Avatar: My Modest Attempt at a Movie Review

Wow, oh wow. James Cameron certainly had a massive undertaking with his newest film, Avatar. It is, quite simply, superb. Many reviews are focusing on only one of the two aspects of filmmaking – the cinematic aspect or the plot and storyline itself. Only reviewing based on one won't do this film justice.

Now, I'm not trying to sound similar to The Dark Knight fanboys that ran around screaming "Best movie ever! Heath Ledger deserves every Oscar for his performance!" While that film was great (and to its credit, I've watched it at least 15 times), it was definitely not #1 on IMDB-worthy (and rightfully so, it's fallen back down to #9 on IMDB's top 100 list. Likewise, I believe Avatar was a very, very good film. However, even with the breakthrough technology, it wasn't overly ground-breaking.

Were the special effects amazing? Yes, most definitely. Cameron is used to being ahead of his time in terms of using special effects. Titanic also wowed fans when they viewed it (and now looking back, some of the scenes so CGI'd that it's easy to tell that it isn't real, which I believe CGI shouldn't do); however, unlike Titanic, Avatar's effects look very realistic. The textures on the skin of the Na'vi look astounding, and I'm glad that Cameron waited until now to create this film, as the technology back in 1994 when he wrote the scriptment for Avatar would be inadequate for this film. Not only do the special effects make this movie just that much more enjoyable, but it is also available in 3D and IMAX 3D. If you have the opportunity to see Avatar in its true IMAX glory, please do. I saw it in 3D, and even watching from the 2^nd row of the theater, it looked awesome.

Besides that, the storyline behind it was awesome. It's a mix of a society v. society, drama, and love story combined into one. Most films won't do themselves justice by being over 2 hours long while still keeping the content fresh, but I think James Cameron has mastered that with both Titanic and Avatar. Not once was I thinking "Man, when's this going to end?" or "Can something happen now?" The plot was continuously evolving and I'm sure for every minute on screen, there's at least 10 minutes of back story that could be told. The world of the Na'vi is developed wonderfully, and what begins as a "Man v. Savage Beasts" conflict eventually morphs quite seamlessly into a "Man and 'savage beasts' v. Blood-thirsty greedy military leaders" tale.

I'm no Roger Ebert, and I'm not going to drone on and on about the movie. I hope this will suffice for the one who wants a quick read with some personal feelings towards the film. Writing pages upon pages of flattering commentary isn't me; I'm quick and to the "I either liked it or didn't like it" point.

Anyways, my final verdict: Avatar is a must see, and is definitely the movie of the year, and is a great way to send off what was a seemingly lackluster decade for the movie industry with a bang. On a scale of 5 stars, it easily earns all 5. *****

 

- Shane Rider