Balek's Movie Review™ - Avatar

Hype is a double-edged sword. While it serves the purpose to increase the pre-release popularity...or at least awareness...of your game, movie, or whatever, it also raises the bar which must be met for the product to be a success. For the theater releases of 2009, I don’t think there is any question which title has had the most hype generated for it, and rightfully so. After all, it did take up to a half a billion (that’s with a B!) according to The Times for James Cameron to bring us Avatar. That figure is probably too high, but most accounts still take it well beyond the $350 million mark. The real question is does Avatar belongs to the same club of movies which Cameron has brought to us over the year? I’m talking about Aliens, Terminator 1 and 2, and The Abyss. Movies that are solid by any yardstick and remarkable by most measurements. Quite simply a resounding YES.

Avatar tells the story of the human race and its attempt to exploit the world of Pandora for an unusually rare and expensive mineral. However, the sentient humanoid race takes this ambition rather poorly. The main protagonist of the story is Marine Jake Sully plucked from a downward spiraling life after his twin brother suddenly dies and Jane is needed as a replacement ‘pilot’ for his avatar. The avatar is a biological machine made by crossing human DNA and that of the Na’vi, the blue skinned giants of Pandora. By leveraging some Matrix-esque technology, a human can take control of the avatar and experience life through it’s eyes. Sully’s mission is to infiltrate the Na’vi, and get them to agree to a forced relocation program. I won’t go into much more detail aside from saying the story does keep the movie rolling even through it’s nearly 3 hour runtime.

If you have an IMAX anywhere near you, you must see it there. Even more importantly is to see it in a theater capable of the 3D edition of the movie. In a 60 Minutes interview, Cameron said he wanted to change the way we see movie pictures. Speaking to the 3D technology, he wanted to move the idea beyond the gimmicks of previous movies and truly solidify the third dimension as a viable…even critical element to future movies. While Avatar may not deliver on that audacious goal, it does deliver more vibrant colors and action than any previous picture on the big screen. The world of Pandora is one of constant motion and ever shifting colors. The real treat to the eyes is when night falls on the jungle and everything comes to life. Avatar is a predominantly CGI picture (only 40% of the movie is live action) including over 3,000 different effects, with every single frame having some type of post-production work done on it. Cameron wanted a visually perfect film, and I believe he delivered. You will frequently find yourself going wide-eyed, staring simply in awe at what you are seeing. I will admit it – I am a bit of a visual snob both in my games and my movies and have set a high bar for what I take in. Visually there has been nothing like Avatar to date.

To match what you see on the screen, the IMAX sound stage is simple made for this type of film. Where the movie takes place in an environment literally living and breathing, the amount of separation and power delivered by that system is remarkable. Only by matching the visuals with a soundtrack of similar wow factor is the patron truly taken into film. You literally feel like you are on Pandora. The acting is spot on, with Sigourney Weaver delivering a powerful presentation of a character scripted after James Cameron himself. The film’s primary antagonist, Col. Miles Quaritch portrayed by Stephen Lang, is a character you can hate and feel good doing so. Even the smaller parts play into the story in a way that brings it all together for the audience.

After the movie came to an end, I overheard two men in the row behind me talking. One said to the other “Ya’ know…I’m a Marine, and I feel like a scumbag right now”. That only happens when everything comes together, and it’s more than just a movie…it’s an experience. Avatar is truly an experience everyone deserves to take in.