Movie Review: James Cameron’s Avatar

The magic of movies is in the ability to create a visual escape for an audience. Not in recent memory has a movie created a world that encompasses the idea of escapism better than Avatar. Director James Cameron has created a visual masterpiece. Watching the film in 3D on IMAX is an incredible experience that everyone should enjoy. The colors, the special effects, and the 3D all create this visual world of wonder that is so appealing that I found myself emerged in a completely different world. Escaping reality is the purpose of movies and James Cameron has crafted a detailed universe that is so intricate I believe there is another world out there called Pandora.

Avatar is the story of Jake Sulley (Sam Worthington), a young marine who is confined to a wheel chair, but he doesn’t allow that to inhibit him from becoming part of project that will completely change his world. Jake is sent to the planet Pandora on a unique mission to learn about the culture of the inhabitants of Pandora who are known as the Na’vi. Pandora is a vision that Cameron has pieced together over the last 14 years  as this project has been developing in his mind. Pandora is an impressive planet that consists of foliage and fauna, animals, culture, and an elaborate ecosystem that is so detailed I honestly believe it exists.

On Pandora Jake’s mission is to become one with the Na’vi. He is to immerse himself in their culture, and by doing so he is gathering intelligence that the government he is working for is able to analyze. Inside the world of Pandora he meets Neyteri (Zoe Saldana) who teaches Jake’s avatar all about the world she lives in. He comes to understand the importance of the ecosystem she lives in, the hierarchy of those on Pandora, and the resources they value are vital to their survival. What begins as a mission for Jake turns into a deep connection with not only Neyteri but with the Na’vi as a culture.

As Jake becomes more involved in his mission he begins to appreciate and ultimately value the Na’vi. His attachment to his avatar becomes more of a dependence as he develops feelings toward Neyteri. Jake spends his time away from his avatar only at night when he is supposed to be asleep. During these times he is recording a video journal of his experiences – including what he has learned and what his thoughts and impressions are. While away from his avatar Jake works with Dr. Grace Augustine (Sigourney Weaver) who has been studying the Na’vi and is assisting Jake with his mission. Weaver, along with co-star Stephen Lang bring a strong element to the supporting cast of the film which takes place outside the world of Pandora. Lang plays Colonel Miles Quaritch who is a jarhead that will not let anything, or anyone get in his way.

Avatar’s story of one man’s journey into a new world becomes the story of a man who becomes so immersed in a different world that he does not know who he even is anymore. Jake’s fondness and attachment to both Neyteri and the Na’vi prevent him from acting out the mission he was assigned to. The conflict Jake Sulley is struck with is his new loyalty to the Na’vi and his job as a marine who was assigned a mission. When the mission he was assigned to becomes an ethical conflict of loyalty and morality, Jake must chose which side he will represent. I don’t consider this to be a spoiler, since based on the trailer, you are able to tell what side he picks.

Avatar is not an original story. We have seen this story before just not presented the way James Cameron delivers it. The story has its protagonist in Jake Sulley, its antagonist in Colonel Quaritch, and an epic battle that pits the two against one another. While many critics may pan the story as unoriginal, the dialogue as cheesy and bland, and the characters as underdeveloped, I believe Cameron makes up for this with everything else he has created. That is not to say that special effects and bright colors are a substitute for a compelling story, but in the case of Avatar, it is one complete package and this movie delivers on many levels.

The most successful element of the film is its epic battle finale. Never have I been more entertained, more engaged, and more satisfied with a movie of this genre. Where Star Wars was epic science fiction for the 1970′s, Avatar is this generation’s sci-fi spectacle. James Cameron has created a world that is intense, vivid, and mind blowing when you place your 3D glasses on. Impressive barely describes the beautiful world Cameron has brought audiences and after 14 years of development, Avatar deserves all the hype, and all the buzz it has gained.

Avatar is a great adventure that in the hands of  a talented director like James Cameron will remain relevant for years to come.

Fanboyz Grade: A-