After wanting to see James Cameron’s new film Avatar since its premiere in December, I finally did get to the theater this weekend, and I now understand why there is so much talk about the film (as well as why it is nominated for nine Academy Awards). Simply stated, going to see Avatar is not so much seeing a movie as it is an overwhelming visual and sensory experience. The film scores on so many levels, and the visceral and kinesthetic connections literally and figuratively transport the viewer into another world.
Some people might be tempted to identify Avatar as something else, or maybe even call it Titanic in space, but then they would be missing the whole point. Yes, we have the haunting music of the remarkable James Horner to remind us of that film, and there is a strong love story at the core of Avatar, as in Titanic; and yes, the lovers are from different worlds and have the odds stacked against them, but Cameron has taken Avatar to a deeply complex level, and the 3D experience drops the viewer into a different time and place where he or she can almost reach out and touch the detritus of an explosion, feel the pulse of an alien world, and understand the universal components involving the sacred nature of the individual spirit.
The story centers on wounded Marine Jake Sully, in a solid performance by Sam Worthington who left a powerful impression in Terminator Salvation as a machine with a soul. We see paraplegic Jake transported to the moon Pandora where he will be part of an exciting experiment originally intended for his twin brother Tom, a scientist who recently passed away. Since the twins are a genetic match, Jake is an ideal replacement in the body of an avatar, a living creation of one of the indigenous Na’vi people of Pandora.
The conflict is quickly established as Jake understands he has two jobs to accomplish. One is explained by hard as nails Colonel Miles Quaritch, played with fierce intensity by Stephen Lang. Quaritch wants Jake to infiltrate these people as a covert operative with the express purpose of bringing them down. The other job is explained by Dr. Grace Augustine, played by Sigourney Weaver as a chain-smoking scientist with a heart. She wants Jake to bond with the Na’vi, become one of them, in order to better understand them and establish a cordial relationship between them and the humans who have invaded their world.
Article comments
1 - El Bicho
Box office receipts not Oscar gold make someone King of the world in Hollywood and Cameron has already beat his records.
And people are returning for the thrill ride of the effects not the cliched story
2 - No-1
Good review of Avatar. Agree, this is a defining work for James Cameron.
People are returning for more than the effects, that's very obvious. People have good hearts and a story can be successful if it brings this out in the audience.
3 - Luke
Great review. I couldn't have said it better myself. There are so many great things in Avatar, you really can't take this masterpiece just at face value.
And the same goes for Titanic.
4 - Victor Lana
Thanks for the comments. I've heard some describe the story as cliche, but what do all cliches do but arise from truth. It is also an art to take the cliche and make it into something more, and I believe that is what Cameron has done here.
5 - No-1
Even the gas giant Polyphemus with it's planetary storm spot alludes to another fabulous Myth visually! James Cameron has created something more.
6 - Victor Lana
Yes, No-1. As far as I know, Cameron connected to lots of other things here, including Hindu myths. I believe the language was researched as well as the planet itself from a biological persepctive. It took years to make this movie and the care taken with even the small details is obvious when watching it.
7 - cebaglio
Everything you said about the movie is true. I have seen Avatar seven times in the past two months. I find myself going back over and over again because it does transport me to a beautiful world for a couple of hours where I can escape for a while. This movie has it all - beauty, spirituality,action, and of course, a great love story. I highly recommend that everyone see Avatar.
8 - Victor Lana
Thanks agains for the comments. Seven times, Cebaglio? Wow!
I do recommend that anyone who wants to see it should see it in a theater. A TV screen will not be the same experience.
9 - cebaglio
I agree with Victor. You must see it in 3D at the theatre to truly get the best experience this film has to offer. By the way, if you visit naviblue.com you will see some fans have seen Avatar 60 times. This film has touched so many people in a deep, profound way.
10 - Matthew
Well written review. I actually did not like the movie, but is a film that people seem to have strong opinions for. And that is something. "I love it!" Or "I hate it!" is a much better reaction than indifference.
11 - Victor Lana
Thanks, Matthew. You know the truth is that I went in thinking I would not like it, but I was blown away. I am sure there will be people who do not like the film, but it seems at this point that it has something that makes many people return for more.