Avatar (2009)

Avatar
2009
Sci Fi/Action
James Cameron, Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver

Avatar. The movie James Cameron dreamed up over 15 years ago, but couldn't make because he had to invent the technology used to make his ideas into an actual movie. In only a few weeks it has become the 2nd highest grossing movie of all time. Though as my brother pointed out, tickets cost more, and many people are seeing it in 3D which also costs more, so I don't know how much weight should be placed on its overall gross, just know that it has made A LOT of money so far (over $1 billion worldwide, and counting). Of course due to all the new technology Cameron had to come up with the movie cost somewhere around $400 million to make.

The story takes place in the year 2154. A private company has arrived on the planet Pandora to extract a mineral that is found there. The name of the mineral is Unobtanium, which is a stupid name, but has been used before in science fiction to mean a mineral that will solve all of our problems but is obviously hard to obtain. The main native population of Pandora are the 10 foot tall and blue Na'vi. To better interact with the Na'vi. since the air on Pandora is toxic to humans, the humans create human/Na'vi hybrids (called avatars) that are basically just Na'vi who can be controlled mentally by a human being that is synced with it. The main character is Jake Sully (Sam Worthington). His twin brother was a brilliant scientist who had a Na'vi avatar built for him, but died, so since Jake is his twin they bring him in to use that Avatar. Jake is a former marine who is now paralyzed, so controlling the avatar gives him the ability to walk again. Jake begins to bond with the native population and is accepted by them, and of course he falls in love with their princess. Then the humans find the largest source of Unobtabium on Pandora is under the Na'vi holy site. When they Na'vi can't be convinced to leave, the two sides go to war, and Jake has to pick which side he fights on.



The main criticism of the movie is that the plot is too cliche. Too similar to movies like Pocohontas, Dances With Wolves, and Ferngully. There is nothing wrong with those complaints because the story is very cliched. It doesn't break any new ground with its plot, but that didn't really bother me too much. Most movies are full of cliches. I don't see why I should hold it against a movie for having them, or praise a movie just because it is less cliched.

The main actors are Sam Worthingon and Sigourney Weaver, but to be honest, they are not the stars. The stars are the planet of Pandora itself and the Na'vi avatars. Pandora is an amazing sight to behold. It is not just a made up planet that the movie takes place on. Cameron has created a fully realized world here. He created plants and animals and an ecosystem that not only makes sense but works perfectly with the plot. All the alien life is familiar, but like nothing you have ever seen on screen before. The Na'vi avatars look and move like real life actors. This is due to the new motion capture technology Cameron invented. The specieal effects used to create Pandora are so good you have a hard time telling what is real and what is CGI, which is great, since most of the scenes are a mix of the two. One human character worth noting is the Col. who leads the human mercenaries. Even though his motives and actions are kind of evil, he is so badass. On more than one occassion he runs outside with a gun to kick ass, even though he can't breate in the atmosphere and could die if he stays out there too long.

I saw Avatar in IMAX 3D, but the IMAX screen I saw it on was kind of crappy. It was only about 10 ft bigger than a regular screen, so I basically just saw it in 3D. Many 3D movies use the 3D effects to just have random shit flying out at you every 30 seconds, Avatar used its 3D differently. It used it to add layers to the visuals. It made it seem less like watching a flat screen, and more like you were looking out your window and Pandora was your backyard. I think I would have actually liked a few more gimmick in the 3D, having a spear come out at me or something.

The movie is 2 and a half hour long, but compared to movies of a similar length (like Inglorious Basterds), the time really flies by. The story is cliched but the visuals are absolutely beautiful. The action scene at the end is epic and heart pounding. See it in 3D, it was made to see in 3D, if you don't see it in 3D you are just doing yourself a disservice. It would still be a good movie to watch at home on DVD, but seeing it in 3D in the theatre makes it a must see.

4 out of 5 Stars
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