I stand before you a converted naysayer. I was one of the few who cried out ‘500 million for a flick about 9 foot tall blue creatures whom no one can relate to and no mass of people could feel for” I stand here now to tell you I was wrong, Mr. Cameron, I was wrong and should not have doubted you. The story of a native culture, the Na’vi and their plight to keep what is rightfully theirs their home, the great tree, from alien miners seeking a precious metal. It so happens that the greatest deposit of this metal is directly under the great tree. The sky people/aliens/us have created the avatar program as a way to diplomatically move them from their home, as well as learn from them and their ecosystem. Avatars are genetically engineered remote control bodies created from the DNA of humans and that of the Na’vi which are “piloted” by a human in a sensor tube. The thick of it begins when Jake Sulley, a marine and twin brother of a murdered Avatar scientist, steps into his brothers shoes to pilot an Avatar thanks to his identical genetics he and his brother possess. As he gets out to explore the wilds of Pandora he meets Neytiri, princess of the Na’vi tribe and the one assigned by the tribe to teach Jake their ways so that they may do as the spirit of the world wishes and welcome him as one of their own. It is here that Jake must make a choice; fight the peaceful world loving Na’vi or the trigger happy, money hungry militarized company looking to take their home. This is really just a very brief overview of an incredibly in depth and complex plot, but it’s all you need to know before seeing the movie.
The hardest part of writing this review was the decision between a long comprehensive dialogue about this amazing film or a short and to the point need to know post. I chose the latter as I could literally rattle off 10 pages about the merits of this flick, and know that you would appreciate otherwise. Sufficient to say James Cameron creates a world that sucks you in and fully envelops you in all it has to offer. You leave the theater just a little sad that all the beauty you just witnessed was but make believe. Taking cues from the dep sea for the Na’vi and equal parts ‘Aliens’ and ‘Minority Report’ for the humans Cameron world is immersed in a beauty only matched by it’s exhilarating dangers. This film seriously could make it on visuals alone, they really are THAT good, but Cameron doesn’t stop there. He hits us with a story that serves the purpose of the film but also leaves us with the taxing moral question; Are we the Na’vi, source of good, or are we the evil highly industrialized militaristic capitalist society that takes what it wants without concern for the greater effect. I truly love films like this that not only leave you feeling greatly entertained but also leave you questioning things on your way home from the theater. The cast is just this side of amazing especially considering that they were working against a green screen for 90% of the time, this film could be a real comeback for Sigourney Weaver and Michelle Rodriguez as well as the next step in Sam Worthington’s action hero title. My final thought is toward the venue in which you see the film. I said earlier that this flick could survive on visuals alone and I meant it, for that reason I highly recommend that this be seen in the best visual arrangement possible, if you have access to an IMAX theater see it there. This is the first movie to really harness the power or and be made better by the new RealD 3D technology.
I think my feelings on this film should be clear by this point but in case they’re not I’ll reiterate. This is the best movie I’ve seen in years, and possibly the most visually stunning that I’ve ever seen. To miss this in theaters would be to miss an event of cinematic history, don’t be the one who says ten years from now, “Yeah I saw it on DVD”. I have to agree with my cohort Travis and say this is right up there with the premier of ‘Star Wars’ and you know how people still talk about the first time they saw that in theaters. A flawless treat for all the senses I highly recommend you take a friend or even better your whole family and go see ‘Avatar’, you won’t regret it.
