2009 was, in my opinion, the year for sci-fi movies. Not only were there a lot of entertainment-only movies like “Star Trek” and “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen,” but we had some very significant genre-advancing movies like “Moon” and “District 9.”
Both movies used social issues (human ethics and apartheid) to deliver stories that were provocative and compelling, without a preachy or cheesy feel. James Cameron’s financially massive yet very pretty movie “Avatar,” tries to achieve a similar theme. He succeeds in showing a new world to the audience, but he sacrifices an originality that the story could have used with the message delivered. Yet, the movie was incredible.
“Avatar,” in a way, is like an inverted “District 9.” While “District 9” asks what we would do to a society of aliens when they unintentionally land on Earth, Avatar introduces a similar idea, but we invade their planet.
That planet is Pandora, an earthly but exotic planet of diverse forests, plants, and animals, with an atmosphere that is poisonous to humans. It’s also home to a society of indigenous, human/cat-like people named the “Na’vi,” who have a language that could eclipse Klingon’s popularity.
Unfortunately, all this peace is disrupted when Earth company “RDA” discovers on Pandora an element called unobtanium, which Earth needs to keep its resource consumption going. For RDA to mine unobtanium, they want to move the Na’vi from their homes. This has to be accomplished either diplomatically with human-Na’vi clones named “avatars,” or by military force, which as always, humans are not afraid to use.
Enter Jake Sully (Sam Worthington from “Terminator: Salvation”), a disabled Marine veteran who is presented by RDA with the opportunity to go to Pandora, to control what would’ve been his brother’s avatar had he not died.
There, he is introduced to lead scientist and diplomat Dr. Grace Augustine (Siguorney Weaver) and RDA’s military leader Colonel Quaritch (Stephen Lang), both of whom are using the avatar program for different means.
After Sully becomes comfortable in his avatar, he’s taken on a mission only to be separated from the team by local wildlife.
Rescued by a native Na’vi named Neytiri, (Zoe Saldana, Uhura from the recent “Star Trek” film), he is brought to her village, where Neytiri reluctantly agrees to teach him their culture and the mysteries of their world.
It’s obvious what’s going to happen during the movie. Some scenes may give the most rare moviegoer a sense of déjà vu. The story also presents a crystal-clear social and political message.
The attitudes Quaritch and many of the humans have, aside from Dr. Augustine and her group, reflect the apathy of humanity and our degradation of the environment, no matter who or where we are, as compared to the Na’vi, who live in harmony with nature.
Dr. Augustine has an opposite disposition. She tries to be the voice of reason and diplomacy for both the humans and Na’vi. Drawing lines between ideals always force the audience to side with either species, but with lines so clear, it becomes too obvious who the good and bad guys are.
The reason the story’s so enthralling throughout the unusual length (approximately 180 minutes), lies in the performances of the actors.
Sam Worthington convincingly presents Sully as a full-blooded, slightly conflicted Marine and undergoes a lifelike change of heart. He is complex enough to both like and dislike.
Saldana plays Neytiri very well. She conveys all Neytiri’s characteristics: strong and compassionate warrior, knowledgeable yet respectable teacher to Sully. She is even vulnerable at some points.
Weaver plays Dr. Augustine with strength, passion, and a respectable brashness. Lang plays Quaritch with the correct gruffness and arrogance, with an eye looking for a fight.
Supporting characters also deserve credit for their performances, like Michelle Rodriguez’s small yet significant role as a soldier.
Ultimately, Cameron’s direction transforms his story from a linear narrative into an effective character drama successfully. With characters as interesting as these, thanks largely to the actors, the story becomes definitively compelling.
The story is second, however, to Cameron’s original intent to transport and immerse the audience into the world he is G-d to. It’s only fitting that the film’s shining element is its special effects.
Everything comes to life, from the plants and animals, to the mechs that the humans pilot.
Everything is detailed, especially the battles. They are made incredibly epic by the same effects used to power battles in LOTR. Despite this beautiful computer-generated imagery (CGI) world, the best effect comes from the motion-captured Na’vi and avatars.
The movie’s CGI goes light years beyond the CGI that made Andy Serkis’ career, with the eyes, faces, and bodies being so realistically detailed, making some of the computer-meets-reality scenes all that more powerful.
James Cameron successfully reaches his goal of immersion, especially in the way he implements 3D technology. He uses a similar artistic tactic as done in “Coraline”: using 3D conservatively to add more depth into the movie’s world without using gimmicky, “pop-up” effects that 3D is often associated with. 3D is the way to see the movie (IMAX or regular), but you can still enjoy it in regular 2D. Either way, this movie looks simply stunning.
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