In the future, humans have traveled to the far reaches of the universe. On a planet called Pandora, a very important, very valuable new element was discovered. But wouldn’t you know? The natives of the planet live in the forest, where most of the element is found, underground. It is the human intention to “displace” the natives from their forests and get to the ore. For years, the Americans have held an outpost on the planet and have tried peaceful methods of reasoning with aliens. Lead scientist Grace (Sigourney Weaver) learned the language from her and opened a “school” to teach native children English and the customs of humans. But, the population of Pandora doesn’t really want any of it, because they rightly feel that their world will be destroyed.
Although they only have bows and arrows, with a deadly poison attached to them, they are very fierce. As a last resort, the Marines are testing an elaborate “robot” program, where an Earthling enters a pod of sorts and sleeps while his “soul” inhabits a native body. They hope that learning the ways of the natives will make them easier to “won” and move about. Now, a wheelchair-bound Marine named Jake Scully (Sam Worthington) gets a new Pandoran body and leaves with Grace and a few others on a mission. But, due to some ferocious dinosaur-like creatures, Jake gets separated from the others and stays in the woods for the night. Grace believes that he will surely die. He would have too, as a powerful warrior, Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) was ready to shoot him. But, some seeds from her “tree of life” cover Jake and Neytiri sees it as an omen. She takes Jake back to his village, where he is finally accepted as a member of the tribe. She learns to ride the native “horses” and “dragons”. He and Neytiri also fall in love. But, during the night, Jake “reports” to the Marines when his native body is asleep. The commander of the navy believes that he is gathering information to defeat the primitive people. As one might guess, Jake soon realizes that his new people are very valuable and should not be destroyed or moved, as his life is deeply “connected” to the forest, his home. What will Jake do to save Neytiri and her new brothers and sisters? This is an amazing movie, an incredibly visual panorama that has to be seen to be believed. The planet of Pandora is a forest like no other, with plants that “glow” and creatures that resemble dinosaurs, wolves, and dragons. The natives also resemble American Indians and other earthly tribes, such as the residents of the Amazon rainforests. Most importantly, they are “attached” to their planet as the Native Americans were to the land. When they kill an animal for food, they say prayers to the animal for giving its life so they can be sustained. They consider the destruction of any plant a blow to their own bodies.
Thus, in many ways, the film is a gigantic homage to the American Indians and their way of life. Wes Studi, who was the ultra-scary Native American in The Last of the Mohicans, even plays the Pandoran leader. But enough of this. The actors, including Worthington, Weaver, Saldana, Ribisi, Stephen Lang, and everyone else, do a good job. The dialogue and story are perhaps not entirely original but quite, quite adequate. Yet even all of this takes a backseat to the incredibly imaginative scope of the film’s setting, a far-off new world. It is the sheer scale of the forested planet that will take the viewer’s breath away. Anyway, dear cinephile, watch it.
Absolutely, if you can only go to ONE movie this year or next, let it be AVATAR. It is truly an astonishing work that will overwhelm almost anyone with its visionary beauty…
While its initial trailers made it seem like “FernGully” meets “Dances with Wolves” featuring Jumbo Smurfs in action, rest assured that James Cameron’s epic return to the game, “Avatar,” is more than meets the eye. . With twelve years since the director’s last record-breaking film, it’s safe to say that his absence has been felt. There are very few directors who immerse themselves in his work like Cameron does, and more often than not, his films are not just hits, but cinematic milestones. Like his breakthrough in special effects in “Terminator 2-Judgment Day” and the enormous scope and success of “Titanic,” “Avatar” is another landmark film.
All of the work Cameron put into “Avatar” (which has been on the back burner since the mid-’90s) has certainly paid off, and if its box office receipts are any indication, this is one movie that won’t be out anytime soon. forgotten, and it is one of the centuries that will be appreciated by generation after generation. Yes, it’s that good. If this generation has a “Star Wars” then this, my friends, is it. Its visuals are absolutely stunning and combined with the unique 3D presentation, they create a world you can truly disappear into. Sometimes you will forget that you are watching a movie. You will feel like you are in the jungle and you will feel like you are part of the battle. It’s the little things and attention to detail that make the movie so sweet. James Cameron is a perfectionist, and not for a moment does he let the 3D element of this film go to waste. It’s less of a gimmick here and more of a device to transport you into the near-perfect world he’s created.
While the plot itself isn’t groundbreaking material, it’s man against man. Nature’s thing has been done to death: it’s presented in a way that manages to entertain and stimulate the senses without hitting you over the head with the message from it. It also helps that the pacing is smooth and the plot never sinks. Running for about two hours and forty-five minutes, you never feel the need to look at the time or think about anything else (especially if you’re seeing it in its best element: an IMAX theater). When it comes to action sequences, fans craving a dose of the good stuff since “Terminator 2” hit theaters in 1991 will be more than satisfied, even if most of it is saved for the final act.
If there’s any fault to be found, it’s in the character department. While some are well-developed and as three-dimensional as the film itself (Worthington, who also starred in “Terminator Salvation” without Cameron, gives a strong and sympathetic performance), there are some that seem to fall by the wayside. . Take the characters played by Joel David Moore (“Hatchet”) and Michelle Rodriguez (“The Fast and the Furious”). Both characters fade in and out of the plot, and there are moments where you’re not sure where they stand. I suspect this is a case where the movie is being edited to fit a fair time slot (although it could have been longer and not lost its welcome) and there are some character moments that will be restored at a later date. “Director’s Cut” of the film.
All in all, “Avatar” is a simply amazing cinematic experience. There have been few movies that have succeeded with such broad goals, and yet Cameron has managed to come back after many dismissed him or assumed he was done for, and he changed the game entirely. Yes, it’s hard to swallow all the hype that has accompanied this project, but if ever there was a movie that deserved it so much, it’s this one. If movies are meant to take you to a different world to escape reality for a few hours, Avatar does more than get the job done.
