You've experienced the hype. You've sat through advertisement after advertisement, sponsorships and the endless stream of hints and recommendations from friends. You ask yourself, is it really worth watching? You'll find out after the break.
Avatar has been in development for 14 years now. Directed by James Cameron, whose portfolio covers films such as Titanic (1997) and Aliens (1986), this film has been regarded by many as ground-breaking and revolutionary in its visual effects and CGI.
"14 years in development?" I hear you ask. James Cameron decided that the technology of yesteryear was too feeble to be blessed with his magnum opus, and every critic should commend him for this decision. The last thing I'd want to see is the main character wrestling giant leaping pixels, and luckily we're faced with the other extreme; beautifully created lifeforms inhabiting an equally beautiful landscape.
The film follows the adventure of our antagonist, Jake Scully. Paralysed from the waist down, Jake is packed up and shipped off to the beautifully hostile world of Pandora in place of his recently deceased brother. Right off the bat, the audience is introduced to the mega-corporation tearing the planet to shreds in search of precious resources. The planet, Pandora, is James Cameron's envisioned paradise with fangs. "If there is a hell, you might want to go there for a little R&R after a trip into Pandora" informs the war-torn, cigar-chewing military leader.
Jake is quickly drafted into the Avatar Program, aimed at forging diplomacy between the stereotypically greedy corporation and the indigenous humanoid species, the Na'Vi. Human-Na'Vi hybrids are genetically engineered by this program and are remotely controlled by their human counterparts.
Now, Jake's twin brother was enrolled in this program, but was killed before he could board the spaceship taking him to the base of operations. Jake shares a similar, almost identical genome with his brother, and is able to take the role of an Avatar controller.
A series of events unfolds, which I won't go into lest I spoil it for you, but the plot becomes rather predictable in places. This isn't the first time a real world parallel involving greedy humans destroying natural habitats has appeared in a film, and it may well become a recurring motif if other directors follow James Cameron's trails to the goldmine that he has discovered.
However, the film's plot isn't its most widely promoted characteristic. Praised for its unique and realistic CGI, its visuals alone put the film leagues ahead of any other film. The world of Pandora is beautifully envisioned and portrayed. If our world had as many landmarks as Pandora, we'd never get lost. James Cameron raises the bar and achieves a new level of realism in the sci-fi genre.
I haven't experienced worlds in a film as beautiful as Pandora since my last forray into a Hayao Miyazaki flick. Floating mountains, neon forests and a giant tree that doubles as a capital city are images that shall be engraved on my retinas for many years to come. I can't stress how beautiful the world of Pandora is without carving my brain out and projecting a cross-section of it to show you what these images look like in my memory.
This beauty and grandeur of Pandora is also borrowed by its denizens, who are also magnificently modelled and envisioned, from the wild, vicious animals to the elegantly tribal humanoids, the Na'Vi. The Na'Vi exude more realism Katie Price exudes idiocy. The poster-girl Na'Vi, Neytiri, is brimming with emotion and I contemplated whether I was witnessing CGI or incredibly well done makeup without the crappy latex.
Convincing performances aren't restricted to this one character alone, as the film features a wide, solid cast, yet my only criticism is the lack of appearance by Joel Moore who I think deserved more screen-time. The performances from actors on Team Na'Vi were simply awe-inspiring. Nevertheless, I was slightly disappointed with some of lead role's lines, however that may just be an extension of the predictable sequences in the plot.
Avatar's soundtrack is also another selling point. JamesHorner,whose repertoire is too large for me to sum up in a sentence, composed the soundtrack. I found this easily identifiable, as the trumpet flares that appear every now and then in the music were reminiscent of those in Enemy At The Gates and they threw me back in my seat whenever I heard them. It's simply brilliantly arranged and a score that manages to reflect the audience's switching perspective from human to Na'Vi and vice versa. As soon as this beauty arrives on Spotify, you can guarantee that my ears will be firmly glued to it.
Overall, this is a film that nobody should miss, and if you're willing to go the extra mile, experience it in three dimensions. The added dimension really does add that extra layer of depth to the film and after seeing it in 3D on my first viewing, I can't imagine seeing it in any other format.
Why should I?
-Breathtaking visuals, a new level of realism.
-The best sci-fi/action film of the year.
-It makes blue, tribal, alien females hot.
Why shouldn't I?
-Parts may seem a bit cliché.
-None of your senses are fuctioning.
-You're not tall enough to ride this visual rollercoaster.
That'll be 5 stars then, but it's not a solid 5 I'm afraid. Hopefully the series will be a huge success and James Cameron will release the second and third films in this trilogy!
