01.21.10

Movie Review: Avatar

Posted in Entertainment, Movies at 4:24 pm by JHaines

Hot damn, was this movie good!

First, let me say this: the whole “Avatar = Pocahontas in Space” thing? Well, sure.

However, I’d like to point out that there was still a great deal of originality to this story. Mostly along the lines of the creatures and equipment being used and how these came into play rather than the story arc.

Let me explain. James Cameron had been working on this film for years, putting together a whole new world with different flora, fauna, races, languages, religious beliefs, etc. Most everything you’ll see there is something new, or old with a new twist. (*cough* Six-legged Gorean panthers, anyone? Wait, I don’t know anything about Gor! *innocent look*)

vs.

(Strange New Alien from Pandora, or Strange New Alien from Gor circa late-1960’s? You decide!)

The basic story is that a company wants to mine a rare, expensive element called “unobtanium” (please save your groans for later, folks) on the moon Pandora. They are being thwarted by the natives, a species of sentient humanoid aliens called Na’vi. To counter the natives, the company develops a scientific approach of cloning some of the Na’vi and mixing them with human DNA. The miracles of science enable the human scientists on board to link their minds with these “avatar” bodies and interact with and study the locals.

Our hero, Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), is chosen to command an avatar when his twin brother is killed. The trouble with this is that Jake is a paraplegic former marine with no scientific training to speak of. The lead scientist, Doctor Grace Augustine (Sigourney Weaver), takes umbrage at the thought that Jake could possibly replace his highly trained twin on the project.

Yet, Jake excels at this, and soon finds himself a place as a trusted member of the Na’vi society, helped along by Neytiri (Zoe Saldana), a female Na’vi. His allegiance to the company and fellow humans is gradually stripped away as his love for Neytiri and the Na’vi people grows. Soon, he is forced to make a choice – assist the Na’vi to defend against the destruction of the natural beauty of Pandora, or help the company reach their goal of displacing the Na’vi from their sacred grounds and homes so they can reach the unobtanium beneath the village.

It’s very true you can compare this plot to Pocahontas, Dances With Wolves, Fern Gully, whatever, and find more than a few similarities. Sure, the whole font thing was a cop-out. And, yes, I even detected some re-hashed Jurassic Park sound effects in the film.

However, that doesn’t make it a bad movie, or a bad story. It’s visually stunning, the music (courtesy of composer James Horner) is lovely, the plot gripping, and the message refreshingly clear and “clean”. It’s thoroughly enjoyable if you just watch the movie for the sake of entertainment rather than listening to the gripes about what’s wrong with it. Personally, I think its (fairly unobtrusive) message of peace, anti-war, and respect for the environment and others’ beliefs is something to get behind, rather than bitch about.

Plus, the helicopter-lizard things were freaking adorable. C’mon, people who’ve seen it, you know what I’m talking about. Don’t you just want to take one home with you?!

Of course, you can also make “Do You Wanna Date My Avatar” jokes ‘til the cows come home, but it doesn’t detract from the beauty of this film. I’d watch it again anytime.

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