Anime Cosplay: Movie Review: Avatar

Sunday, December 20, 2009

Movie Review: Avatar

Movie: Avatar
Run Time: 2 hrs 41 mins
Rated: PG-13
Genre: Action / Adventure
Directed by: James Cameron
Story by: James Cameron

I went out with a friend to see this movie as the hype was just too damn crazy. We went to a 3:30pm show and was surprised by the okay turn out. I was figuring the place would be packed, but it was okay. We had gotten there a 1/2 hour before the show, so we had our choice of seats. Did I forget to mention that this is a 3D movie? They give you some glasses before the show which were of good quality - had a cool Blues Brother charm as well.

Enough about that, I bet you want to know about the movie?

> > > SPOILERS AHEAD < < <

Well the start is a little slow and not that much going for it. I know it was an introduction to why Sam Worthington's character (Jake Sully) was in the movie and why he was one of the Na'vi people. It is interesting how they do this as they make it a mind transfer from a Human to a Human/Na'vi hybrid grown in a lab. Sigourney Weaver plays Dr. Grace Augustine, the head Botanist on site. I liked her hard edge character and the way she despises Jake as he is a Marine, not a scientist. We see Jake Sully as a Na'vi and he falls for one of the natives named Neytiri which is played by Zoe Saldana.

We have several simple themes with this movie that we see in so many others. Guy comes with a certain mindset, then partway through the movie, his eyes are opened and tries to save everything. Oh, and he falls in love with one of the "natives" and has to save her and her tribe. There is also the theme that big business will destroy nature to get what it needs due to greed of the almighty dollar. Save Nature Dude and Dudettes!

This is over-shadowed by the CGI of the planet of Pandora that seem to use a lot of bioluminescence in the plants and structure of the planet. We find that the plants are linked together like on big live network. The creatures are also way cool with a huge rhino-type animal with a hammerhead, 4 winged pterosaurs and dog-like creatures. The Na'vi are blue and a much larger humanoids that us. They use primitive weapons, but are in tune with nature to the point that a tree-hugger would blush.

I was getting a little antsy while watching the movie. I had no idea that it was going to run so damn long. We got there at 3pm and the movie didn't end until 6:15pm. Make sure you eat and hit the bathroom before you come.

I found myself totally taken by the movie as it started to come together. As the story unloaded and the CGI kicked in, this became a great movie. The landscapes were awesome, the creatures were stunning and the characters in this movie really did a great job. I also want the computer displays they had in this movie as they were beyond cool!