Avatar: Official Site
Avatar, like Star Wars before it, is not just a film, its an event. Writer/Director James Cameron has not only managed to dazzle our imaginations with breathtaking imagery, but he has reminded us all why it is we go to the movies. We go for the experience—to see and feel things far beyond our reach. It took Cameron ten years to transform the silver screen into an artist’s canvas. Ten years to find the perfect brush. But in the end, he has left us with a painting that ebbs and flows in vivid color. An inspiring and yet precise work of art that transports us all to a world we haven’t seen since the wide-eyed and eager-to-dream days of our childhood. James Cameron calls that place Pandora. But by the end of this film, you’ll want to call it home.
The story of Avatar is a simple recipe. One dash Pocahontas, a pinch of Braveheart, and enough explosions and romance sprinkled on top to be accessible to anyone with a pulse. The film follows Jake Sully (played by Sam Worthington), a paraplegic Marine sent to the Pandora moon to participate in a top secret project that transfers the host’s consciousness into a body of the native alien race, the Na’vi. The military hopes this avatar process will help assimilate Jake with the local tribes for one simple goal: to make the Na’vi give up their land so that the humans can mine a precious mineral called Unobtanium. In the distant future, this substance is the last remaining shot Earth has at survival.
And it’s here that this reviewer wishes you could slap on a pair of IMAX 3D glasses and read the rest of this article in astonishing, groundbreaking, 3D-polarized vision! Don’t try it. I did. It just hurts your eyes. Point is, when Jake meets the Na’vi, the world of Pandora becomes your own. Every little detail of the environment, from the soil beneath your feet to the flying banshees that soar high across the sky, has been fully realized in life-like splendor. Cameron and his wonder crew have expertly created a living, breathing ecosystem that will envelop your senses. It’s no wonder then that we, like Jake, fall powerless to the allure and elegance of Neytiri (played by Zoe Saldana), resident Na’vi hottie. She becomes our tour guide, taking us by the hand, showing us the beauties of the world through her eyes. After a few short moments with her, you, too, will want to betray the human race and protect the Na’vi land against invasion. After all, something this magnificent and grand should not be conquered or torn apart, it should be cherished. Somewhere out there, Al Gore is smiling.
Coming from a technical background in film and visual effects, I could dissect the movie and explain how the Na’vi were created through the process of motion capture and hi-res texture mapping. But sometimes it’s best to leave the magician to his secrets, because for a few brief hours...we believe in magic. A pair of glasses in the real world acts like a pair of crutches to help us see the world in front of us. In the case of Avatar, the IMAX 3D glasses empower us with clarity and help redefine the way we see our surrounding world. They take us back to a simpler time when the land was full of lush, green forests, a time when life, in all of its exquisiteness, enraptured us with energy and spirit. By the time the credits roll, you’re going to want to plant a tree.
It should come as no surprise that I absolutely loved this film. The acting is top notch, the visuals unbelievable, and the score by James Horner is as intoxicating as the scenery. Does Avatar have its flaws? Sure. Some reviewers have suggested the dialogue and plot are a bit thin. I disagree. But who cares? Ask a group of women if they mind that Brad Pitt has a few skin blemishes. Point is, even perfection isn’t perfect. James Cameron set out to do one thing and one thing only: He wanted us to sit together in a quiet theater, close our eyes, and let the colors of Pandora wash over us. To see, feel, and experience the wonders and splendors of life through the eyes of a dream. And for that, I can’t thank him enough. If you watch this film in any place other than a 3D-capable movie theater, you’re doing yourself a great disservice. Avatar is the closest and cheapest way of packing your bags and getting on a flight to an exotic location more beautiful than anything you’ve ever experienced. Trust me.
10 out of 10 stars.
Peter Dali is making his VM debut with this review of Avatar.