Welcome to the most inescapable film of 2009. It’s difficult for any movie to live up to the hype that accompanies a budget in excess of $300 million, much less the 12 year hiatus from directing a feature film that James Cameron took after Titanic. But Avatar satisfies in every way. It is a visually mesmerizing miracle, reaching far beyond simply filling the slot of the quintessential Christmas blockbuster and providing inspiration for your pre-teen’s next video game obsession.
If you remember the way you felt when you first experienced dinosaurs in Jurassic Park or the bullet time slow motion martial arts in the Matrix films, your mind won’t rest for 2 ½ hours of Avatar. What Cameron’s done here is take another simple narrative and illustrate it with an unimaginably inventive, digitally painted backdrop unlike anything audiences have ever seen.
The story is set in the year 2154, where US Military forces are “on the brink of war.” Scientists on Earth have found the solution to the energy crisis in a rare mineral on Pandora, a moon light years away. The problem: the richest mineral-laden portion of land on Pandora is occupied by the Na’vi – a peaceful group of blue-skinned aliens who dutifully revere the natural world and will vehemently defend it, if threatened.
Another problem: How does one mine for a mineral on a planet whose air is toxic and un-breathable to humans? Create a genetic hybrid of human and Na’vi DNA that is controlled by the human counterpart and aptly get the job done – the Avatar. In an effort to communicate and learn from the Na’vi, a group of American scientists headed by Dr. Grace Augustine (Cameron veteran Sigourney Weaver) created the Avatar. Now the military will use them to infiltrate into Na’vi society for their own reasons.
After one of the scientific team members is murdered, his twin brother (same DNA) is chosen to step in and use his Avatar as part of a last ditch effort to “find a diplomatic solution” with the Na’vi. Enter Jake – a paraplegic marine played by Aussie actor Sam Worthington (who has thankfully perfected his American dialect since last summer’s Terminator: Salvation). Colonel Miles Quaritich (embodied with menacing precision by Stephen Lang) tells Jake if he can gain the trust of the Na’vi and get them to relocate, he’ll see to it Jake gets his “real legs” back. Our renegade hero has nothing to lose, and the race is on.
What can be said of the ensuing two hours? Magic movie-making at it’s best; A dazzling Cameron affair that eclipses Aliens, The Abyss, Terminator and even Titanic. Movie audiences are used to seeing films that are almost entirely computer-generated, at this point. Cameron has labeled the technique that brings Avatars to life “performance capture,” and dare I say that every cobalt tiger-striped Na’vi, each blinking golden eye, every forehead furrow and wrinkle that matches the actor’s proves that this technique has been perfected. And Pandora is a mouth-watering, spine-tingling adventure that doesn’t disappoint - including floating mountains, monsters that resemble rhino-dinosaurs and fluorescent weeping willow trees capable of memory and communication.
Jake (of course) falls for the hopelessly beautiful Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) who is ordered to teach him the ways of the Na’vi people. Neytiri tells Jake he has “a strong heart, no fear. But stupid. Ignorant. Like a child.” It naturally doesn’t take long for the two to fall in love as Jake continues to prove himself one of the most talented warriors her people have ever seen. As time ticks down and military forces are set to bulldoze Na’vi land, Quaritich asks Jake if he’s forgotten which team he’s playing for. And he has. “The strong prey on the weak, and no one does a thing,” Jake says.
Decide for yourself whether armed forces invading a territory that poses no foreseeable threat sounds familiar in today’s world. There are decisions to be made by these characters that may not be breaking narrative ground, but will make you invested in what they do. The story is one of redemption and moral choice. In the year 2154, good vs. evil is as simple as defending nature or destroying it. It’s as plain as “going up against gunships with bows and arrows.”
Go ahead and see Avatar with expectation. See it with all the uncertainty that comes along with the price of today’s $12 movie ticket. Watch with disdain as another love story is forced upon you, when what you wanted was action. Be hesitant to believe that tiger-striped Avatars are real. And then let it all melt away. Cameron waited 12 years to bring you something unique: a $300 million movie that delivers. Sit back and enjoy the hype. It’s colored in Oscar gold.
-Hillary Smotherman
