Avatar (2009)
Dec 28 - by Aleida
With the heavy snowfall it took a while before I could catch Avatar (2009) in the cinema. I’m really glad I was finally able to watch it because I was really looking forward to seeing this movie. I got the chance to watch the movie last Saturday, now it’s time for a review.
Plot
[medium spoiler warning]
The story of Avatar (2009) revolves around paraplegic war veteran Jake Sully. At the start of the movie he learns his recently deceased twin brother Tom was part of a special project on a new world called Pandora. Since he and his brother share the same genes Jake is asked to take Tom’s place in the project. Jake agrees and travels to the lush and green planet Pandora to take part in the special ‘Avatar’ program.
On Pandora humans are looking for a mineral called ‘unobtanium’ which sells for a lot of money back on Earth. To get their hands on the mineral the humans have to deal with the Na’vi. These blue skinned humanoid creatures live on Pandora and are seen as savage by the humans. The humans are trying to get their hands on the mineral on a diplomatic manner. The ‘Avatar’ program is part of the diplomacy. Scientists have been able to create a Na’vi which humans can controll with their minds by using special Avatar interface pods. While controlling the ‘avatars’ humans can learn from the Na’vi and vice versa hopefully resulting in a better understanding and easier access to the minerals on Pandora.
While Jake is escorting the head of the Avatar program Dr. Augustine and biologist Spellman in their avatar forms they are attacked and Jake gets seperated from the group. Trying to survive during the night he gets rescued by Neytiri a female Na’vi. At first she wants to kill Jake, but decides to take him to Home Tree, the place where her clan lives. Neytiri’s mother wants her to teach Jake all about the customs of the Na’vi by letting him become an Omaticaya warrior. At first Neytiri isn’t too pleased with this assignment and complains about Jake being such a baby. He can’t do anything, is stupid and is noisy all the time. In the following three months Jake and Neytiri become closer and Jake is accepted as one of the Omaticaya.
Unfortunately not everyone is interested in becoming good friends with the Na’vi. The humans are still interested in getting their hands on the mineral of which a big chunk is located right under Home Tree, the home of the Na’vi clan. The trigger happy colonel Miles Quaritch is more than happy to remove the savage Na’vi from Home Tree by force. Even though Jake gave much information about the Na’vi to Quaritch he is now part of the Omaticaya and of course has fallen in love with Neytiri. He decides to defend the Na’vi, but as always: that’s easier said than done…
Thoughts
As a videogamer computer generated graphics have never been a problem for me. I do not have any problem feeling an emotional connection when a story unfolds using this technology. I knew I would enjoy Avatar, but I wasn’t too sure about non gamers or non sci-fi fans who would catch a glimps or actually watch this movie. Especially after I enjoyed Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001) which was a big financial loss to Square and later Final Fantasy VII Advent Children (2005) which is more meaningfull to those who actually played the videogame. Even though I loved the beautifully done CG movies, they were not enjoyed by a big audience.
After watching Avatar I’m happy to conclude that the movie is actually for anyone who wants to see a good movie! It’s definitely not just for those who are into sci-fi and like great action. Avatar has a pretty solid love story too! You can enjoy the awesome action and get blown away by the computer graphics, be a little nerdy like. And you can simply enjoy the storyline and really root for Jake and Neytiri. Even though the story might sound a little cliché James Cameron (and his team) did a great job building up compassion for the characters. The audience can really relate to the Na’vi, even though they are blueskinned, big eyed and have tails. I’m glad they took the 162 minutes to tell the story. Even though for some that might seem long, I believe the movie has a good length to get everything across.
I hope the success of Avatar really opens the doors for the production of other CG movies that aren’t focused on telling kids’ tales. That way we don’t have to look at some really creepy live action versions of videogames or comic books / anime. Think of Dragon Ball Evolution (2009) … *sighs* I also hope Avatar will be able to set a standard of using great CG and telling a story that appeals to a larger audience.
Verdict
There’s no excuse to not see Avatar, ok … maybe heavy snowfall can keep you away from the movie. Honestly, Avatar is more than just a nice looking CG movie. Even though the story is simple it is recognizable and portrays hardships everyone can relate to. You forget you’re watching blue skinned ‘aliens’ and really get swept away by the story. It’s a perfect mix between action & romance, what else do we need?
Avatar is distributed by 20th Century Fox
December 28, 20094:33 pm
http://topsy.com/tb/bit.ly/6kG01y
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Aleida Samallo, Aleida Samallo. Aleida Samallo said: Sharing my thoughts on James Cameron's #Avatar on http://www.elocutio.nu or directly @ http://bit.ly/6kG01y :D It's review time ~ [...]
December 28, 20096:07 pm
http://www.my-smartee.com
I watched this movie, I came into it with no expectations, and it was far greater than I definitely expected. What wowed me was that this was in the works for about 12 years before James Cameron decided to really produce it. I’m sure that more movies in this kind of effects will come out. It will definitely not be disappointing, as long as they do it justifiable.
December 29, 20092:13 pm
no website
Oh I love it when I go see a movie without any expectations and it turns out to be really great. I think it’s a much more satisfactionary than going there already knowing it’s going to be awesome. It’s definitely interesting that James Cameron worked on this movie for such a long time, even working together with someone to create the Na’vi language. It was definitely a good decision to wait until technology evolved and to produce this movie at a later time.
December 29, 20092:03 am
http://miss-becky.net
Neato!! I’m glad you finally got to see it and that you enjoyed it ^^! Kind of makes me wish I had a tail though >.> that would be seriously cool =P. By the way, I hope that you had a really awesome Christmas and that you have a happy and fun New Year!!!!
December 29, 20092:15 pm
no website
Whuahaha TAILS now THAT would be awesome :D I thought it was pretty cool how they could ‘sync’ with the animals and trees and make a connection. Thank you so much for the Holiday Greetings ~
January 18, 201011:45 am
http://www.elocutio.nu/2010/01/18/movie-mix-001/
[...] From time to time I will do a movie mix which is actually a quickie review for at least 3 movies I’ve seen recently. Most of the movies I review in a ‘movie mix’ have already been released on DVD or are aired on television. I will still do indepth single movie reviews for movies I’ve seen in the cinema or the ones I really really really like a lot e.g. the one I did for Avatar (2009). [...]