Avatar (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo) [Blu-ray] After 12 years of thinking about it (and waiting for movie technology to catch up with his visions), James Cameron followed up his unsinkable Titanic with Avatar, a sci-fi epic meant to trump all previous sci-fi epics. Set in the future on a distant planet, Avatar spins a simple little parable about greedy colonizers (that would be mankind) messing up the lush tribal world of Pandora. A paraplegic Marine named Jake (Sam Worthington) acts through a 9-foot-tall avatar that allows him to roam the planet and pass as one of the Na’vi, the blue-skinned, large-eyed native people who would very much like to live their peaceful lives without the interference of the visitors. Although he’s supposed to be gathering intel for the badass general (Stephen Lang) who’d like to lay waste to the planet and its inhabitants, Jake naturally begins to take a liking to the Na’vi, especially the feisty Neytiri (Zoë Saldana, whose entire performance, recorded by Cameron’s complicated motion-capture system, exists as a digitally rendered Na’vi). The movie uses state-of-the-art 3D technology to plunge the viewer deep into Cameron’s crazy toy box of planetary ecosystems and high-tech machinery. Maybe it’s the fact that Cameron seems torn between his two loves–awesome destructive gizmos and flower-power message mongering–that makes Avatar’s pursuit of its point ultimately uncertain. That, and the fact that Cameron’s dialogue continues to clunk badly. If you’re won over by the movie’s trippy new world, the characters will be forgivable as broad, useful archetypes rather than standard-issue stereotypes, and you might be able to overlook the unsurprising central plot. (The overextended “take that, Michael Bay” final battle sequences could tax even Cameron enthusiasts, however.) It doesn’t measure up to the hype (what could?) yet Avatar frequently hits a giddy delirium all its own. The film itself is our Pandora, a sensation-saturated universe only the movies could create. –Robert Horton
AVATAR Blu-ray Review
I finally came across this film and finally felt the need to see it [I say finally like it was yesterday, it has been a while since I watched this, of course I watched this when it was released, anyway], I knew it had been overly hyped and had a feeling I would not like it. So when I finally decided to get it I can honestly say that while I did like it is far from the greatest film ever. Of course like any one will tell you visually it is a stunning film, you should have seen this in theaters. Of course on DVD and Blu Ray this film still looks amazing but the theatrical experience is where it was at. Still there are bad and good with this film although I really wanted this to be a 5 star classic. With that said this fails in my opinion to reach that legendary status as a whole, visually thought the film will of course go down in history.
I am sure you all know the story since I am very late to the party in reviewing this, but here it goes any way. The place is Pandora and Pandora is absolutely amazing, it is a very beautiful place with amazing creatures. One of the these so called creatures is the local human like inhabitants the Na’vi, a peaceful people who are one with there environment and planet. But the humans that are “visiting” the planet to study it are planning on running these people off so they can drill, of course they are not happy about that. In comes a paralyzed Marine named Jake Sully who is replacing his now deceased brother in a project that may help lower tensions between the two peoples. He is enlisted into the Avatar project in which he can control the body of a Na’vi like body in order to interact with them. But his military superior Colonel Quaritch and over all boss Parker Selfridge want him to gather Intel for their own purposes.
As the story would go he would meet and come to respect the native people and even fall in love with one of them, ala Pocahontas. And that is what I was thinking throughout this entire movie, not that it was a bad thing. I remember watching this with my bro and both us were thinking where have we seen this before, and then there it was, Pocahontas. Later in the film all we could think of was FernGully if you can believe that, once again not that this is a bad thing. The retelling of every story ever is basically what every movie is these days since original material is getting harder for some filmmakers to come with. I think the only reason that it was such a big deal with this film [people have said this film as stole from every story I can think of] is because it was such a huge film.
Now I may catch some heat for this but this film is not a classic in my opinion, visually yes but as far as everything else I don’t think so. Which brings me to the visuals, this film is stunning and is wonderful to look at. From the animation cgi all the way to the vibrant colors all of the place. The land, creatures, and animals all look astonishing and on that level this film is great. James Cameron knows what he wants and did a great job with this film, sure to me the story could have been more original but honestly that is such a small thing because, well, the film was very entertaining. Cameron did a great job with this film but dare I say I liked his ex wife’s film “The Hurt Locker” even more. Yes I said it, it is out there, let the hate come.
Now like I said the story is very familiar but lets get past that for a second and just take it for what it is, good. The story is the classic outsider getting in with the group and falling for one of the members. So with that said it is a nice tale of one people learning to respect the others cultures, yes I know it sounds like another very famous movie. With all that aside the performances are what you would expect from a big [huge] budget blockbuster film. All are good in this movie but none to most are not award worthy in my opinion which is normally the case with these type of films. Of course that may be because the visuals of this film were so strong it overshadowed everything else about the film. Sam Worthington is very good here in the lead as Jake Sully as is Giovanni Ribisi, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang [show stealer maybe], Joel Moore and the always great Michelle Rodriguez, all are good, some are voice acting.
Now the themes of the movie are many depending on who is watching the film and their take on it. The most prominent ones I have heard are people’s belief in technology over faith and religion, this is the one I think is most likely. Of course there is also the human’s destruction of the planet and the environment, I can see that in this film as well. And then there is the thing about this being a metaphor for America invading other countries during the war, this is the least likely in my opinion. What the case and I am sure Cameron has said what the theme truly is but let us once again move on.
Over all this is a very entertaining movie that cost a lot, and made a lot [even more thanks to the 3-D experience]. Is this a fun movie that people should just turn the brain off and enjoy, yes. Is this film a classic, in my opinion no, but I can see how some can make the case for it. The last thing I want to say or ask is this, am I wrong for rooting for the humans to crush the Na’vi and the traders to the human race [sorry Michelle]. My brother an I [who admittedly usually root for the so called "bad guys"] found our selves right in front of every one cheering when the Marines were blowing them away. In any movie of humans vs other I am a member of “team people” like Joe Rogan would say, I wanted the people to win. Well maybe not if the Na’vi represented religion over technology, then I have to go for them. Oh man I am confused, some one help me!
Buy Avatar (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo) [Blu-ray]
