Avatar

It has been 12 years since James Cameron pronounced himself “king of the world”, following on from the inexplicable critical and commercial success of Titanic, and in that time the director of the Terminator films, Aliens, The Abyss and True Lies has been very quiet, a couple of documentary films aside. But now, after an investment of several years and hundreds of millions of dollars, Cameron has finally unveiled his latest effort, a 3D sci-fi epic by the name of Avatar. And all the main characters are blue.

The plot revolves around Jake Sully, a paralysed marine given the opportunity to act as a “driver” for a genetically engineered alien body, as part of a diplomatic mission to improve relations between humans and the Na’vi, the indigenous alien race of the planet Pandora. Pandora boasts large supplies of a highly valuable mineral and the Na’vi are merely seen as an obstacle by the human corporate machine and their military security forces. Initially sent in as a spy, Sully finds himself integrated into the Na’vi culture and ultimately begins to question which side he should be fighting for…

Let’s get a few things out of the way: Is Avatar a revolutionary, groundbreaking achievement in cinema? No. Is the story original or emotionally involving? Not really – it can be effectively summed up as Dances With Wolves meets Ferngully: The Last Rainforest. Is the epic length (162 minutes) justified? No – at least 20 minutes could easily be shaved from the running time. Does it deserve a Best Picture Oscar nomination? No. Should you see it? Absolutely yes – and on as large a screen as possible.

The fact is, Avatar is a visually stunning film, featuring the most impressive visual effects work I have ever seen. It’s not perfect – occasionally the CGI Na’vi characters weren’t quite truly photo-realistic – but the environments, especially the rainforest, are completely convincing. The action, as you’d expect from James Cameron, is genuinely thrilling and the extended battle in the final half hour goes some way to justifying the wait through the sluggish middle act. The acting is better than you’d expect and although the dialogue is sometimes a bit clunky, it’s not exactly detracting from the world’s greatest story anyway. Speaking of which, despite the lack of originality it’s still entertaining – that said, there is one moment towards the end which caused me to roll my eyes quite severely, and I never felt that connected to any of the characters.

Anyone who’s read my earlier reviews of 3D films will know that I’m not a fan of the technology. Avatar features quite easily the best 3D I’ve seen thus far – aside from some issues in an early chase sequence, I didn’t have any problems with blurry motion, ghosting or headaches. Despite this, I still don’t believe that it makes Avatar a better film. I haven’t yet seen the film in 2D but I suspect my enjoyment will be undiminished when I do. Perhaps the IMAX 3D version would be more immersive?

In summary, while this may not be the landmark achievement in cinema that James Cameron would like it to be, Avatar is nonetheless an enjoyable cinematic experience that reminds you why it’s worth spending the time and money to see movies on the big screen.

VERDICT: Definitely see it – just don’t believe all the hype.

IMDb