The world has heard so much about Avatar. It's James Cameron first film in fifteen years, costing in excess of $300 million, and it's the first to use 3D in this way. But deprive of the hype aside, and what anyone wants to know is - is it any good? It definitely is, with a downright eco-minded and anti-war messages (Such charged phrases as "shock and awe" and sentences like "When people are sitting on stuff you want, you make them your enemy" some familiar?).
In the year 2154, as an allegory of contemporary political references, the human race has sent a convoy to the moon of sylvan Pandora to harvest Unobtainium, a rare, powerful mineral that could solely solve earthlings' energy crisis. Paraplegic marine Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) is a last-minute recruit on this mission. The team is led by two factions - the scientists, headed by Grace (Sigourney Weaver), who are seeking to learn and understand more about the alien species in a bid to relocate rather than destroy the natives, and the warriors led by Colonel Quaritch (Stephen Lang), who are looking for full-blown massacre. The factions have been brought together by Administrator Parker Selfridge (Giovanni Ribisi).
The human team hopes to achieve by fusing their brains with specially developed beings that are a blend of human and alien DNA. While in this state, Jake is able to move among the Na'vi, befriend them, and earn their trust. Essentially, he's a very elaborate spy, but one who, in another typical sci-fi fashion, falls in love with Na'vi warrior princess Neytiri (Zo? Saldana) and begins to question the legitimacy of the mission.
For the first time, the concept of a 3D dimensionality has a valuable reason to exist. Avatar is an overwhelming spectacle. The state-of-the-art 3D technology draws us in, but it is the vivid bizarreness of Cameron's luridly imagined tropical "other world" that keeps us fascinated. Cameron's vision here certainly pays homage to Hayao Miyazaki's meticulous fantasies and something else of the same school, at times with the color contrast turned up to the max. It's a place of wonder full of exotically whimsical animal unification. City-sized rock formations hang miles above the ground supported only by vines; underwater plants glow like giants' irises; seeds pulsate through the air like jellyfish. And the fact that you can see the whole thing in razor-sharp 3D means that these images by turn envelop you and dance before your eyes. The film's heart is firmly in the right place. The 'motion-capture' technique that sees Saldana, Worthington and Weaver rendered as 10-feet-tall, azure-skinned, Na'vi is astonishing. Every few seconds, something simply wonderful personifies on screen.
The performances are committed. The actors are all wonderful. Worthington has finally earned his place as Hollywood's newest powerhouse lead, and Saldana is a treat to watch. Weaver (who gives the best performance with her tough demeanor as a no-nonsense scientist) and Ribisi have an incredible chemistry in their few scenes together, and there is no doubt that the film could never have worked to begin with were it not for the acting talent on hand.
In 2009, we see the future of cinema, and its name is Avatar. Cameron's long-awaited follow-up to Titanic, is vast in so many way: from the ambition and scope of its vision, to the ground-breaking technological wizardry, to the mind-blowing size of its budget.
It marks a new breed of action film, and a new cinematic experience. For every trite, there are immeasurable moments of beauty and of passion.