Avatar

Written and Directed by: James Cameron

Cast: Sam Worthington as James Sully

         Zoey Saldana as Nertini

         Sigourney Weaver as Dr. Grace Augustine

         Stephen Lang as Colonel Miles Quaritch

         Michelle Rodriguez as Trudy Chacon

         Giovanni Ribisi as Parker Selfridge

Even before seeing this movie people were telling me right off the bat that it was gorgeous. Another friend even said it was "simply beautiful", mind you that dude never talks like that. So I walked into a 3d theater and thought I'd see the "beautiful stuff" for myself.

Visual Eyegasm

From floating rocks to freaky birds of prey to the slendar Nav'i, I was blown away by the gorgeous visual treatment of Avatar.Watching it in 3d made it even more pleasing to the eyes. I tip my hat off to the imagination that came up with such a vivid and original display. I mean, really, a forest that glows in the dark??? It had me as soon as Jake Sully and Nertini stepped on the first branch. 

No qualms here. Almost pure perfection (I only wish my 3d glasses were bigger, but I can't blame the film crew for that one).

Pocahontas on Steroids

Let me get this out of the way: Michelle Rodriguez, please find new roles. You are falling into a typecast trap. You were alright in Battle in Seattle but you need something new.

I praise the concept of the Avatar: going into a machine to control another body (kind of like The Matrix meets Fern Gully except the other body in controlled in the same reality, oh and the other body is that of an alien race, the Nav'i - tall blue people), I can take (even enjoy) the tree hugging bit - given how relevant the idea is to the times, the love story (the whole falling in love with the enemy gig) was a bit contrived sure but that's okay. This is the one that really snagged me: for such an original execution I wish that the back bone of the storyline was more original.

[Spoiler coming!]

Humans look for new resources, they find Pandora, from it they want "unobtainium". Dr. Grace Augustine and Jake Sully through the Avatar program mingle with the natives, in the process, earning their trust. One of the goals is to relocate the locals because their camp sits on a large deposit of unobtainium. Corporations behind the endeavor however find that "peaceful" means is taking too long so they simply try to take it by force.

In a nutshell, that's Avatar. Again, it's a nutshell so I intentionally missed out on some elements which I'll mention later. To me though, it was simply a morphed-beefed up-alien Pocahontas translation. Man needs new resources, finds them then discovers that he is at war with himself in that some do not want to take it by force. Man fighting himself because he can't have something that is not rightfully his. This is little too unoriginal. Many of the other story elements built are around this main theme - a wasted opportunity.

For such great execution, Avatar could have been much greater as a movie. You have an excellent combination of production design, visual effects, direction, audio, acting (wait...I apologize. Except for Michelle Rodriguez.) - what's missing? A story backbone with depth. The supporting themes (nature, love, transfer of consciousness) can only be as great as the core they support.

Great work by James Cameron, i just feel it could have been greater.

Overall: 8 out of 10 

    - definitely worth your money

    - definitely worth discussing after with friends (other drinks or otherwise)