Liked it
Avatar (2009) The Movie
This is one of the best films that I have ever seen, the plot is simple yet well constructed, the acting (yes – real acting) was amazing from the whole cast, the CGI in the film was truly groundbreaking and it deserves to be the highest grossing film of all time (well until Avatar two comes out in 2014!).
I missed out on Avatar when it first came out in December 2009 (in the UK) as my daughter was only 1 and rather unwell, so it is only now with the special extended edition that I have had the chance to see this magical adventure.
My preconceptions or pre-knowledge of the film were that it was about tall blue aliens and was almost a cartoon. The first bit was partially correct, but the second part could not have been more wrong. The film merges real-life action with CGI enhanced acting by the key protagonists Jake Sully and Neytiri, played brilliantly by Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana (who managed to make blue look good!). With the amazing Stephen Lang playing the soldier from Hell!
The World of Pandora is beautifully conceptualised and captured by the artists and programmers in such a way as you actually feel like you are there, on a real jungle moon (Endor for the 21st century), the vibrant colours, consistent eco-system and the low gravity created gigantic trees are all fully defined and stunningly engineered. The way that James Cameron (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000116/) has visualised the World, of his own creation being the writer of the initial story, and brought it to life using the most advanced technology available, coupled with the human interaction of the amazing actors is awe inspiring. Is J.C. the best Director of our time? Possibly, just look at his film credits to judge.
The subtleties within the film are amazing, the consistent biology of the creatures, the changes in archery, the detailing of the clothing, the creation of a new language, the training the actors underwent so that they could be and feel the part they were playing……. Seriously, if you’ve got the multi-disk version and have the making of Avatar, then please do watch it – is J.C. a geek? Hell yes, do we get a better film because of this? Definitely.
My only disappointment is that I had to watch it in 2D, if they bring it back to the cinema in 3D ahead of the release of Avatar 2 and 3 (2014 and 2015 respectively are the planned dates) then I will definitely be attending.
The plot, as said is a straightforward story of the human self-destructive streak, with the complete disrespect for nature coming back to bite them on the butt! Intertwined is a love story, a bit of male bonding, a war between tech and nature, and some of the most immersive film you are ever likely to see.
And yes, I too am a geek and loved the way that they had a natural style of blue-tooth/Internet connectivity within the planet/moon. Amazing.
A sci-fi movie unashamedly, and one that would have made Philip K. Dick (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001140/) proud!
