Movie Review: 'Avatar' - A dazzling and exhilarating epic!

Sam Worthington experiences a strange new world in writer-director James Cameron's "Avatar." Photo: Fox

“Avatar” is unlike anything you’ve seen before. A hybrid of live-action and CGI, James Cameron’s latest epic is a dazzling landmark in filmmaking wizardry. Even if it features a storyline that’s been seen and done before, it's a thoroughly engaging and exhilarating experience, choke-full of compelling characters and jaw-dropping action sequences – making it one of the best big-budget blockbusters of the decade.

Twelve years after "Titanic" proved naysayers wrong by banking $1.8 billion and sweeping the Oscars, writer-director James Cameron is back – unleashing his new science fiction spectacle “Avatar,” the most expensive film of all time. Like with “Titanic,” “Avatar” has been equally plagued with hype and skepticism. Skeptics have dubbed it “Dances with Smurfs” for the similarities to “Dances with Wolves,” Kevin Costner’s 1990 Oscar-winning film, while supporters have implied, if not explicitly stated that the film will revolutionize the way movies are made and watched.

So is this movie any good? And who's right?  To answer the first, yes it's good. Really good! To address who's right, the skeptics or the supporters, I'll be a cliché and say both are. Yes, the basic story of "Avatar" does bear resemblance to Costner’s film and yes the film truly is a game-changer. Cameron succeeds in raising the bar so high that every studio and blockbuster filmmaker will be scrambling to catch up with him. Is it going to change movies forever though? No. That’s hyperbole. I highly doubt watching “No Country for Old Men,” “The Departed” or “Amelie” with CG characters will make them better. So before you see “Avatar,” keep your expectations in check. The creatures here aren’t going to jump off the screen and rip your face off. There’s always the zoo for that. 

Zoe Saldana as Neyetri in "Avatar." Photo: Fox

“Avatar” is set in 2154 when humans, having depleted Earth’s natural resources, set their sights on colonizing planets in distant galaxies. One of these is Pandora, a moon revolving a giant Jupiter-like planet orbiting Alpha Centauri A. Human corporations are interested in Pandora to mine its deposits of “unobtainium,” a precious mineral highly desired on Earth. Like Earth, Pandora is an ecologically rich world inhabited by creatures both fascinating and dangerous. Chief among these are the Na’vi, a humanoid blue-skinned indigenous species who reside over a vast unobtainium-rich deposit. Naturally, this situation causes animosity between the two species.

At the center of this is Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), a paraplegic ex-marine, who travels to Pandora to replace his twin brother, a scientist, killed in a freak accident. As a member of the ecological sector run by the tough Dr. Grace Augustine (Signourney Weaver), Jake is to befriend the Na’vis, sooth boiling relations, and eventually persuade them to relocate. Since the atmosphere of Pandora is toxic, Jake and others facilitate their work by linking their consciousness to living, breathing bodies created from human and Na’vi DNA called “avatars.” As Jake builds a bond with the Na’vi and especially Neyetri (Zoe Saldana), a beautiful female warrior, he’s faced with choosing between his own and the aliens when human military forces, led by the ruthless Col. Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang), decide to exterminate them once and for all.

Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana in "Avatar." Photo: Fox

The most impressive element of “Avatar” is the Pandora ecosystem that Cameron has conjured from scratch. The detail and craftsmanship he employs in creating this world is simply mindboggling (no, really, it is). The Amazon basin-like rainforests, exotic plant life, waterfalls and the stunning floating mountain ranges are so realistically rendered you could be forgiven for assuming they’re real.

Numerous creatures populate Pandora – from large beasts resembling hybrids of triceratops and hammerhead sharks to pterodactyl-dragon hybrids called banshees that the Na’vi use for hunting. Other creatures include hybrids of virtually every creature you could find in a tropical rainforest from panthers and horses to lizards and jellyfish. This movie isn’t some expensive videogame. Cameron wants you to know that this world is real and every cent of the $300 million budget is up on screen to prove it. Only George Lucas can boast to having created a more complex world on film.

When it comes to visual effects, “Avatar” has no peer. Cameron and his crew filmed the actors using performance-capture technology – the technique used in Robert Zemeckis’ “A Christmas Carol” and “The Polar Express.” Unlike those films, the hybrid of animation and real-actors here is seamless. The blue avatar versions of Worthington and Weaver look… well, just like their real-life counterparts, only blue. This is undoubtedly the most technologically innovative feature film made.

Sigourney Weaver in her avatar form in "Avatar" Photo: Fox

But creating a visually stunning picture is only half the deal. Great effects can only take you so far (See “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen”) so it’s a good thing then that story, not effects, is the film’s pulse. Like in most of his movies, Cameron spends a good portion of the film’s running time building relationships between characters before cutting loose on the action. The first half of “Avatar” is almost entirely spent on Jake’s integration into the Na’vi culture and his relationship with Neyetri. These engrossing sequences are its soul – laying the bricks for the film’s epic action-packed finale. Cameron also manages to slip in allusions to real-life events giving the film gravitas - The oppressive nature of the humans is connotative to Vietnam, colonialism, and even the war in Iraq; The imagery in a pivotal action sequence is undeniably evocative of 9/11.

Despite being compelling and well-structured, Cameron’s script is far from perfect. He may know how to shoot an action sequence like no other and tell a story with strong characters but his dialogues remain clunky as ever. “Titanic” may have won a barrel of Oscars but the film’s screenplay didn’t. In fact, it wasn’t even nominated - and for good reason. At least, “Avatar” doesn’t have as many stinkers.

As Jake Sully, Worthington is charismatic and inviting and should have a respectable career as an action star. While he’s commendable in the film’s action and physically-challenging sequences, his strongest moments are the quieter ones proving his worth as a talented actor. As Dr. Augustine, veteran actress Weaver blends toughness and motherly virtues functioning as a bridge between the human and Na'vi societies. Saldana, last seen in “Star Trek,” plays Neyetri, the Na’vi warrior princess who falls in love with Jake. Although we never really see the actress, she emotes the pain, joy and anger of Neyetri admirably. However, it’s Stephen Lang as the nefarious Col. Quaritch who takes the acting MVP honors with his scenery-chewing performance. The character may be one-dimensional but Lang's presence is arresting. Quaritch is the type of guy who pisses machismo and Lang, with his buff build and battle-weary features turns up the insanity level to 11.

BOTTOM LINE: With “Avatar,” James Cameron has succeeded in creating a supremely entertaining and immersive fantasy epic not seen since “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy. The work the filmmakers have committed to creating the world of Pandora is groundbreaking. While the “Dances with Wolves” references are apt, the film’s absorbing plot and interesting characters mesh perfectly with Cameron’s superb direction and the gorgeous visuals to make this one damn fine film.

GRADE:

PS. ‘Avatar’ earned nine Critics Choice Film Awards nominations and four Golden Globe nominations earlier this week – scoring Best Film and Best Director nods from both groups.

AVATAR
Written & Directed by: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Giovanni Ribisi, Michelle Rodriguez
Rated: PG-13 for intense epic battle sequences and warfare, sensuality, language and some smoking.

"AVATAR" opens on December 18 in theaters all across South Florida in 3D and regular 2D Screens. Watch it in 3D for the best experience. It will also be playing at the IMAX screens at the Fort Lauderdale AutoNation IMAX theater at the Museum of Science and Discovery, AMC Aventura 24 and AMC Sunset Place. See your local listings for more info.