Avatar Movie Review

"If there is a hell, you might wanna go there for some R&R after a tour on Pandora" - Colonel Miles Quaritch

Oh my lord...

Alright so I've have just returned from my quest to see Avatar in theatres after many months of anxiousness and excitement. And now that I am back here is my review. Few short words can describe what it is like to watch a movie like this. Luckily I am not a man of few short words. I'm going in depth as usual.

Avatar is in many ways a perfect movie. A new breed of computer generated and motion capture effects. An epic story that brings to the table every possible element to make a story compelling and memorable. High octane action that would astound the warriors of Lord of the Rings and Star Wars. A gorgeous and fascinating new world of Pandora and all of the wondrous creatures that inhabit it. My brother told me on the way out "it had no faults" and I agree with him. It is just mesmerizing and remarkable.

James Cameron, who has made some of my favorite films, has had this idea down since the early 90s. And after a long break upon the success of Titanic, one of the biggest films a director could hope to make, he comes back and makes a bigger one. People have had problems with the dialogue or the story but I didn't and if I had I probably wouldn't have even cared. Some filmmakers like to make really great films, but it seems as if Cameron strives to make new advances in films. In the 80s he had designed new types of underwater filmmaking equipment for his film The Abyss as well as awesome special effects for that and the first two Terminator films, which may have been some of the first real huge advances in CGI's beginning. For Titanic...well I think the film speaks for itself in what it took to make look as great as it was. He has always had a great skill with action and stories, but here he has risen to the level of a true artist. Cameron may just rack up several more Oscars this year.

The story of Avatar takes place in the year 2154 on this new world called Pandora, a moon orbiting a large gas giant in another part of our galaxy. Pandora is a lush, beautiful, and unique forest planet. Humanity found it some time ago and the corporations, with the vile Parker Selfridge (Giovanni Ribisi) at the helm, are of course trying to rape and pillage as much as possible in order to get vast quanities of highly valuable mineral nicknamed 'unobtanium'. The large deposits of this mineral rest under the land of a native Pandoran population called The Na'vi. Na'vi are very humanlike creatures with obvious alien traits: they are as Cameron described them "ten foot tall, blue, humanoid tigers." Needless to say, The Na'vi aren't too keen on leaving their sacred home to be burned to the ground for greed of "the sky people" so paramilitary forces are present, ready and hungry for action at the drop of a hat. They are commanded by Col. Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang), a lethal lifer who would gladly wipe out all life on Pandora. As humans cannot breathe Pandora's air, human-Na'vi hybrids called avatars have been genetically designed by scientists led by Grace Augustine (Sigourney Weaver), a highly moral idealist. Our hero, a paraplegic marine named Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) has arrived on Pandora to replace his scientist brother in the avatar program. But on assignment he gets lost and is taken in by a local Na'vi tribe and is soon taught by their warrior princess Neytiri (Zoe Saldana). Selfridge and Quaritch use his entry as a strategic advantage should a war break out. Growing close to Neytiri and enjoying Na'vi life on Pandora alltogether, Jake finds himself caught between two worlds and the question of right and wrong at the brink of a full scale war. And it all comes together in a big way to the audiences utter satisfaction.

I have never seen CGI like this before. In most movies it is all too obvious when something isn't real and you can tell the developers did not take time to make the CGI work. Not here though. Cameron and his crew seem to have gotten it perfect down to the very bark of the trees. Yes there are times when the aliens look animated, because they are, but at other calm moments in close ups they look like actual, tangible people. That is thanks to the motion capture, which gets the expressions and body language all right, and I think motion capture will be used much, much more in years to come.

The acting is enjoyable. I didn't think much of Sam Worthington after watching Terminator Salvation but here he shows his acting chops and he is very good. It seemed as if his character in both movies are kind of the same: dangerous guy wakes up in a vastly different world and becomes a source of hope. Hmm. The other lead is an actress I'm more familiar with Zoe Saldana who plays the total alien role of Neytiri with much passion and care. I did not realize how good of an actress she was until I saw her here and she was computer generated here. And still very sexy. Stephen Lane, who I'm seeing more and liking, and Giovanni Ribisi, who I already like, play the most horrific and evil men so convincingly. You just want to strangle them the entire time. Sigourney Weaver plays the strong willed scientist Grace with all the power that she brings to every other role. Not quite Ellen Ripley, but still cool. Honestly, you put Sigourney Weaver in a sci fi movie, more than likely it's gonna be good or at least she will be. Of course Wes Studi plays the stern Na'vi tribe chief, he's already played a badass Native American in about every other films he has been in. Other good actors to see here were Michelle Rodriguez and Joel David Moore as Jake's friends, Laz Alonso as a tough Na'vi warrior, and CCH Pounder as the wise Na'vi shaman.

The story is not quite original and some people had problems with that but I didn't. I got really sick and tired of hearing people bitch and say it looks like Ferngully or Pocahontas (I admit that, because it is inspired in part by that historical story) or Dances With Wolves (I got that vibe too). Sure I can see the similarities but it takes that type of story and makes it apply only to this movie and it works. I was really reminded of the Japanese anime Princess Mononoke, another highly environmental and nature friendly film. But I see a lot of things in this movie. I see touches of Star Wars, Dances With Wolves, Jurassic Park, Lord of the Rings, commentary on modern government, a very green message, and a sort of revisionist look at early American history. Other critiques were at the dialogue, which I'll admit were a bit cliche at times but otherwise well written. I just think that after a hundred and fifty years maybe our slang and jargon would change a little bit. It wasn't something I was upset about. Cameron has always written good scripts, he has an interest in intense and large conflicts as well as love stories and the unknown. The story and dialogue was something I loved especially.

So yes, Avatar is probably the best movie of the year. It is beautiful, emotional, action packed, thrilling, intriguing, thought provoking, and one of the coolest movies I have ever seen. It is a movie you want to see again right after you get out of your seat. It could quite possibly be the best adventure movie of the last decade, it is this decade's Star Wars next to Lord of the Rings. I can't quite say if it is up to par with Star Wars or Lord of the Rings, because while this has a lot here to wrap your head around, those two may have a bit more. But then Cameron has said there are other moons besides Pandora and maybe there will be a sequel. Only time will tell. But for now we have Avatar and god do I love it.

This has been a New Year's review from Your Modest Guru. Thanks for reading and Happy New Year and see Avatar as soon as possible and if you have seen it see it again.