Every great movie has a tale of sorts behind it. We all love to hear how there was blood, sweat and tears involved in the making, and that it was a true miracle the movie happened. Avatar is no different, there were tales of how acclaimed director James Cameron had worked on it for years, waiting for technology to develop so he could push the bar that much higher and deliver Pandora. Fortunately for us, the time had come, and Cameron did just that, push the bar higher than it ever has been before.
Avatar’s plot maybe secondary in the film to the planet itself, it is still very important, and actually helps evoke plenty of emotion in the movie. Our hero, Jake Sully starts off with a recovery from an accident that leaves him with two useless legs and a dead brother. Since his brother was involved in the Avatar program, the company recruits Sully to take over at the last minute. Sully agrees and finds out he is set for Pandora in an attempt to convince the local species, the Na’Vi to move from their village so it can be mined. Once Jake Sully takes over the body of this remote controlled Na’Vi, he meets the tribes princess, Neytiri, he learns that the Na’Vi aren’t necessarily the monsters he was told they were, and the line between his mission and what is right starts to blur as he discovers an amazing culture and a more amazing planet. I know what you are thinking, it is a cross between Dances With Wolves and FernGully, but the movie manages to add much more depth than either movie.
Sam Worthington plays Jake Sully and shows why he is this year’s main star. Zoe Saldana plays Neytiri and is absolutely incredible and is easily the films shining star. The film also has good performances from a great Sigourney Weaver and the guy that plays the villain, Col. Quaritch, played expertly by Stephen Lane. The main character in the movie, however, is the world of Pandora. Normally, the environment is not a character, but here, it is, with everything alive and beautiful, which plays into the story perfectly. At one point, Sully and Neytiri are running through the tree tops at night with the ground glowing beneath them and bugs flying by them and you realize this planet is alive, and is beautiful.
The movie tops out at 2 and a half hours and it never seems like it. Throughout the movie, the 3-D is never gimmicky, it simply adds layers to the movie which further enhances the immersion in this new world. The characters start out 2-D and pretty quickly develop into great characters, especially the Na’Vi. While the story is good, this movie is all about showing you a new world, and the experiences we share while Jake Sully learns what beauty and danger Pandora has, and the film truly delivers in this area, and it’s here I thought I had never seen anything so amazing, and truly thought filmmaking just took a giant step forward.
Overall, I would agree completely with Steven Spielberg who said it best, I haven’t felt this kind of amazement since Star Wars. This is a wonderful movie and will change the world of moviemaking as we know it. It was truly refreshing to see something that isn’t a rehash, remake, or a sequel, rather something I’ve never seen before. I highly encourage everyone to see it in 3-D at the theaters, because the beauty may lose some of its glimmer on DVD.
Overall, easily a 9 out of 10
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