We’ve all heard about it, the new phenomenon that’s sweeping movie theaters across the nation. Avatar. James Cameron’s latest. For those of you who don’t know who James Cameron is, he is the director of the highly acclaimed film Titanic, and as of recent, Avatar. A short time after his huge box office hit Titanic, Cameron had formulated the idea for the movie Avatar. When he presented the idea to be made into a film however (back in the 90’s), his idea was shot down. He realized that there just wasn’t enough advance computer technology to create the world he had imagined for Avatar. With today’s computer technology however, Cameron was able to set his plan for Avatar in motion.
So what is this movie about? The cartoon Avatar: The Last Airbender on Nickelodean? Haha, no. Not at all. There is absolutely no relation, get that through your head people! An avatar is the personification or embodiment of something. The movie starts off in the year 2154, with ex-marine Jake Sully (Sam Worthington, Terminator: Salvation) arriving at the beautiful yet dangerous planet of Pandora. Humans have infiltrated the planet in order to mine a special mineral worth millions back on Earth. Some are sent to the planet to be scientists, others to be part of the military unit. Some however, are sent to control artificially created bodies of the indigenous humanoids on the planet, called the Na’vi. They control this artificial body in a small pod with their mind and are able to live and breathe as one of the natives. Jake’s twin brother, originally meant to be sent on this mission, died a week before he was meant to be sent out. Since Jake has an identical genotype, they recruited him. He’s a bit of a misfit among his colleagues, having no scientific knowledge or information on the Na’vi culture or the avatar program. He meets an array of different characters, Doctor Grace Augustine (Sigourney Weaver, Alien), head of the avatar program, determined to make peace between the indigenous peoples and the humans. Biologist Norm Spellman (Joel David Moore, Dodgeball) is his nerdy companion, also controlling an avatar. Parker Selfridge (Giovanni Ribisi, Saving Private Ryan) is the loud-mouth in charge of the mining operation, only concerned with the weight of his wallet. Colonel Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang), a harsh, unsympathetic man, is the military leader on Pandora. Jake immediately loves his avatar body, taking advantage of the fact that he can run and walk now and is not limited by his spinal injury. One day while on patrol with Doctor Augustine and Norm, Jake runs into some trouble with the hostile creatures of the jungle and finds himself separated and lost in the forest. He is saved by a beautiful Na’vi woman named Neytiri (Zoe Saldana, Star Trek), who takes him back to her home and teaches him the ways of her people. When Colonel Quaritch is informed of this he immediately approaches Jake, informing him to infiltrate and gain the trust of the Na’vi so they can formulate plans of attack. As time progresses however, Jake learns the beauty of this strange world, and develops close relationships with members of the Na’vi tribe. Ah, confliction, confliction. Can Jake save his new blue friends from the powerful force of the human race?
This movie was one of the most impressive I’ve seen in a while. It’s not common nowadays to see a movie that you really respect and appreciate. First and foremost, the special effects are just breathtaking. Definite visual eye-candy. The world they created, Pandora, is so florescent and colorful. Everything about it, whether it is the trees or the creatures, has such fine detail. Many people compare its groundbreaking effects to that of the Star Wars saga back in the late 70’s and early 80’s. A lot of effort was put into this movie, and boy, does it show. The animation is just revolutionary.
Plot wise? It actually made me think a lot about history class. You know, imperialism and mercantilism and all those “ism’s”. I compared it to the European’s colonization of the Native Americans, kind of like Pocahontas. It was predictable but enjoyable. Could it have been perfected a smidge here and a smidge there? Sure. They never did clarify why the mineral on Pandora was so important and worth so much. But that’s just me being critical.
So far, Avatar has grossed about $350 million dollars here in the US of A. Numbers are still climbing. This is one of those movies were it’s a real experience to see it in theatres (especially since they’re offering it in 3D), so I highly suggest seeing it while it’s still out. Make sure you visit the restroom before viewing; this is a two and a half hour movie ladies and gents! As I said earlier in the article, it’s a rarity that I find a movie that is revolutionary and deeply moving. Now I can add Avatar to that list.
RATING: * * * ½
So what is this movie about? The cartoon Avatar: The Last Airbender on Nickelodean? Haha, no. Not at all. There is absolutely no relation, get that through your head people! An avatar is the personification or embodiment of something. The movie starts off in the year 2154, with ex-marine Jake Sully (Sam Worthington, Terminator: Salvation) arriving at the beautiful yet dangerous planet of Pandora. Humans have infiltrated the planet in order to mine a special mineral worth millions back on Earth. Some are sent to the planet to be scientists, others to be part of the military unit. Some however, are sent to control artificially created bodies of the indigenous humanoids on the planet, called the Na’vi. They control this artificial body in a small pod with their mind and are able to live and breathe as one of the natives. Jake’s twin brother, originally meant to be sent on this mission, died a week before he was meant to be sent out. Since Jake has an identical genotype, they recruited him. He’s a bit of a misfit among his colleagues, having no scientific knowledge or information on the Na’vi culture or the avatar program. He meets an array of different characters, Doctor Grace Augustine (Sigourney Weaver, Alien), head of the avatar program, determined to make peace between the indigenous peoples and the humans. Biologist Norm Spellman (Joel David Moore, Dodgeball) is his nerdy companion, also controlling an avatar. Parker Selfridge (Giovanni Ribisi, Saving Private Ryan) is the loud-mouth in charge of the mining operation, only concerned with the weight of his wallet. Colonel Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang), a harsh, unsympathetic man, is the military leader on Pandora. Jake immediately loves his avatar body, taking advantage of the fact that he can run and walk now and is not limited by his spinal injury. One day while on patrol with Doctor Augustine and Norm, Jake runs into some trouble with the hostile creatures of the jungle and finds himself separated and lost in the forest. He is saved by a beautiful Na’vi woman named Neytiri (Zoe Saldana, Star Trek), who takes him back to her home and teaches him the ways of her people. When Colonel Quaritch is informed of this he immediately approaches Jake, informing him to infiltrate and gain the trust of the Na’vi so they can formulate plans of attack. As time progresses however, Jake learns the beauty of this strange world, and develops close relationships with members of the Na’vi tribe. Ah, confliction, confliction. Can Jake save his new blue friends from the powerful force of the human race?
This movie was one of the most impressive I’ve seen in a while. It’s not common nowadays to see a movie that you really respect and appreciate. First and foremost, the special effects are just breathtaking. Definite visual eye-candy. The world they created, Pandora, is so florescent and colorful. Everything about it, whether it is the trees or the creatures, has such fine detail. Many people compare its groundbreaking effects to that of the Star Wars saga back in the late 70’s and early 80’s. A lot of effort was put into this movie, and boy, does it show. The animation is just revolutionary.
Plot wise? It actually made me think a lot about history class. You know, imperialism and mercantilism and all those “ism’s”. I compared it to the European’s colonization of the Native Americans, kind of like Pocahontas. It was predictable but enjoyable. Could it have been perfected a smidge here and a smidge there? Sure. They never did clarify why the mineral on Pandora was so important and worth so much. But that’s just me being critical.
So far, Avatar has grossed about $350 million dollars here in the US of A. Numbers are still climbing. This is one of those movies were it’s a real experience to see it in theatres (especially since they’re offering it in 3D), so I highly suggest seeing it while it’s still out. Make sure you visit the restroom before viewing; this is a two and a half hour movie ladies and gents! As I said earlier in the article, it’s a rarity that I find a movie that is revolutionary and deeply moving. Now I can add Avatar to that list.
RATING: * * * ½
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