Okay, so I could not resist the hype. I broke down and went to see "Avatar" this weekend. When I first heard about this movie I had no desire to see it, but that was long before I started reading about all the technological breakthroughs and how its director, James Cameron, had the idea for ten years but the technology hadn't caught up with his vision. Well, it is now 2009, and the technology is there front and center. Was it worth the wait? Absolutely!
Lest you think the movie is all about special effects, it most certainly is not. The story is about a paraplegic marine named Jake Sully who goes on a futuristic mission to a planet called Pandora in place of his brother who has died. Jake fits perfectly into his brother's avatar which is... well, from my understanding something that is grown from human and virtual reality tissue. It allows you to go into a world virtually, leave the virtual version of yourself there, and then come back to reality. Jake is sent to gain the trust of Pandora's native people, find out what they want, and then get them to move so Earth can get a mineral it needs that is in great supply on the planet.
The plot is sort of like a high-tech, futuristic version of "Dances with Wolves." Soldier is at first scared of natives, then becomes friends with them and appreciates their culture, then ends up joining the fight to save the natives from conquerers. But there is more to it than that. The story is handled with real emotion and by the time I got to the last act I was very invested in the characters and was literally on the edge of my seat. While I thought I knew where this movie was going, I was proven wrong in many places.
Of the visuals all I can say is: sit back and enjoy the ride! While I did not see this in Imax I did see it in 3D and you should too. In the past 3D has not worked for me. I always found it gimmicky and annoying. Here, Cameron and his team have done a fantastic job of using the 3D technology to make you feel as if you are really on Pandora and riding around on the backs of flying dragons and swooping down in a vast jungle.
My two minor quibbles with the movie are the villain and some of the dialogue. The story of the military as bad guys has been done and it's getting old at this point, along with the environmentalism sub-plot. The dialogue is at times a little on the clunky side, but when that happened I just sat back and let myself absorb the scenery. Still, it is a very involving story because of the actors, especially Sam Worthington as Jake and Sigourney Weaver as Grace, the head scientist.
James Cameron is no stranger to special effects. In "Terminator 2: Judgement Day" he gave us the breakthrough of liquid metal, in "The Abyss" a similar thing was done with water, and even if you despised "Titanic," you have to grant that when the boat sank it did so with great style. Bottom line: see "Avatar" and enjoy the ride!
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