Avatar (James Cameron, Sam Worthington) : Movie Review
December 12, 2009 by Sean Lynch
Filed under Featured, Movie Reviews, Movies
James Cameron’s Avatar may very well be fighting the single greatest uphill battle a sci-fi movie (or Hollywood itself) has ever encountered.
Think about it: It has been more than 10 Years since Cameron’s last film, Titanic, a film which also just happens to be the highest grossing film in history. Avatar is also the single most expensive film ever made in the history of cinema (with a budget that’s reported to be over $500 Million), with an unknown lead actor.
And don’t forget the weight of the nerd world on his shoulders either, along with those claims of “Groundbreaking technology”. Really, the sheer steel cahones that Cameron must have in order to be prepared to withstand that kind of potential backlash is a truly impressive feat in itself.
Thankfully – James Cameron has nothing to worry about, Avatar is something truly special.
Forget any pre-conceived ideas of what you think Avatar is (especially those in the “Aliens aren’t for me” department), because Avatar is very much it’s own beast.
Set on the distant rainforest planet of Pandora (a gas based planet rich in a rare mineral called Unobtainium, which humans are willing to do just about anything… including genocide… in order to mine) Avatar follows the tale of a reluctant crippled hero (Clash Of The Titans’ Sam Worthington) who enters the Avatar Program, in which human “drivers” have their consciousness linked to an alien avatar body.
These avatars are genetically engineered hybrids of human DNA mixed with DNA from the natives of Pandora… the Na’vi.
Reborn in his avatar form, Jake can walk again and is given a mission to infiltrate the Na’vi, who have become a major obstacle to mining the precious ore. The thing is… which side is he really on – human race, or Alien?
WHAT’S THE BUZZ
Let’s get this out of the way nice and early, putting aside the buzz and expectations – Avatar is truly spectacular.
It is a visually sublime piece of entertainment (that, yes, is sometimes distractingly CGI heavy), with a fully realised story, and fully fleshed out characters which allow the audience to become totally and fully invested within the universe Cameron offers.
And please don’t overlook that fact, or take it for granted – because it is such an uncommon occurance in modern day, big budget movie making.
Sam Worthington is superb, possessing such a genuine innocence and naivety in his approach as Jake Sully experiencing the new world of the Na’vi which really keeps you on his side throughout the entire piece. It is yet further proof that Worthington is one of the freshest, most likeable and unique talents that will emerge during the coming decade of cinema.
The same can be said for Zoe Saldana, who somehow transcends the limitations of the tech-heavy motion capture systems (which, admittedly, I’m still very up in the air about in regards to its effectiveness – with the CGI taking you out of the film just as much as it draws you into it) and gives a genuinely heart wrenching, emotion filled performance.
When she cries, when she wails from betrayal, it is a sensationally and unpredictably moving cinema experience – and if any awards get thrown Avatar’s way, the only way justice can be served is if she is the first in line.
As for the “Ground Breaking Technology”. Yes – the world James Cameron has created is pretty damn astounding.
Avatar : CGI Epic
As I’ve mentioned, the CGI can occasionally take you out of the movie (in that “I’m watching a CGI monster on a movie screen right now” sort of way), however once Jake Sully’s Avatar begins to explore and learn about the Na’vi culture – the audience comes along with him for the ride.
The awe-inspiring beauty and textures of the world (along with the complexities and detail of the backstory Cameron has created for Pandora itself) truly has to be seen to be believed.
Honestly, to have an audience genuinely upset when a tree, a plant or an animal gets harmed is an amazing achievement in big screen story telling… so realistically, Avatar must be doing something right.
I’ll be honest, I’ve been very sceptical about the film – especially about the “return business” aspect the movie needs in order to make back it’s cash – but having now explored Pandora in 3D… upon leaving the cinema, it really does make you want to return and immerse yourself in all it’s visual splendour once more.
I now understand why Star Wars nerds get so into that Universe and it’s plethora of cultures – for its escapism, despite the occasionally cheesy dialogue – and I really won’t be surprised if we see folks dressing up and learning the Na’vi language at Comic Book Conventions in the very near future.
At the same time, you really get the sense that the Titanic crowd will get exactly what they want out of it as well (even a, quite weird, sex scene) as Avatar is not just about explosions – it is about relationships and interactions. It is a touch that nearly every single big budget movie seems to forget!
Avatar may not be the “greatest film ever” that many may be hoping for (although it’s story does stick to a tried and true formula – which is probably one of its subtle strengths), but it is certainly is one of the strongest (if not, unfortunately, longest) event pictures of the new millenium.
So there you go James Cameron, you promised the world a benchmark — and somehow — you’ve delivered.
WATCH OUT FOR
Stephen Lang as Colonel Miles Quaritch, the single greatest onscreen bad guy since Darth Vader and Hannibal Lector hit the silver screen. What a friggin badass – cool as hell!
Oh, and the ENORMOUS closing 20 minute battle scene ain’t half bad either…
WATCH OUT FOR | RATING : 4.5 / 5
The more i think about it, the more “James Cameron” the film seems. there’s clearly a hidden agenda and it’s extremely anti-military/anti-corporate with a strong focus on environmentalism.
The dialogue was so damn cheesy is some areas. but it’s still so much damn fun – and really emotional in some parts too. Stunning, both visually and within the narrative.
Agreed – it’s totally “green” (although ironic considering how much energy would have been wasted making the movie).
But i dont think its hidden – totally at the forefront and quite purposefully blatant (case in point “shock & awe”, and that Vietnam-esque fire gun shot).
Yes, dialogue is cheesy, but the emotional stuff (especially from Zoe Saldana) was so impressive it sort of outways that predictable wordplay (as did worthington’s sort of “im just an aussie bloke excited by new things” attitude) which I think evens it out a bit.
But considering I went in there really not into the genre, or the idea of the movie, it really won me over
the score did has a “titantic” tinge to it – did you notice that?
That score was a Cameron’s greatest hits comp tape – not that that’s a bad thing. The cheezy dialogue didn’t bother me at all though – most of it came from aliens anyway, and the humans were all stereotypes in every other way too.
Worthington was very impressive I thought, actually made his character arc plausible.
I found the characters to be as shallow as a puddle of bladder-expulsion and the ‘hidden agenda’ to be unsubtle and ham-fisted. I also found the 3D distracting, unfortunately. Not going to bother seeing this again. I actually liked Quaritch though, as he seemed to have his sights firmly set on ridiculousness.