Reviews of Avatar

Yeah, it's Pocahontas. So what?

Posted : 20 hours, 6 minutes ago on 5 January 2010 11:47 (A review of Avatar)

Hype is an irritating thing. Great expectations are an irritating thing. It is so rare that one finds the target of those expectations to be equally great. This is why I was cautious when I went to see Avatar.

I had read the basic plot line, which had been bashed by many, and although in my opinion there is fundamentally nothing wrong with recycling if the source material is good, I have to say that I did not even care that much of the originality of the story. It doesn't need to be original. It only needs to be fluent and somewhat acceptable so that it can carry the movie, which in this case is essentially not that much about the story. I mean, honestly. It's not.

And therefore those who go to see it knowing the story and still expecting more, will be disappointed. I was not. It was actually pretty good after all that complaining. I won't recite the plotline here because it is the dullest thing to write and the dullest thing to read in a review, and everyone knows it anyway. I'll just say that it was quite well structured, classically in three acts, and had all the narrative power that was required to keep the movie going. The climactic third act was expected, and fulfilled the expectations. And, I must say, to have a peaceful and slow (in James Cameron terms) second act in which the Pandora planet and its inhabitants are introduced and given more depth, is not even that ordinary in my opinion. Yes, this is an ordinary plotline in a regular epic minority-rescue movie, but this movie is something else. It is a presentation of cutting edge moviemaking technology and eye popping visual effects. And to harness that technology to do more than just create that visual extravaganza, to actually tell a story with it, is what makes this somewhat special.

So, the story was okay, not more, but it doesn't need to. The same can be said about the acting and dialogue. It was generally fine, with a couple stupidities and a couple fun things. Many of the characters were nearly caricatures, but again, I don't mind. If those caricatures are portrayed in an enjoyable way, there's nothing wrong with it. Worthington and Saldana were fine, but I liked Sigourney Weaver's Dr. Augustine and Stephen Lang's Col. Quaritch more. Especially the latter was a very nice performance, not because it was so unique, but because it was so archetypical. When there is a good actor, the role of a macho-militant officer is always fun to watch. Cameron writes competent dialogue with which I am mainly satisfied. For example, the same can't be said about George Lucas, another auteur-engineer of supertechnological films.

And the technology. The CGI in this movie absolutely amazing, and those who say otherwise are living in denial. Sometimes the performace-captured na'vi look a bit unnatural, but that doesn't bother because most of the time they are brilliant. Especially the faces of the characters are fantastic. You start to look at the creatures and forget that the whole Pandora is computer-generated. And when you forget that something is CGI, then we are getting near to the point to which the whole art of computer-generated imagery is aiming at.

In addition to being very realistic, the visual appearance of Avatar is just overwhelmingly beautiful. It is a blessing that Cameron wanted to make his new alien planet and its inhabitants bright and colourful instead of the dark and grey palette usually seen in similar creations. Even when this brightness was dimmed by the 3D-glasses, it still was a fantastic thing to watch.

There was one thing in this movie that prevented it from arising to the same kind of audiovisual heights as e.g. The Return Of The King. That was music. James Horner has previously been able to create very satisfying film scores, but here he is surprisingly dull. Yes, the music is bombastic and epic, but lacks all the hooks and melodies that would help to emotionally connect it to the events on the screen. That is why, during the jaw-dropping action and emotional moments, I was desperately hoping for an identifiable tune. But there were almost none.

With a more innovative story and a decent score this could well have been the most pivotal movie of the decade . However, it is by no means a disappointment. It is a good movie, I dare not say great, but very good. Then again, it all comes down to what you want. Some people want their nerves to be tickled gently with a toothpick, others want them to be bashed with a sledgehammer. I am lucky to be able to enjoy of both types, and Avatar greatly utilizes the latter.

A note on the 3D. It was a painful experience. I found that the glasses did not fit very well and experienced very uncomfortable pain in my nose. I hope to see the 2D version to find out if the actual 3D effect has any advantages to it, for it was mostly unnoticeable once I got used to it.

(I don't give ratings, not because the potential reader would only think of the rating, but because I myself would only think of it when watching a movie. That would end up producing nothing higher than "fine" three-star experiences.)

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Best Movie of the Last Decade

Posted : 4 days, 14 hours ago on 1 January 2010 05:45 (A review of Avatar)

I decided to watch Avatar just before the end of the decade. Wise choice on my part. Highly entertaining, believable story special effects that don't seem like special effects. If you are going to see this movie, do not wait for the DVD release. It must be viewed on the big screen adn absolutely in 3D!

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Biggest cinema landmark since Return Of The King.

Posted : 1 week, 1 day ago on 28 December 2009 04:17 (A review of Avatar)

Was Avatar worth the 12 year wait? Hell yes!! Avatar is the blockbuster that everyone has been waiting for! We have had to wait 12 years until James Cameron would return to film. Because of the 12 year gap between Titanic and Avatar, I had exceedingly high expectations for Avatar. What a splendid return it was! I was absolutely blown away by this film not only because of the experience of it being in 3D but because you feel like you are really there taking the adventure. It took over 12 months of post-production and I was thinking that it must be worth the wait and took a lot of work. Avatar is a lot like both Dances With Wolves and Pocahontas apart from it's a science fiction film. This is a landmark of cinema because this is something new to cinema that we had never ever seen before.


Sam Worthington has made a name for himself in 2009. First appearing in Terminator Salvation and then appearing in Avatar. His performance as Jake Sully was actually really good! Jake is a disabled marine who becomes part of the Avatar Program. Jake is one person who becomes two people of two different species who are enemies. His life changes completely when he starts to become a Na'Vi. Sigourney Weaver returns to another James Cameron film. She was previously in Aliens. She portrays Dr. Grace Augustine. She is a botanist and head of the Avatar Program. She mentors Jake Sully, and was an advocate of peaceful relations with the Na’Vi, setting up a school to teach them English. She is a human who can transport into a Na’Vi like Jake can. Dr. Grace Augustine is very different compared to Ellen Ripley but she still delivers a great performance!


Avatar is James Cameron's first film in 12 years. His previous film Titanic was a giant success so therefore everyone was expecting a lot from this film. There are things in Avatar that is old school James Cameron like some of the action effects, romance involved like in Titanic and Sigourney Weaver's return in a Cameron film. The whole new 3D experience and visual effects were somethings that were new. Cameron's work on Avatar is a breakthrough for cinema because I think we'll now see a new invention of technology with effects like Avatar and the 3D experience is becoming more common now. The script was absolutely terrific! I thought it was absolute genius because it was written from a dream that Jim had. Hope it becomes a contender for Best Original Screenplay and other awards like Best Picture and Best Director too.


Overall, Avatar is a landmark of cinema and is definitely one of the best films of 2009. It is James Cameron's second best film after Aliens. Now I know to expect those kind of films. 2009 has been a stunning year for 3D films and this is the best 3D film that has come out in 2009. Avatar is an exhilarating cinema experience and is the best cinema experience I've had since The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King.

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Perhaps the best big-budget film I've ever watched

Posted : 1 week, 2 days ago on 27 December 2009 03:33 (A review of Avatar)

Honestly, I was coming into this movie expecting to dismiss the hype around it and call it another blockbuster film with no heart. Personally, I can't stand these over-budgeted movies that have come out recently, namely anything Michael Bay touches (Transformers), 2012 and almost every single superhero movie over the last five years (yes, counting Dark Knight). But this movie is just unreal, the visuals literally blew me away and I would watch again and again just to admire it all. Beautiful CGI aside, the characters are believable, deep and involved, which is all than I can ask in an action film of this magnitude. Here's hoping a sequel will be underway in a few years.

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Nothing new under the sun

Posted : 1 week, 3 days ago on 27 December 2009 03:15 (A review of Avatar)

3D is worth watching. The movie is entertaining. Yet, the story is another version of Americans-attack-and-save-the-indigenous. Pathetic!

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"I see you"

Posted : 1 week, 5 days ago on 24 December 2009 11:57 (A review of Avatar)

Watching this movie for me from the beggining was an 3D experience and that's it. Until I enter the room.. The 3 hours I spend there were very different from I was expecting and hearing. People were saying it was cliche, hard to follow, boring, a lot of bad experiences but after the first 30 minutes the travelling to this new world was a very interesting experiencing. James Cameron knows how to do big movies, this is definitely one of his things, and so many things happened on these 3 hours. Just seeing this effects were amazing. I was shocked with so many beautiful and real stuff, the colors, the texture, the people. It was a different experience for me than any other movie.

The plot it is kinda obvious but it's still really pretty. It has a lot of flaws but what movie doesn't? It was worth it for me seeing one of the most beautiful things I ever saw in my whole life.

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''I see you.''

Posted : 2 weeks, 5 days ago on 17 December 2009 02:29 (A review of Avatar)

''I see you.''

The world of Pandora and it's people(The Na'vi) are threatened by humans searching for an expensive resource.

Sam Worthington: Jake Sully

James Cameron has always been a man of unsurpassed imagination, a man with vision and a fun loving disposition for using technology to achieve his dreams. The fact is Cameron isn't just a director; he is an artist.
I have grown up with James; having been born in the 80s when he was churning out his projects which still remain dear to me to this day. Who can forget The Terminator(1984)? A time travel spin with machines ruling the future. Or his fun, quirky screenplay for Rambo 2(1985); showing wit, charm and adrenaline. Then we have the sequel to Ridley Scott's Alien; one of the best sequels of all time: Cameron's Aliens(1986). The deep imaginative piece The Abyss(1989) would follow a few years later; showing us Cameron's other glimpse into good natured extraterrestrial life and his love of the ocean and romance; a new world in itself.
As for the 90s; it seemed as if the 80s were in essence merely a warm up for the maestro directors talents. Having received attention and Awards for his illustrious effects and wizardry usage of technology, he steps up his game; Aces up his sleeve in the guise of another untouchable sequel Terminator 2: Judgment Day(1991), then later True Lies(1994), and the immortalized romance with historical preference Titanic(1997).



Years later we reach 2009 and James Cameron seems to have resurfaced from his exploration under the ocean, from his dabbling with 3D technology and has unveiled his latest epic fantasy sci-fi; Avatar.
Cameron had to wait ten years for the technology necessary to realize his baby.
Upon seeing the character of Gollum in The Two Towers(2002) James Cameron knew CGI effects were at last ready to unleash his new world Pandora.
The film results in being 40% live action and 60% photo-realistic CGI. Large quantities of motion capture technology were used for the CGI scenes.
This however does not sum up the beauty and magnificence Avatar truly is; My early claim of Cameron being not just a director but an artist is certainly a gross under-statement.

So what is the story of Avatar? The brief synopsis doesn't particularly sum it up. Yes, it is about humans exploiting a new world for their own pockets; it is about Jake Sully whom has lost the use of his legs being transported into a 10ft Avatar body...BUT it is also a love story between the hero and heroine whom are from different worlds. This is a Ferngully outsider meets natives, a Last of the Mohicans integration romance wherein the evolution of the hero is saved by love.
Neytiri(Zoe Saldana) teaches Jake Sully(Sam Worthington) the Na'vi's way of life after becoming lost in the Jungles of Pandora. Slowly he begins to learn how every living creature, being and plant is entwined in harmonic proportions; energy and cosmic balance without industrial destruction to nature.
Titanic showed us the epiphany of romance from Cameron; Avatar shows a union of two soulmates destined to be together always. When Jake and Neytiri kiss for the first time, under tendrils of memories, you can feel the connection deep within; Your heart skips a beat.

The creatures, plants, machines, locations, vehicles are all breathtakingly beautiful. In fact as we see this New World and these gigantic humanoids, one begins to feel as part of proceedings, as if we are on this world with them. Every blade of grass and plant can be felt when witnessed in 3D, every sound and noise ambient with unsurpassed depth.

The casting assemble Avatar has to offer is of course pure indulgent cream. Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana excel as the romantically destined Jake and Neytiri; their chemistry as real and believable as the 3D world we are sucked into. Sigourney Weaver as Dr. Grace Augustine makes for another great Cameron character whom hasn't lost her edge since her Alien days; Grace is scientific, interesting and harbours all the teaching instincts towards the Na'vi one would expect a scientist to maintain. A Doctor smoking in the future was perhaps not so believable yet perhaps portrays the level of stress her character endures.
Special credit must go to Stephen Lang as the military titan Colonel Miles Quaritch; whom is a villain you love to hate. This is a man not only doing his job but enjoying it; the typical fire first Army Colonel whom loves quite literally blowing the living daylights out of anything that moves.
Michelle Rodriguez playing Trudy Chacon was definitely a fun character with some memorable lines; ''You're not the only one with a gun bitch!'' gained a belly laugh of humour.
Giovanni Ribisi, Joel Moore and Laz Alonso also helped flesh out the assemble with memorable characters.
It must also be said that the characters whom inhabit Avatar bodies actually look like their human counterparts. Every facial move, gesture and movement effortlessly captured in a splendid array.

Avatar also has an epic score; original haunting Music by James Horner. Perfected Cinematography by Mauro Fiore(director of photography) and a fabulous team for the Artful work and costumes accumulated within the making.
The battle sequences will literally have you on the edge of your seat, while fast paced chases are elevated to majestic grandeur; flying creatures attacking huge orca-type aircraft, alien horse-riders battling against mech-warriors with marines and Jake's encounters with the many types of creatures all induce awe.

Overall, this is an emotional turbulent journey that never loses momentum in the whole of its 2 hours and 40 minutes. Avatar will pull at your heart strings and make you care for a people from another World. Cleverly it doesn't give us a title for the film at the beginning but waits until the glorified magical ending of rebirth. By then I was moved to tears on a fair number of levels; many scenes invoking emotion, passion and inspirational bursts of imagination.
Who could of thought that the song I see you by Leona Lewis could be such a sweet soothing reminder to this beautiful realization we have just witnessed. James Cameron's Avatar will undoubtedly win numerous Awards in the future, even if not, this is pure escapism and a colourful escape to another breathtaking world which cannot be ignored. This is art at it's highest pinnacle. This is love in its truest form. This is perhaps the swan song masterpiece ever to be conceived from Cameron; Avatar is the baby we waited 10 years for Cameron to make...and it was certainly worth the wait! Visionary.

''Out there is the true world and in here is the dream.''

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Tremendously rewarding, soulful experience

Posted : 2 weeks, 6 days ago on 17 December 2009 05:49 (A review of Avatar)

"They've sent us a message... that they can take whatever they want. Well we will send them a message. That this... this is our land!"

With 2009's Avatar, visionary director James Cameron proves that there's at least one filmmaker in Hollywood capable of putting a $300 million budget (or was it $500 million?) to good use. Cameron's first feature film outing since 1997's Titanic, this hotly-touted flick has spent years brewing in post-production and triggered fevered discussion about the possibilities of its revolutionary digital effects (developed in part by the hands-on director himself). Up until the mid-months of 2009, Avatar had been shrouded in secrecy (dedicated internet fanboys can attest to this fact), but one thing was made clear: it would be a groundbreaking cinematic event, and the advanced motion-capture technology would elevate filmmaking to the next level. While the storytelling and characterisations admittedly remain stuck in the past, Avatar is visual moviemaking 2.0 in an extremely satisfying and exhilarating way. As long as you're not one of those people who've made up their minds prior to viewing Cameron's latest masterwork (in other words, if you're not one of those who brand the film as a Fern Gully rip-off and criticise the CGI as videogame-calibre), Avatar is a tremendously rewarding, soulful experience.

Set in the year 2154, the Earth is dying and faraway planets are being targeted for strip-mining. In a neighbouring star system lies the exotic-but-deadly planet of Pandora; the source of an ultra-valuable mineral known as Unobtainium. Naturally, a sinister corporation has set up base on the planet and wishes to commence their operation. Standing in their way, however, is the indigenous population of Pandora - the Na'vi; a race of tall, blue-skinned tree-dwellers whose civilisation rests atop possibly the richest deposit of Unobtainium in existence, but have no desire to relocate. Enter the "Avatar" program, which sees people transfer their consciousness to half-human, half-Na'vi hybrids which can be controlled telepathically. It's hoped that through this program, the aliens can be gently persuaded to move out of mankind's way. Soon, a disabled ex-marine named Jake Sully (Worthington) is unwillingly thrust into the situation when his twin brother suddenly dies. Through using his Avatar, Jake is accepted as part of a Na'vi tribe and falls in love with a female Na'vi warrior named Neytiri (Saldana). With an epic battle for the fate of Pandora drawing dangerously close, Jake must choose his side.

Cameron wastes no time before plunging viewers straight into the world of Pandora; not even allowing any time for an audience to adjust to this breathtaking new technology. In a masterfully efficient opening 10 minutes, writer-director Cameron introduces everything one will need to know for the following 2½ hours - about Pandora's climate and population, about Jake's situation, about the ruthless plans of the humans and about the Avatar program. From that point onwards, the film is off and running. At an intimidating 160 minutes, Avatar never feels too long or flabby - there's just so much movie crammed into these 160 epic minutes: the human stories, the Na'vi stories, the bio-diversity of the planet, and above all the warfare, with Jake joining the resistance against his former allies. While things are slowed down for the middle hour as Jake's infiltration operation gestates, it's astonishing how brilliantly-paced the film is. Unlike other CGI-heavy movies against which Avatar will be judged (including the abominable Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and Terminator Salvation), Cameron's movie is superbly constructed; using all 160 minutes to judiciously build characters and establish relationships before all the strands culminate for an epic, action-packed climax. Since such a perfect emotional connection is built, a viewer will care about what happens to the protagonists and the Na'vi tribe.

In terms of storyline, Avatar offers nothing unprecedented. The plot is reminiscent of the likes of Dances with Wolves and The New World, in which a 'civilised' westerner lives amongst a supposedly backwards society and slowly sides with the noble savages. Heck, the characters are largely predictable too. But in the context of the movie, all these elements come together perfectly. The fact that it all succeeds is a testament to Cameron's skill at working formula and familiar story elements with a skilful dexterity very few can match. Of course, Avatar is not just about spectacle and action (though both elements are offered in spades) - it's primarily a love story. This is hardly surprising, of course, since more or less every Cameron film is a love story at its core (Titanic, The Terminator, etc). The surprise here is the effectiveness of the central coupling, thanks in large part to Weta's staggering digital effects. It's impossible to overstate how real the Na'vi look; every facial movement, and every movement in general seems organic. They may not always appear photo-real, but they do seem alive. The dead-eye problem plaguing motion capture movies for years has been well and truly solved - these CGI characters are imbued with a soul.

James Cameron and his crew created Pandora from the ground up using a mixture of motion-capture techniques and computer-generated animation. As a result, Avatar is an astonishing feast for the eyes, with ethereal, invigorating shots and sequences genuinely unlike anything you've ever seen before. The level of immersive detail displayed in this tour de force is extraordinary. But the true success is in the seamlessness - not a single shot stands out as blatant green screen. Live-action and digital elements are so skilfully integrated that the point where the live-action ceases and the digital effects begin is impossible to determine, which ensures the illusion is unbroken. Pandora truly feels like a living, breathing world, and it's as if Cameron is the planet's most enthusiastic tour guide. James Horner's score, meanwhile, is atmospheric and appropriate; gloriously supporting the exotic beauty of the jungles of Pandora (though it lacks a memorable underlying theme as a hook).

One thing that distinguishes Cameron from young pretenders like Michael Bay and McG is that he anchors his epic visions with relatable emotions handled with utmost sincerity. Of course, it also helps that Cameron remains one of the best action directors in the business. Avatar concludes with a climactic showdown between human and Na'vi forces - it's a battle royale of excitement, thrills and tragedy that's both truly epic and rivetingly intimate. It's a wonder to behold. In a decade where action choreography is constantly masked by frantic editing, Cameron proves himself once again to be the old-school master. Younger filmmakers should also take note of the prudent use of 3-D which is perceived as an enhancement rather than a gimmick. Cameron never garishly breaks the fourth wall since the 3-D is employed to generate a sense of depth - a viewer feels like they're glancing into an open window of another world. Never before has the effect felt so unintrusive; never before has CGI felt so natural, necessary and alive. If you plan to see the film in 2-D via DVD or a downloaded version filmed from within a cinema...there's no talking to you. Avatar is a cinematic experience and an event, not a mere film.

It's crucial to note that, in most cases, cinematic displays of new technology are rubbish. The technology is usually then refined, and applied to a superior movie. But this is not good enough for James Cameron, who has managed to push the boundaries with new technology while simultaneously creating an excellent, full-throttle piece of entertainment. Avatar is also rather reminiscent of the great epics of yesteryear - from Spartacus to Gone with the Wind. Such classics relied on universal themes and enthralling characters to drive their sprawling narratives, and Avatar is no different. It's stirring drama on a vast canvas painted with broad brush-strokes, and the audience is powerless to prevent themselves from being swept up in the action and emotion.

As Jake Sully, Sam Worthington places forth a charming and spellbinding performance (both in and out of his Avatar). His soulful eyes are an asset; a quality that's retained and magnified in his Na'vi form. Zoe Saldana, however, is the standout as Neytiri. For her entire performance she plays behind a CGI face, yet she makes Neytiri into a thoroughly multi-faceted character endowed with a fully conveyed emotional personality. Witnessing Sigourney Weaver re-teaming with James Cameron is a joy (a good omen, since Aliens is one of Cameron's best film). Even if it's only a small part, Weaver's role as the chief scientist is a memorable and integral part of the narrative. Every minor character - no matter how clichéd - is played with gusto and earnestness by the marvellous cast (a group of talented thespians, rather than big stars). Stephen Lang clearly relished the opportunity to play the evil Colonel Quaritch. Also in the cast is an underused but nonetheless extremely effective Michelle Rodriguez as a sympathetic pilot, on top of the endearing Giovanni Ribisi who's pitch-perfect as another corporate scumbag.

In creating Avatar, James Cameron additionally inserts undertones relating to corporate greed, as well as complex questions about what it means to be human. Underneath the spectacle are subtle equivalences to the Vietnam and Iraq Wars, but these are not restricted by any means - the story is broad enough to apply to any indigenous race under threat from superior external imperialist forces. Avatar clearly sides with the Na'vi population, and portrays the Americans as the monsters. Some might find the environmental message of the film too preachy, but it never shoves openly this agenda down our throats; it simply sits beneath the surface, ripe for analysis if we choose to dig further. In spite of its strengths, Avatar does lean slightly towards spectacle over script; the story is no dud, but while discussing the movie you'll be inclined to discuss what you've seen, rather than quote lines (there's no killer banter). Minor script flaws aside, this is a superb blockbuster. It has to be seen on the big screen - in 3-D, no less.

9.55/10

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