Film Review - "Avatar" (2009)

4/5 Stars

Director: James Cameron
Jake Sulley: Sam Worthington
Neytiri: Zoe Saldana
Dr. Grace Augustine: Sigourney Weaver
Length: 162 mins
Rated: PG-13

Wow! was my initial reaction after the credits appeared, ending this visual masterpiece. That's what Avatar really is, an incredibly stunning visual experience that belongs right beside the Van Goghs and M.C. Eschers in the annals of history.

Here's a situation where a director took the peak of technology in computer generated effects, filmmaking, and three-dimensional presentation by the balls and squeezed every last drop of baby-making juice out of 'em to bring this behemoth of a movie to life. Then he took it to the next level. He wasn't going to let technology restrict him; there wasn't a 3D camera with the capabilities that he needed, so he dumped $14 million into developing a new one.

It's not too often you get a filmmaker that not just attempts put on such a spectacle, but actually succeeds. And it almost never happens that you get one that exceeds not only your expectations, but your hopes. Enter: James Cameron and his expectation-killing machine known as Avatar.

Fortunately for Van Gogh and M.C. Escher, they didn't have to bother with dialogue, plot lines, sound effects, music... you get the idea. I don't think anyone is going to dispute the marvels that Avatar treats the eyes to, but those other elements, those are the ones that can be debated.

The story itself is fairly formulaic, but so is every other epic adventure. If you predict how everything plays out within the first half hour, don't pat yourself on the back, it's not too hard to do. Don't get me wrong, Avatar isn't even close to boring. And just because it's formulaic doesn't mean it's not creative as hell. You've got future Marines traveling to a distant moon called Pandora where levitating mountains, flying monsters, and blue aliens with cat-eyes called the Na'vi are the norm. There is love, betrayal, battle, and some crazy shit you've never seen before. There is plenty to keep you interested for the full 2 hours and 42 minutes.

The dialogue is a little cheesy here and there, but tolerable at it's worst. The acting fit; no one's taking home an Oscar for their performance, but no casting director needs to be reprimanded either. No one is too good or too bad to distract from what we all know is the real focal point here. Though, I would like to point out the performance of Zoe Saldana whose plays Neytiri, a tall, alien princess of a tribe of the Na'vi. At one point, she erupts with anger towards the hero, Jake Sulley (Sam Worthington), with emotion that is so heartwrenchingly human, yet still captures the unique traits of expression of this imagined race of Smurfed-up American Indian metaphors. I was impressed; tip of the hat to her.

Some have called Avatar preachy, or political, but the references and metaphors in the film are obvious and you can read into them what you want, or you can just enjoy the movie.

Go see Avatar in a theater. And for fuck's sake, pay the extra couple of dollars to see it in 3D. You wouldn't watch a color film in black and white... Duh.