Film Review: Avatar

Look, I won't lie to you. the 2000-2009 period was a little sad. There were only a dozen or so masterpieces (mainly Brokeback Mountain, PIXAR films and Lord of the Rings). We really needed to end the decade with a film that could be called a masterpiece. And boy did we. This film has terror, fun, adventure, personality & visuals that will keep even the hardened critic who was written off Modern Day Hollywood to turn back. This is not just a film for the decade, but a film for the ages like 2001 and Star Wars.

Jake Scully (Sam Worthington) is an ex-marine who has a twin brother that has just died. Jake's brother was to undergo the Avatar program, where humans are transported to bodies similar to the bodies of the Natives on the alien planet Pandora. Jake agrees to go to Pandora, fill in for his brother and help the evil General Quaritch (Stephen Lang). However, he is accepted by the Na'vi Tribe, falls in love with the tough warrior Neytri (Zoe Saldana) and soon a war breaks out between the Na'vi and the humans and Jake must choose one side...



James Cameron is the King of The World and here he also shows he's king of many other world's as well. Pandora is like a wonderful new Earth, peaceful and has real thought in it, something that wasn't in the Star Wars prequels. The animals are all unlike anything you've seen before and a Banshee flight (Banshee's are lizard-birds) feels like James Cameron has set a bar that can't be met again anytime soon.

The cast all do well. Sam Worthington is spectacular as Jake. True, it's no Oscar winning performance but he shows the transformation wonderfully, both physically and very subtly as well. Zoe Saldana as Neytri is perfection. She makes the alien become the greatest CGI character ever, period. Sigourney Weaver is well done as Grace Augustine, a scientist that works on the Avatar program. Her Avatar is another great creation, really working and having emotion.



The visuals here are so good that I think they have revolutionized what computers are able to do. The RDA robots work amazingly well. However, it's simple things that astound you, like when Jake tries out his Avatar for the first time and wiggles his toes in the dirt. That moment really feels...real! However, nothings tops the end, when Neytri holds the human Jake Scully in her arms. At that momeny..you don't know what CGI or hwat real..you just know it's good however you slice it.

Avatar is easily the best film of the year and one of the best of all-time. A modern day masterpiece, it's a film that shall one day be hailed as a triumph. Avatar is a wonder, majestic as a film, perfect as an experience. James Cameron has pulled it off beyond our wildest dreams.



Rating: 10.2 out of 10

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