Avatar (2009)

When his brother is killed in a robbery, paraplegic Marine Jake Sully decides to take his place in a mission on the distant world of Pandora. There he learns of greedy corporate figurehead Parker Selfridge's intentions of driving off the native humanoid Na'vi in order to mine for the precious material scattered throughout their rich woodland. In exchange for the spinal surgery that will fix his legs, Jake gathers intel for the cooperating military unit spearheaded by gung-ho Colonel Quaritch, while simultaneously attempting to infiltrate the Na'vi people with the use of an avatar identity. While Jake begins to bond with the native tribe and quickly falls in love with the beautiful alien Neytiri, the restless Colonel moves forward with his ruthless extermination tactics, forcing the soldier to take a stand - and fight back in an epic battle for the fate of Pandora. - synopsis from IMDB

 Cast  - full listing

• Sam Worthington  
• Zoe Saldana  
• Sigourney Weaver  
• Stephen Lang  
• Michelle Rodriguez  
• Giovanni Ribisi  

 Genres

action, fantasy, science-fiction, animation

 Facts & Figures

Directed by James Cameron.

Rated 7.8 on IMDB from 930353 votes.

Runtime: 162 min.

 Review

For 11 years, James Cameron worked on this movie. Most of those were spent looking for and developing the technology required to make the Pandora world and its unique inhabitants. Was it worth the wait? Is it really that groundbreaking?

You betcha it is. Avatar is in a league of its own. By lightyears.

I don’t recall seeing a 3D movie since I was a kid. And with the risk of sounding like a cheapa**, I don’t really care for paying extra to see a movie. Unless it’s this good. Sure, the 3D effects take your mind some time to get used to, but Cameron uses them sparingly and selectively. No endless flying objects to duck (although I’ll admit to at least one flinch). There are a lot of perspective effects that emphasize the depth of objects and rooms.

Pandora is mesmerizing. Floating glowing jellyfish-like seeds, illuminated plants the native humanoid population can physically bond with, just as they can with the animals, and some great scenery with massive mountains and forests. And by saying that, I’m hardly giving much away. I liked the predators best and they come into play early on :)

Don’t expect a great story from this movie. It’s OK, although very predictable. I decided to forgive Cameron that. This is not an inspirational tale, but a fantasy epic that focusses on its visual identity.

Time to polish those fancy schmancy 3D goggles. Ah, who am I kidding? They will never be a fashion trend. They’re worth the almost 3 hours of embarrassment. Finally a movie that will make the Blu-ray prove itself.

Seen: 21 Dec 2009