Finally, after all the hype, I get to see James Cameron's Avatar
and I can tell you it was worth the wait. It's a Sci-Fi Movie
with excellent CGI and a very good story. I would suggest that
you don't bring a soda and make sure you go to the bathroom prior
because the movie, which runs about 162min; personally I didn't
want to miss a thing.
An injured soldier wakes up from a cryo-sleep; the crew man says you've been in stasis for 5 years. Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), is then told that he has lost his twin brother. The military come to see Jake, offer him a fresh start plus he can replace his brother on a project he was working on, since he is a genetic match, also he will be paid very well. He accepts the offer as his brother's body is cremated. He is later on board a spaceship that is getting ready to land on Pandora. The crew is told to put on masks or they will die within 4 minutes. Jake disembarks on his wheelchair. They (The Veteran's Hospital) can fix his spine with the technology they have but he doesn't have the money for it.
On the planet we learn that alll the soldiers are hired by a private company. This company is mining a highly sought after mineral called Unobtanium, which would be used towards solving earth's energy crisis and goes for 20M a kilo. Colonel Quaritch (Stephen Lang) is the leader of these mercenaries. He's briefing the new soldiers about the planet dangers and how some of them will die. Right after Jake is taken to the Science lab, where he meets Norm Spellman (Joel Moore) and Dr. Grace Augustine (Sigourney Weaver), the lead scientist of the avatar project. She is very protective of the Navi and is doing research on the biological connection of the whole planet and its inhabitants. Jake also see's his avatar for the first time; an avatar is human/Navi mix that has carbon fiber bones, increased agility and the ability to breathe Pandora's air. The purpose of all this is to convince the Navi that they must relocate, since their home is right under a huge Unobtanium deposit. Finally Jake and his colleague Norm get to test out their avatars, with the new rush of being able to move his legs. Jake gets out of hand, starts running before he has full control and meets Dr. Augustine's Avatar. They finally get to go on their first expedition and Jake gets separated from the group when he is chased by the Thanator. He can't find his way back and has to spend the night in the wilderness. He is surrounded by viper wolves and is about to be dinner when a Navi comes and rescues him. He's then taken to the village where he is allowed to stay. When he wakes up he is approached by Col. Quaritch and asks to do recon. Jake follows the mission but in the process Jake develops a certain level of Stockholm syndrome where in order to infiltrate the Navi he has to Identify with them and without his knowing he started to change into one of them.
The Good:
The CGI was absolutely amazing. The colors and sound were great. You can see the detail on everyone's face even when in fast movement. I got to see it again in 3-D and if you're debating about seeing this in 3-D or Reg., there shouldn't be an argument: 3-D. Do it because it's worth the experience of seeing them fly through the halleluiah mountains. When he dives for the first time, it feels like a roller coaster. The background is something I always keep an eye out for since some companies will slack on wide shots CGI. I found Avatar to be solid from beginning to end.
The Bad:
I found it weird that when the humans were being escorted on to their ships they weren't wearing mask. I also couldn't grasp the concept of, if Jake is asleep when in the module and then gets out and goes to bed or does he stay awake since he was dream walking?
The End:
Avatar was an awesome film, the story was predictable because we've all seen this type of plot play out in many forms of media ::cough cough :: Last Samurai ::end cough::. I wasn't upset about it. The Navi were a combination of many native people from around the world and some of the issues they face with today's world from the cutting of trees and the drilling of oil; take care of our planet and stop wrecking our resources! James Cameron wrote and directed an excellent film. It might have been 10yrs in the wait but it was worth all the work, which has blown the doors off anything i've seen lately. I give Avatar a rockin' TOV 5.
