Review: Avatar

Avatar

Dir. James Cameron (2009)

*****

It's been almost a week since I went to see Avatar; I think by now I've got the movie mostly digested and my thoughts ready to share. Now where, oh where do I start in attempting to review this movie that is unlike anything we've seen on a cinema screen before?

First, I should say that if you have not yet had the experience of seeing a movie in 3-D, it is definitely something worth dishing out a few extra bucks to try out. 3-D cinema has come a long way over the past few years. It's no longer gimmicky but instead is now used to make some really great visuals. I'm not so sure 3-D is really "the future" of movies; I don't think it's appropriate for about 3/4 of the movies out there, but Avatar is certainly one of the films that benefits from this technology. Right at the opening shot, you can really see the way 3-D enhances the picture. The third dimension becomes more subtle as we transition from the world of the humans to the world of the Na'vi, but maybe this is all for the better. With all the action going on, we don't want our eyes to start getting sore.

Now, 3-D or not, the visuals and the special effects used to create them are obviously the centerpiece of Avatar. I do appreciate all of the work and money invested into the visual aspect of the movie, and it's clear that there was a lot of attention to detail in creating the jungle world of Pandora. The graphics look about as realistic as they can get given today's technology, but I specifically use the word "graphics" because the movie does still look and feel like a video game. I give credit to the makers of Avatar for using special effects with purpose and rarely inserting the effects gratuitously - this was a relief considering the billions of dollars Hollywood invests into pointless effects when the money could instead be used to feed entire nations. Sadly, not even the most convincing computer graphics in the world can redeem a film that is so inherently weak.

The majority of those who have seen Avatar will hate the rating I give this movie (at the bottom of the review, you can peek), and I'm still trying to figure out if people love this movie despite the plot or because of the plot. Anyway, I will stand by all the opinions about the weaknesses of this film but am always open for discussion. Avatar's plot fails for two reasons: the story is far from engaging, and the world James Cameron creates is uninteresting.

After the impressive graphics, the next thing that stood out to me was how boring the film was. The story had tons of potential but the writing was poor. Are we supposed to care about any of the characters? I didn't find the protagonist Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) interesting at all, and while it's clear that the humans are supposed to be the villains, the Na'vi aren't quite creatures that we can identify with - at least not for the first two hours of the movie. The blue humanoids seem alien and even hostile for much of the film. If none of the characters are interesting, then why should we care about what happens to them?

The first two hours of Avatar are essentially worthless in terms of plot, and perhaps the moment the humans finally issue their ultimatum to the Na'vi might have been a better starting point for the story. The fact that Jake in his human-Na'vi hybrid avatar form must choose between allying with his own human species or with the Na'vi that he's grown to love and respect suddenly makes things interesting. At this point, there would have been potential for a great story, but instead we get a lengthy battle scene. While the war is unique and visually exciting, it is a huge step back from what we're used to - for example, The Lord of the Rings. At the same time, it's pretty ridiculous and hard to believe. Shooting down planes using bows and arrows? That's new.

A mediocre story can be forgivable in fantasy epics, and many of the great films we love have plots that aren't exactly their strong points. But in these cases, the world and the lore created in the movie are far more important than the plot which can perhaps be simplistic (Star Wars), utterly convoluted (Lord of the Rings), or poorly written (Harry Potter). The problem with Avatar is that the world of the Na'vi is equally as boring as the film's plot. There is hardly anything about the world that James Cameron creates that makes me want to purchase Avatar action figures or read fan-fiction spin-offs. With George Lucas's Star Wars world, on the other hand, I will be one of the first to admit that even at this age, a Darth Vader action figure would still be cool.

Avatar is one of the most hyped movies of the year - and rightly so - because of its visuals. I will not hesitate to say that the visuals are impressive and enhance this particular picture, but to call them beautiful might be a little bit of a stretch. Will Avatar mark the dawn of a new era in the special effects business? Arguably. A new era in the moviemaking business? I hope not.

*****

My Rating: C+