Released: December 2009
Director: James Cameron
Run Time: 162 Minutes(Theatrical)
Rated PG-13
Distributor: 20th Century Fox(Now 20th Century Studios/Disney)
Genre: Action/Science Fiction
Cast:
Sam Worthington: Jake Sully
Zoe Saldana: Neytiri
Sigourney Weaver: Dr. Grace Augustine
Stephen Lang: Colonel Miles Quarritch
Giovanni Ribisi: Parker Selfridge
Joel David Moore: Norm Spellman
CCH Pounder: Mo’at
Wes Studi: Eytukan
Laz Alonso: Tsu’tey
Dileep Rao: Dr. Max Patel
The world of visual effects is a constantly evolving one. We’ve come a long way since the use of stop-motion animation and miniature work. Those are still used even today, but a lot of that work has been replaced via computer and digital enhancement. It used to be that building worlds actually required building them physically. Now, with CGI, we can create all new worlds without lifting a hammer. Over the course of the last 50 years, there have been some really significant milestones in visual effects. Star Wars is the movie that would probably come to mind, but it wasn’t just visual effects that Star Wars changed. It was the entire film-making landscape. Nothing would ever be the same. Because of that film, there have been massive strides made in the visual effects world. Aside from George Lucas, one other film-maker has pushed visual effects to the absolute limit and beyond. James Cameron, the legendary director of movies like The Terminator, The Abyss, Aliens, True Lies, and Titanic, had an idea for a world called Pandora in the late 90s. The problem was, was the technology available wasn’t anywhere near ready enough for what Cameron had in mind. It would be almost a decade before he would begin real production on Avatar. The wait paid off and Avatar would become the highest-grossing movie of all time. And it still is. Avatar was released back in 2009. Over a decade later, we’ll be getting our first sequel to that movie: Avatar – The Way of Water in December. Not only are we getting the sequel, but the original movie is being re-released into theaters later this month. What better time is there to review the biggest film in cinematic history?
Avatar follows former marine Jake Sully, who was made a paraplegic in combat. After learning about the death of his twin brother, who was a scientist, Jake is offered a chance to take his brother’s place on a ship headed for Pandora. After arriving on Pandora, Jake learns that he has to “link” with an avatar of the native Na’vi, a native race of tall, blue-skinned humanoids. He’s also ordered by Colonel Quarritch to learn the ways of the Na’vi so that the corporation that employs the marines can get their hands on the planet’s natural resources. Over the course of the film, Jake not only learns the ways of the locals, but he eventually falls in love with Neytiri, the daughter of the chief of the Na’vi. As a result, he’s torn between his duty as a marine and the love that he’s developed for the world that he’s now become a part of. If that plotline sounds familiar, that’s because it’s been used many times before. Dances With Wolves, Pocahontas, and Ferngully: The Last Rainforest use the same vehicle as their narrative. People had often complained about the movie being Dances With Wolves in Space, but James Cameron would be the first one to tell you that the skeletal structure of the story is very similar to what’s been done before, but it’s always been a good story to begin with. It’s the WAY that this story’s being told that sets it apart from the rest.
James Cameron is one of the few directors alive that can revolutionize the visual effects industry with each movie he makes. He pushed the technology as far as it can go before he’s forced to invent something to push the envelope even further. Look at The Abyss and Terminator 2: Judgment Day for example. While those movie used mostly practical and miniature effects, the CGI that used took the world by storm, especially in T2. Nobody had done anything on that scale before. Even Titanic took things to whole different. If nothing else, James Cameron knows how to use scale to show us the size of a world. Avatar is one of the most beautifully made movies ever. Yeah, it uses a lot of CG, but it’s all done incredibly well. It also holds up 13 years later. The use of motion-capture for the actors to portray the Na’vi was used in a way that nobody had ever seen. All you need to do is look at the environment of Pandora. It’s clearly an alien world, but it’s incredibly beautiful. The floating mountains are photo-realistic. That’s how good it looks. The world looks and feels like a real place. It’s not just that, but the creature designs are amazing. The banshees are awesome. The flight sequences in this movie are absolutely majestic. Also, this is one of those movies that is really enhanced by the 3D experience. It gives the world a depth that makes you want to fall into it.
The acting in the film is really top-notch. Sam Worthington plays Jake Sully with a bit of a snarky attitude at first, but he changes over the course of the film. I’ll be honest here, the real star of this movie is Zoe Saldana as Neytiri. She throws everything she’s got into this role. Her character is tough, fearless, but also vulnerable at times. Zoe just nails the emotional range of the character to a tee. We’ve also got a pretty good supporting cast. Wes Studi plays Neytiri’s father, Eytukan. It doesn’t matter what he plays, Wes Studi lends more legitimacy to whatever he’s playing, and it also helps that he’s of Native American decent, so that helps considerably. Joel David Moore plays Norm, a giddy new recruit to the team who eventually has issues with Jake’s lack of scientific know-how. Sigourey Weaver plays Dr. Grace Augustine, the scientist in charge of the Avatar program. The character starts off as pretty stern, but she does begin to open up over the course of the film. There are additional scenes in the 178 minute cut of the film that explains more about how she feels about the corporation she works for and the Na’vi that she’s become attached to. Ms. Weaver absolutely nails it. Giovanni Ribisi plays Selfridge, the sleazy corporate scumbag that’s more interested in profits than anything else. Is there any other kind? But the real immediate threat comes in the form of Stephen Lang’s Quarritch, a hard-as-nails marine that has no problems slaughtering the natives if it meant getting paid. Stephen Lang can play a villain like it’s nobody’s business.
There had been a lot of complaints about this movie being too on the nose about its environmental messages. You have to understand, though, James Cameron is an environmentalist. Few people care about the natural as much as he does. So, yeah, it does come across as heavy-handed, but it’s for a reason. Honestly, I really liked the idea that the Na’vi were literally connected to their own world. It’s an idea that most people these days simply don’t care about anymore. There’s obviously the message against corporate greed and pollution, but I have a question to ask: Have people SEEN Ferngully? You want to talk about a movie that’s on the nose, that’s a movie where the villain is literally polluted slime. This is not as heavy-handed as that. People were also commenting on how primitive species like the Na’vi were able to beat the more technologically advanced humans. I guess nobody saw Aliens. All the tech in the world isn’t going if you’re going into a world that you know nothing about. It’s going to slap back very hard, and that’s what happens in some of the most spectacular action sequences that Cameron’s ever put on screen. Also, the music by the late James Horner is some of the most beautiful music I’ve heard from a movie’s score. James Cameron and James Horner had always worked well together, save for issues on Aliens, but Horner has always delivered incredible music.
When I first saw Avatar back in 2009, AND in 3D, I was blown away by what I had seen. It’s one of the most visually arresting movies ever made. Obviously, a lot of people agree because the movie ended up making more money than Titanic. James Cameron now has the two highest-grossing movies in history under his belt. Will Avatar 2 do the same? Hard to say. It’s absolutely going to be successful, because people like me will always go to see these movies. Fact of the matter is, Cameron’s not done yet. He’s in the process of filming the FOURTH movie. So, there’s clearly more stories to be told in this particular universe. I hadn’t seen this movie in years, so I decided to pull out the special extended edition that had 16 minutes of additional footage. It’s still holds up and I absolutely recommend it. I might even go see it in theaters again when it re-releases in 13 days.