnia mock-up character from the 90s compared to the Na'vi. It was phenomenal.

When Jake opened his eyes at the end I just couldn't hold anything back. I clapped. I clapped hard in the theater. And what was even more thrilling was the rest of the audience followed my example and clapped with me. I couldn't believe it. That was the best experience I had ever had watching a movie in my lifetime.

I deliberately refused to look or expose myself to anything Avatar-related for the rest of the day, and the whole day afterward. Had I not done that, I wouldn't be obsessed. The feeling of the movie slowly sank in during those two days. Then I finally saw it a second time in a real Imax theater on New Year's Eve with the rest of my family. WOW. The only thing that ruined the second experience was my mom, who absolutely hated it.

Since viewing it the first time I've seen it 8 more times afterward. I plan to see it just once more in a real Imax when it's re-released, making the count an even 10.

Avatar changed my view on many things. It changed the way I look at movies, it changed how I spent my free time. I haven't played a video game in ages. My primary hand-held "game" is my Rubik's cube, which I have to solve everyday at least 6 times just to get my mind straight. Avatar isn't just a film. It's an experience. It's a rush of adrenaline. I will hold it dear.

Forever.

i was going with my cousin and i really didn´t expect much..... just some blue animated monkeys or something else.....but the movie just blow my mind... 2 days later i saw it again! :D

amen ;)

but what do u expect from skypeople and dreamwalkers?

I speak Na'vi to my friends (all skxawngs) sometimes when drunk, they all find it funny. But I get annoyed when they try to imitate and get it all massively wrong :D
Other than that, I like to say things like kaltxi, kiyevame, irayo, etc instead of their english translations :)

is it possible that u are a little bit obsessed with Avatar? :D:D

Not that i´m not :D

I need to see this!! For some odd reason, I find people who are drunk can do amazing things. Ex. play a bass guitar, even though they don't know how to play. I don't like being drunk, but when I have a Russian friend challenging me to a drink off, and being an Irishmen (1/16th Irish) I can't back down!

I seriously want a drink with all of you. If I were rich, Id buy all of you plane tickets..

I am obsessed with it, and I wish I could be even more obsessed with it! I got my cosplay planned for Halloween this year (I need to practice painting myself w/ my new colored paints) and I need to brush up on my Na'vi. I do have a bit of flab from previous winter seasons so I'm trying to work that off to..

Now that's dedication, dude. :cool:

my first viewing was a blast
as i left i talked a bit with friends and i was happy to have seen a movie with a meaning ( message and such, not really sure how to translate from french)
i went with more firends the 24th december and feel i got hit by a truck during the movie
everything changed

Personally, I didn't expect much from Avatar, not surprisingly as Titanic had way more fame than Avatar and that the latter was relatively under wraps - I had no prior knowledge until I saw the trailer.

And now.. its a global phenomenon :D

I remember counting the days and watching all the trailers on tv till Avatar came out in the cinemas.
Then on the day, I literally ran to the ticket booth and was bouncing in my seat with my equally excited brother by my side

there are no words than can say just how great my first time was for seeing avatar. it is a day i will never forget