I had a similar experience to when I saw "Star Wars" back in 1977 while watching "Avatar." I went into that movie with hazy expectations as well. Similar to his "Titanic," James Cameron's movie has been the focus of consistently negative advance talk. He has once more hushed the sceptics by merely producing a superb movie. At least one man who has the ability to judiciously spend $250,000,000—or was it $300,000,000—remains in Hollywood.
Even though it provides amazing entertainment, "Avatar" is more than that. It represents a technical advance. Its message is unmistakably anti-war and green. It will undoubtedly start a cult. It has so fine visual detail that repeated viewings would be worthwhile. It creates a new language, Na'vi, much like "Lord of the Rings," although thankfully I doubt that even teenage humans could speak it. It produces new Hollywood stars. One of those movies you feel you have to see to be in the loop is It Is an Event.
The story takes place in the year 2154 and centres on a U.S. military mission to an earth-sized moon orbiting a powerful star. A material that Earth sorely needs can be found in abundance on this new world, Pandora. We deploy ex-military mercenaries to Pandora to assault and subdue them even though they pose no threat to Earth at all. Gung-ho warriors use machine guns and command armoured hovercraft that are used for bombing missions. You are allowed to see this as an allegory for modern politics. Evidently, Cameron does.
The Na'vi, a blue-skinned, golden-eyed race of slender giants that stand about 12 feet tall each, live peacefully in a forest on the planet Pandora. Humans cannot breathe the air, and the environment has reduced us to pygmies. We utilise avatars—Na'vi lookalikes developed naturally and mind-controlled by humans who remain wired up in a trance-like state on the ship—to leave our landing craft. They perceive, fear, taste, and feel like Na'vi while acting as avatars, and they share all of their physical prowess.
For the protagonist Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), who is paraplegic, this last quality is liberating. His genetic compatibility with a deceased identical twin for whom an expensive avatar was made led to his recruitment. In his avatar condition, he can once more walk, and as payment for this service, he will receive a highly costly operation to allow him to move his legs again. Theoretically, he is safe since even if his avatar is destroyed, his human form is unaffected. in concept.
Jake is a fine soldier at first on Pandora, but once Neytiri, a slender and courageous native, saves his life, he turns native (Zoe Saldana). He discovers that practically every kind of life here wants him for food, just as the aggressive Col. Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang) had warned them. Try telling that to a charging 30-ton rhino with a nose like a hammerhead shark (Avatars are not composed of Na'vi flesh).
The Na'vi are able to live in harmony with nature, have a thorough understanding of their home world, and have wisdom towards the creatures they coexist with. They are similar to Native Americans in this and a variety of other respects. They tame a different species, not horses, but gorgeous flying dragon-like creatures, to transport them around. One of the best scenes in the movie is when Jake manages to capture and tame one of these enormous animals.
The special effects used in "Avatar" are from a new generation, just like in "Star Wars" and "LOTR." Many questioned Cameron's claim that it would happen. It does. Pandora uses a lot of CGI. Through the use of motion capture methods, the Na'vi are realistically embodied. They avoid the unsettling Uncanny Valley effect while having the appearance of being particular, convincing people. However, I'll be damned if Cameron and his artists succeed in transforming Neytiri into a blue-skinned giantess with golden eyes and a long, supple tail. Sexy.
The film's length of 163 minutes doesn't seem excessive. There is so much in it. stories about people. Because the Na'vi are also evolved as people, the Na'vi stories. the intricate nature of the earth, which conceals a universal mystery. Jake joining the resistance to fight his former allies in the ultimate battle. Small, elegant details, like a floating being that embodies goodness and like a cross between a blowing dandelion seed and a drifting jellyfish. or amazing cloud islands that float.
I have taken issue with the third act story-telling that occurs in many modern movies in favour of nonstop action. In essence, Cameron does that in this scene, but he has done a good job of developing his characters so that what they do in combat and how they do it matter. There are more important concerns at play than just who will prevail.
In "Avatar," Cameron promised to introduce the newest 3-D technology. Being a needless diversion from the flawless realism of 2-D movies, I am a well-known sceptic of this process. The finest I've seen is Cameron's, and more importantly, it's one of the best executed. The movie doesn't repeatedly break the fourth wall or use 3-D merely because it has it. In spite of the fact that the movie is mostly set inside and in a rain forest, he also appears to be conscious of 3-D's tendency for darkening the image. However, there is still enough light. I was thrilled after watching the movie in 3-D on a quality screen at the AMC River East. I could be fantastic in True IMAX. Wishing you luck obtaining a ticket prior to February.
For a man to step up at the Oscars and declare himself King of the World, it takes an incredible amount of bravery. Recently, James Cameron was re-elected.