3D and the urge to clap

"Not sure about anything with blue men in it". Gareth mumbled this a month or so ago on our tea break when discussing the trailers that had been circulating of James Cameron's new film, 'Avatar'.
At the time I completely agreed with him, the new trailers looking like yet another horrible, 'Phantom Menace' like venture into computer generated alien characters. The last thing I wanted to go and see after the major disappointment of 'The Phantom Menace' (grrrrr....) was a whole movie based on another Jar Jar Binks goofing about. As the weeks went by, the good reviews kept on coming and friends and family were going along to the cinema and leaving with not much bad to say about it recommending it endlessly, nodding enthusiastically and just generally going on about how great it was. The sceptic in me was slowing giving way to curiousity. Fortunately the cat was not killed.
After finally talking Ka into accompanying me along to the cinema on Saturday, as she had had little or no interest in seeing it, we were pretty much blown away by how good Avatar was. As it turns out it's got to be the the most visually spectacular and exciting pieces of cinema in years and certainly a great film even if you did go without the 3D glasses. The characterisation, plot, themes, including obvious war analogies, and effects all superbly flesh out what could easily have descended into a movie for the playstation generation if it had been in the hands of any other director. The fantastic visualisation of Cameron and crew bring a whole new world to life and create a fantastic movie reminding you what a cinema experience should be about, the 3D effects bolstering this even more so.
I even clapped at the end?! It's been a while since I've felt like standing up and clapping as the end credits begin but more than a few folk in the large cinema cheered and clapped and I joined in losing myself for a brief second before almost instantly feeling stupid. You still feel silly and it is pretty much pointless unless you're sitting at the premier at Leicester Square in the seat next to Sigourney Weaver. If you clap in a normal cinema you just give the impression that you're particularly pleased with how the projectionist pressed his projecting buttons or that you've been let out for the day. Just this once more than a few of us in the cinema gave in to the urge though. Hopefully it wasn't just that bunch of kids with the one adult sitting behind me that looked as if they were on some kind of field trip. That would have been one hell of a field trip though.