Who’s back? I’m back. And what brought me back? James motherfucking Cameron, that’s what. How did he do it? With his masterpiece, a little film by the name of Avatar. Ever heard of it?!?
While Avatar has been marketed more than any other movie I’ve seen in 2009, the plot seems to be somewhat unknown to a lot of people. This is pretty surprising, as the plot is pretty familiar.
An indigenous species are living in an area that happens to contain a resource that has great meaning to them spiritually. Another species has found that they can profit from this material and choose to take it from the indigenous by force. The invading species chooses an individual to infiltrate the indigenous to learn their ways and allow the material to be obtained. Once the individual learns the ways of the species, and sees their way of life is that of purity and compassion, he has a change of heart and will do anything to stop the impending eradication. Think of it like, Dances With Wolves, but in space and like 100 fucking times more epic.
Before I dive into my actual review of Avatar I think I need to clarify something. I don’t hate the sci-fi genre. However, I wasn’t really a big fan of it until the last couple of years. Growing up, I couldn’t care less about Star Wars or Star Trek or Stargate or anything with fucking stars in it. But in the last couple of years, thanks to things like LOST, Fringe, The Fountain, Cloverfield, Children of Men, Sunshine, and now Avatar, I’m starting to accept the fact that though the stories may take place in the way-distant future, they may be stories worth hearing.
But I digest. I’ve now seen Avatar twice in theaters. My initial viewing was in a sub-par standard viewing on a shit screen with a crap projector. I know this because I used to work at the place I saw it at and I know their equipment. Luckily, I was able to see it in digital 3D a week later.
The day of my first viewing of Avatar, a friend asked me how it was. I replied by informing him “I’m pretty gay over it.” And I still am. Yeah the story isn’t very ground-breaking and the word “unobtanium” is laughable, but I can overlook those issues. James Cameron has successfully created an entirely different world, species, language. I’ve read numerous articles about how much work and though went into making Avatar a reality rather than just an idea. And that amount of work is staggering. I’m not going to go into detail about what all went into bringing Avatar to theaters, but just know that it pays off.
The cast that Cameron assembled is varied and vast. You have relative new-comers like Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana holding their own with the likes of Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, and Giovanni Ribisi. Worthington is definitely the break-out star of Avatar. The entire story is resting on him to deliver and he does. His transition from a hard-ass marine no one cares for to a brother of the Na’vi is not quick or rushed, allowing you to understand and agree with his character shift. Saldana is fantastic just as she was in Star Trek. Just as hot, maybe even hotter. Yeah, she was blue and completely digital, but still. Scroll up and look at that pic again.
I know a lot of people have started bashing Avatar for it’s lackluster plot, it’s supposed “deeper meanings”, and a few other things. And those people can fuck off. You go to the movies to be entertained. And that’s what Avatar succeeds at.
Fifteen years and $426+ million dollars well spent, Mr. Cameron.
9.3 out of 10.
