Review - Avatar

Spoiler Danger Low

So, on Saturday, I watched Avatar in theaters. I must admit that I wasn't particularly excited about the movie prior to its release. I was put off by the early trailers that spoke highly of the effects but didn't hint at any sort of depth to the story or characters. But, a couple of weeks ago, a real trailer was released, and that's when I started to get excited.

So, anyway, I was supposed to see the movie at the Thursday night/Friday morning midnight showing, but the theater sold out before I had the chance to purchase tickets. Instead, I went on Saturday with my best friend, his girlfriend, and a slew of her friends. Drama ensued as the other group purchased tickets separately, and they ended up purchasing tickets to the 7:30 showing instead of the 7:00 showing they told me we were going to. After much hubbub, we did finally end up in the same showing. And what a show it was.

Avatar, in a phrase, kicks ass.

Where do I begin with this one? The movie is long, almost a full 3 hours, but it certainly didn't feel like it. It feels more like a 2 hour movie, and that is a credit to the superb story, acting, and visuals.

The acting was spot on and a definite boon to the movie. Sam Worthington plays the central character Jake Sully (or Jakesully for those that caught that). For those that don't remember, he was also the robot who thought it was a man in the atrocious Terminator movie from earlier this summer (my review of that abhorrence is here). In my review for that movie, I declared that Sam Worthington was awesome and that I'd like to see him in a decent movie. Avatar grants that wish, and reaffirms my earlier opinions of his acting talents.

There are a couple of things that I noticed throughout the movie that I thought were pretty cool as it related to the human Jake Sully. Jake is paraplegic - he has no use of his legs. One of the things that I'm always looking for in a movie with a handicapped character is a moment where the actor violates the handicap he or she is supposed to have. If the legs aren't supposed to work, I'm looking for moments where the actor is moving his legs. It's one of those peeves I have when it comes to acting. Much like my disdain for squinchy-faced crying that doesn't involve any tears. You know, the kind where they crinkle up their faces to make it look like they're crying, but there are no accompanying tears? I thoroughly dislike seeing that. Well, same thing here. I was looking for Sully to move his legs in a way that would indicate that Worthington is, in fact, not paraplegic. Well, Worthington and Cameron one-upped me here. Not only did Sully never move his legs, there were also a couple of scenes where you actually saw his legs, and they were completely withered away! Talk about attention to detail! I can't wait for some commentary on the Blu Ray release that talks about how they pulled that one off.

Zoe Saldana (of this year's Star Trek fame) plays Jakesully's girlfriend Neytiri. Also included in the cast is the delightfully awesome Sigourney Weaver as Grace, Michelle Rodriguez as Trudy, and Stephen Lang as the complete #$%@#$ Colonel Miles Quaritch. Also included in the cast is a person with what may be the coolest name in history: CCH Pounder. Seriously. Seeing her face on IMDB, I realize that I've seen her in many places before, but I never realized her name was so cool.

Anyway, I digress.

Suffice it to say, the acting was really good in the movie. In many ways, this was a remarkable achievement considering the actors themselves spend so little time on the screen. Much of the movie takes place on Pandora, the home world of the Na'Vi. Heck, people like Zoe Saldana never even make an actual onscreen appearance, and yet I connected with each of the characters in the movie on some level or another. Everything from the body language to the inflections in the voices was right where they needed to be. I'm not sure if the film was mo-capped or if the animation was just that good, but wow! The animations were absolutely astounding in their intricacy and detail.

James Cameron has long been known for his rich characters and deep stories. One of the problems that I (among many) had with the first wave of trailers was that it didn't give viewers the impression that those two things were still present. After having seen the movie, I can say that both components were there in full force. All of the characters have depth and fascinating little quirks. Jakesully is vibrant, curious, open-minded, and fun. Neytiri is fierce, loyal, and a bit rebellious. The Colonel is a hard and fast military man - goal oriented and ruthless - with a mind as closed as can be, the polar opposite of Jake. Grace is a hardass with a soft side. Avatar is one of the few movies where every action each character takes feels like that's what they would have done had there been no script.

Plus, the characters and their development are important. You must care about them, because so much of the movie focuses on introducing us to this world, this new culture, and, most importantly, the blossoming love between Jakesully and Neytiri. Without these powerful backdrops, the movie would have been abysmally boring. But it is these pieces coming together (coupled with the stunning visuals) that make this movie so gosh-darned awesome.

Speaking of visuals, I promise you, you have never seen a movie that is as jaw-droppingly gorgeous as Avatar. The world comes to life in dazzling, eye popping colors and details. Everything about the world is fully realized, and it is astounding. There are times in the movie where the camera pulls away from the characters and I couldn't pick my jaw up off the floor. There just are not words to describe how beautiful Pandora is: gorgeous, beautiful, astounding, none of it comes close. If you have the opportunity to see this film, I highly recommend an IMAX showing so you can take in everything the movie has to show you.

When you see the movie, pay particular attention to Cameron's use of colors. They are very important, and really help push some of the themes. Not since Schindler's List, I believe, has application of color been so important to a movie.

Yet, it wasn't just the visuals that were beautiful. The story... now that was a thing of beauty. Without giving anything away, the story was one of the most powerful and moving pieces of fiction I've had the privilege to watch in a very long time. It touches on all kinds of themes that ring true in my own little world - loyalty, the power of love, the value of an open mind. Many have accused the movie of being gratuitous environmentalist propaganda, and to that I say bullocks. Yes, there are certainly some moments that could be taken that way, but I don't believe that was the intention of the movie any more than Titanic was a movie about class equality or V for Vendetta was a meditation on the state of the government during the Bush era.

So, the verdict? You need to see this movie. See it in theaters, nay, see it on IMAX. You'll thank me later. Don't be afraid to let the movie take you on its wing and whisk you away so you may explore and come to know this fascinating world called Pandora.

Score: 9.8/10.0

As always, feel free to leave questions/feedback/rants in the comments section, or hit me up on Twitter.  

There are many, many aspects to the story that I did not touch on in the review in an effort to keep it as spoiler free as possible. Coming soon - a full discourse of the fascinating nuances of Avatar's story and what it has to say. Stay tuned.

Also, for anybody interested, Sam Worthington is also in the upcoming movie The Clash of the Titans. That's gonna be good. Check out the trailer.