Co-stars Ngo Thanh Van and Johnny Tri Nguyen in premiere party

“Avatar” could change the way films are being made, some critics rave, and Johnny Tri Nguyen is back with another martial-arts spectacular.

But has he overreached himself with “Avatar”? He has proved critics and skeptics wrong before. Can he do it again? Will “Avatar” revolutionize filmmaking like “Star Wars” did? Will the film be a hit for its technical wizardry, or be remembered as a love story, like “Titanic”? Or will even deeper, anti-war, environmental messages sink in?

The questions abound, and the answers are not yet apparent, but the film has made an unquestionable splash in Vietnam, where, for the first time, a Hollywood blockbuster was released the same day as its world premiere.

And in the heady atmosphere that the year-end Christmas and New Year holiday season sometimes brings, a Vietnamese filmmaker too has decided to take the plunge and not wait until the traditional Tet (Lunar New Year) film season to release what is touted as the most action-packed, thrilling adventure flick made in Vietnam so far: Bay rong (Clash).

“Clash,” a roller-coaster, eye-catching, action bonaza, raises the standard for Vietnamese filmmaking. Not only is the film skillfully directed, filmmaker Le Thanh Son has infused depth into it, rare for action films anywhere in the world.

The two movies premiered on December 18.

Long queues

In Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, the “Avatar” fever is running high.

Thousands of people are queuing up for hours at the two 3D theaters of Megastar in Hung Vuong Plaza and the capital’s Vincom City Towers to buy tickets for a week later.

Vu Duc Luong, assistant manager at Megastar Hanoi, said they started selling tickets two weeks before the release. “We had expected a positive response from audiences but were still surprised at this rush.”

Vu Minh Thu, a 26-year-old sales executive in Chua Boc Street, looked joyful with two tickets in her hand: “Although I’ve had to wait for nearly three hours to get these tickets and will have to wait for eight days to watch the film, I am still very happy,” she said.

Many people, especially youngsters, are flocking to see the 2D version before they get to experience the 3D. “This is of course only a way to quench my thirst temporarily,” 23-year-old student Hoang Trung Kien said.

“I’ve got a 3D ticket for next Friday evening but still want to watch it now. Some of my friends have enjoyed the first screening and all said that the film was really thrilling.”

“That could be most beautiful but not the best film ever made. There are not many twists to the plot and we can guess the ending in the beginning. ‘Avatar’ reminds me of the animation film ‘Pocahontas’. Nothing really new in the content,” Minh Tri, a HCMC movie buff, said.

Before screening the film, Megastar had expressed the hope the film would rake in US$1 million in Vietnam.

Tickets cost between VND120,000 and VND150,000 ($8.12) for the afternoon and evening shows and VND 80,000 ($4.33) for morning and matinee shows. This is twice the normal price but everyone seems to think it’s reasonable.

Megastar officials in both cities have assured that there would be no pirated 3D versions of “Avatar” available because the checking of electronic devices (with which people might try to “shoot” the movie) has been very strict.

Luong also claimed that there are no black market tickets on sale.

Holding its own

While it is dwarfed by its Hollywood rival, “Clash” has held its own.

It continues to plug the dynamic duo of Ngo Thanh Van and Johnny Tri Nguyen and liberally spices things up with raw kick-boxing, street and ground fighting, not to mention “hot” scenes between the co-stars.

The plot of the $800,000 film revolves around a criminal gang assigned to carry out a number of major robberies. The gang is headed by Trinh (Ngo Thanh Van), nicknamed Phoenix, to hunt for a suitcase containing keys to Vietnam’s Vinasat satellite.

Unlike the 2007 smash hit “The Rebel,” which was set in the 1930s during French colonial rule, “Clash” uses modern and realistic martial arts that are “no less captivating,” Nguyen said.

Nguyen Minh Duc of Phuong Nam Films said the film has the “most impressive action scenes” ever in a Vietnamese movie.

According to a Chanh Phuong Films representative, up to December 24, “Clash” has grossed VND3.5 billion (US$189, 496).

A publicity campaign