AVATAR (REVIEW)
This
all out action, science fiction adventure may not be the best film I have ever
seen as touted by certain critics, but it certainly exceeded my expectations.
Also, for this reviewer, the jury was still out on the necessity concerning the
recent explosion of mostly mediocre 3D releases. 'Avatar' has changed my mind.
Thanks
to the brilliance of James Cameron, he has used the 3D format to draw the viewer
in rather than calling attention to itself. Having not directed since he made
a little film that featured a boat and an iceberg ('Titanic'), Cameron once again
has harnessed technology with good old fashioned storytelling.
The
year is 2154, the Earth as we know it is withering, almost on the verge of dying.
One of the main ways to survive is to acquire a mineral which has been nicknamed
Unobtanium. To get it, travel is required to a faraway alien moon, Pandora. Quite
understandably, the natives on this planet actually do get restless when an array
of soldiers arrive upsetting their usually gentle natured outlook.
Pandora's
indigenous race, the Na'vi, are all 10 feet tall, blue skinned, yellow eyed and
not fond of human intrusion. This is when Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) comes in
- a crippled ex marine who is subjected to experimentation by Dr. Grace Augustine
(Sigourney Weaver). She is delighted to mix human DNA with that of the Na'vi to
create avatars. As his actual body lays in a tank in the lab, Jake is all mind,
body and spirit in the form of a Na'vi avatar infiltrating their species. His
three week mission on Pandora changes his outlook of life. Love also blooms with
the rather beautiful, Neytiri (Zoe Saldana). Looking at him as just an interloper,
she eventually falls for his humanly charms.
When it's time
to leave, Jake refuses, and so becomes unofficial resistance leader for his new
blue friends to fight against the very system he originated from. The planet is
a wonderful experience in itself. Futuristic helicopters give way to exotic insects,
oversized reptiles and birds, with a few fearsome creatures lurking around too.
The flora and fauna is almost like an undersea world at times, only on land.
Australian
actor Worthington is top notch as the gruff but understanding Sully. Sigourney
Weaver, while not only getting the best lines and looking spectacular in a white
t-shirt, her stern character even gets away with smoking in an intergalactic spaceship.
Michelle Rodriguez (Lost), Giovanni Ribisi (Heaven) and especially Stephen Lang,
provide good strong support characters.
Raising the technical
bar up a few notches, James Cameron has spent his estimated 300 million budget
wisely, manicuring every minute detail to perfection. The three act structure
is a simple one. However, it becomes understated that with messages of peace being
preached throughout, the film really hits its stride with the final battle scene
of mass destruction. Nothing like I have ever seen before.
'Avatar'
is not only breathtaking visually, but an equally exciting narrative that stayed
with me long after the end credits. I want to see it again.
Shane
A. Bassett
