MOVIE REVIEW: AVATAR
AVATAR
Director: James Cameron
Screenplay: James Cameron
TRT: 160 Minutes (PG-13) for intense epic battle sequences and warfare, sensuality, language and some smoking
Cast
Sam Worthington as Jake Sully
Zoe Saldana as Neytiri
Sigourney Weaver as Grace
Lola Herrera as Veronica Walsh
Joel David Moore as Norm Spellman
Peacock Feathers (3 1/2 out of 5)
By Marcus Thorpe
Stay with me on this one: I love hamburgers, I’ve told many of my friends and loved ones that I think I could eat hamburgers every day and be happy! Well, in all honesty, if I did eat hamburgers everyday I would probably be sick of them by about week 2. Well, in James Cameron’s epic Avatar, the visuals are so amazing, big and bold, that after 160 minutes of eye candy, I didn’t want anymore. Guess that old saying “too much of a good thing” really does mean something!
Avatar is James Cameron’s life’s work. He poured everything into this film, his own money, his brain, his heart, his passion, his love for movies and audiences. And don’t get me wrong, it really is amazing. The visual aspect of 3-D is groundbreaking, its impressive the creatures are the gold standard for computer generation, the floating pieces of land, the trees, every blade of grass is focused, has a purpose, all I can say is you will be blown away visually. The problem for me, the story itself.
The plot surrounds an easy concept, they have what we want, lets go and get it. They, in this case, are a species that stand tall, move fast, fight furiously, and don’t want to leave their home. The creatures are called Na’vi, they are 9 feet tall, blue, and native to the land known as Pandora. Man has landed nearby and discovered that this land is home to something very, very valuable. The plan is simple, make the natives leave, no matter what. First they have to get to know their enemy, so avatar’s are created. Think the smurfs on steroids, mixed with the Matrix. Humans have avatar’s created that look like the natives, but are controlled in the mind of someone plugged in. Jake is a misfit who is only in his position in the armed services because his much talented brother is no longer alive. Sam Worthington takes the lead role, and is actually a pretty solid actor, both in the flesh and in the blue! He brings some emotion as the young man who is slowed only by the legs he no longer has use of. The leader of the human cause is Grace (Weaver). She is the doctor who knows the tribe inside and out, she is the one everyone looks to for the best way to infiltrate this very rich land. His mentor is the hardcore Colonel Quaritch (Stephen Land). He feels one way, that power equals ownership. He leads the charge, has no conscious about what he does, who he kills, his loyalty is to the human race. The story takes another predictable turn when Jake starts to have that twitch or morality after he falls in love with Neytiri. A Na’vi who saves him and shows him the ropes. She teaches him to fly (in really the best scenes of the entire movie), teaches him to survive, and teaches him to fight for something other than himself. There are plenty of strong scenes between the 2, and for the last 45 minutes, you are really pulled into this world and exactly what they are all fighting for.
The script is mildly interesting, but it takes an awful long time to get to the conflict that you know is coming. There has to be some man VS big blue creature right? Well there is, and its huge, but you have to wait about 2 hours before you get to it. In the meantime, you are taken on a visual canvass that would make Pollack blush. There are so many colors, whips, shades, that you eyes can barely keep up. I’m all for visuals, but for a movie to be one that stands the test of time, I need a story that hooks me first, and then the visuals can have an even greater impact. Avatar gives you plenty of hamburger, I just think I was hoping for a little more variety on the menu, or at least toppings!
MT
Want to see movies where I do?? Check out showtimes to the Arena Grand at http://www.arenagrand.com
Posted by
on 12/22 at 12:32 AM
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