Avatar – Worth The Hype?
Posted on 15. Jan, 2010 by AnjaloRussell in Entertainment
12 years after “Titanic” broke every box office record known to man, director James Cameron has just reminded us why he was then and still is “King Of The World”. Here’s my take on his record setting box office smash “Avatar” and why I think you should check it out.
Graphics/CGI - Incredible. Never seen anything quite like it. Commercials don’t do it justice at all, and seeing it in 3-D was the bomb. Cameron certainly didn’t hit an iceberg as he was ranting and raving about his new 3-D Fusion camera technology. I gu-ron-tee it; this film is unlike anything you have ever seen in your long legged life! The animation looked incredibly smooth, the Na’vi people’s emotions and movements were so dead on, watching them you felt as if you were in another world all together….well, Pandora to be exact (the planet on which the film takes place). The humans weapons, war ships, and robo-suits looked just as cool as you’d expect them to look from the mind of the guy who dreamed up the liquid terminator. The battle scenes rivaled Star Wars in complexity and grandeur…and then some!
Plot/Story – Good, not a super original theme, but it worked in this picture, and helped to deliver a message, reminding us that it is wrong to colonize a land simply to steal resources, and put the native peoples well-being aside strictly for financial gain (English/Africans…Spaniards/Native South Americans…u get it). Long story short – greedy asshole type government/businessmen want a special, super valuable precious resource, that is on the Na’vi people’s native land. Jake, a paralyzed former marine, takes the spot of his dead brother among a group of scientists which is led by Sigourney Weaver, that work with the military to gather info on the native Na’vi for military use. The Scientists have developed a program, fusing Na’vi DNA with human DNA, to create creatures called “Avatars” that are Na’vi clones born and grown in futuristic testubes, that are controlled by one human, whose nervous system is linked together with the Na’vi clone body through a special, virtual reality machine if you will (pretty cool…think Matrix when they are plugged in).
So Jake and Sigourney Weaver, in their Na’vi bodies, go about their studies venturing off into Na’vi land, trying to learn and study the culture, when they get attacked by beasts, and Jake is left and trapped in the vast dark Na’vi forests to fend for him self, as the others retreat back to base upon command at dark. This is when Jake meets Zoe Saldana’s Character, Neytiri, a gorgeous Na’vi chic who saves him from getting his ass kicked by wild creatures…then u can guess what happens next. Think “Dances With Wolves” meets “The Last Samurai” Jake learns about the Na’vi, spends time with them and grows fond of their culture and way of life, while simultaneously cooperating with the military (while waking up in his human form)…surely enough he falls in love with Neytiri, and fights with her and her people to help them to save thier land from the human military forces. I wont give it all away, but you get the point. Intense, incredible battle scenes throughout though keep the flick moving along.
Overall – This movie reminds me of a few films…it has the Sci-Fi bad-assness of a Star Wars, packed with cool weapons, suits, and incredible larger than life battle scenes, with incredible gorgeous CGI, something I don’t think we have seen quite yet. It has the heart and emotions most of James Camerons films do (Terminator’s love with theme with Sarah and Reese, Titanic’s with Jack and Rose….Arnold and Jamie Lee in True Lies…following that classic James Cameron theme of “love in the midst of a overwhelming battle/struggle”) I think, again, this movie, like District-9 can draw some racial comparison, though no where near as controversial as District 9 and the portrayal of the Nigerians.
In this movie, the Na’vi certainly could be compared to native ancient Africans or native Americans…(Neytiri appears to have braids, as do some of the other female Na’vi). Makes sense, because like the Africans and Native Americans, colonizers are trying to steal thier land for financial gain. That is fairly obvious, and watching this film brings some of the evils of world history to mind. The Na’vi people have many qualities in common with African tribes and Native American tribes -they are in touch with nature, animals, the land, and a higher power, and seem to have a deep bond and connection with all, while the evil military machine’s only goals are simply financially motivated.
So, whats my take? Was it worth the hype? I say yes – it took me on a ride I fully enjoyed, to some cool places I’ve never been, with a story I felt that worked, even though not 100% original. This is a motion picture event you don’t wanna miss, I recommend seeing this blockbuster in 3D, on the biggest, baddest, coolest screen you can find. No doubt James Cameron has the pulse of what works when it comes to making big time movies, thats for sure.
Recent Comments