12 years ago James Cameron released one of the highest grossing films of all time, ‘Titanic’. Then, he went into hiding. His fans wondered what his next big project was going to be. And the movie industry patiently waited for his return. When news of ‘Avatar’ surfaced, fans and Hollywood alike knew it was going to be the film of the decade. They were right, ‘Avatar’ is not only breaking records but, sets a new standard for motion pictures. James Cameron changed the filmmaker’s landscape forever. For the next several years computer generated movies will, undoubtedly, be compared to ‘Avatar’. Yet, nobody said greatness was without imperfections.
Avatar’s story focuses on Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), a paraplegic Marine who takes his dead brother’s place as an operator of an Avatar. The Avatar is a genetic replica the aliens who live on the planet Pandora, the very same planet where huge amounts of a rare mineral are found. It’s Jake’s job to study the alien culture and report back to his boss, Dr. Grace Augustine (Sigourney Weaver). Jake is then tossed into a moral battle between helping the Marines take the alien’s resource rich land or helping the aliens, alongside Jake’s alien heartthrob Princess Neytiri (Zoe Saldana), push back the Marines thus saving their way of life.
The story raises ethical, moral and philosophical questions. And Cameron does a nice job of keeping the plot simple enough for the casual audience as well as complex enough for the intellectuals. But, the story is similar to Pocahontas and Fern Gully. We’ve all seen the story before. It’s nothing new. Yet, ‘Avatar’ doesn’t sell itself based on an original story; rather, it’s focus is on the special effects and the CG animation.
Visually, ‘Avatar’ is incredible. Cameron had the help of two of the largest special effects companies working on the project, WETA (Lord of the Rings) and Industrial Light and Magic (Star Wars). The two powerhouses came together to create amazingly life-like computer generated characters that seamlessly interact with real life actors. The transition from traditional film to computer generated material is seamless. Also, the 3D isn’t a gimmick. The movie’s third dimension adds depth and atmosphere to the film that just wouldn’t be possible with traditional filming techniques. Audiences literally gasp at some of the 3D effects.
‘Avatar’ is bringing in more money than bailouts, is causing more controversy than Rush Limbaugh and is pulling more nerds away from their girlfriends than World of Warcraft. It’s becoming a cultural phenomenon. My biggest complaint about the movie is it will not transfer well to home entertainment systems. You all need to see this movie soon. And see it in 3D. ‘Avatar’ is not disappointing. It’s a film everybody can enjoy and be amazed by.
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