So, this past weekend I was part of the record setting openning weekend for "Avatar" - though, I'm not sure what records were set, I just remember seeing many Yahoo! articles titled "New Film Sets Record!." I might just assume that it set a record for the largest collective sigh of relief that Celine Dion will not be singing an overly dramatic ballad based on this movie. I will gladly lend my support to such a record. More likely, though, the record was based on attendance, or something related, and I am more than happy to be part of that record as well. Because, quite simply, the movie was amazing!
It was not a perfect film - I will get more into the negatives in a bit - but I have no qualms whatsoever in saying that this is perhaps the single most beautiful movie I've ever seen. The imagery was beyond breathtaking. James Cameron has, in my opinion, succeeded better than any other director in creating a believable alien world ecology. Perhaps the only concession he did make to popular convention was to have the "dominant" life form on this planet be humanoid; and that was probably done more to give us, the viewer, an easier time to connect with the Na'Vi (the alien race, though they simple refer to themselves as The People). The Na'Vi are very interesting species as they are 10-foot tall cat/monkey hybrids and brilliantly visualized. Of course, there are many other recognizable creatures throughout, but they are sufficiently different from anything we have seen before. I particularly liked how all the creatures that were featured shared some common traits, such as: they all had 6 highly functional limbs; they all had some form of bio-luminescence (the glowed in the dark like a fire-fly); they all had gill-like holes in their necks through which breathed. These are nice little things that all lend to the overall sense that they evolved from similar ancestors, even though those ancestors are very different from our own. I could go on all day about the sheer beauty of the film and marvel at the attention and obvious love the creators put into this project, but you would be much better served by seeing it for yourself.
As mentioned earlier, this is not a perfect film, and I will now take a few moments to discuss the parts that I felt were a bit lacking. The worst thing about this film was the predictability of it all. Within 15 minutes I felt I correctly predicted the story-arc, what was going to happen to the main characters, even who would live and who would die. Without getting into the plot too far, it could be boiled down into the Pocahontas story. That said, I did think it was very good rendition of what it was trying to do. At no point did I feel emotionally cheated by the acting, the dialogue, or the motivations. Nor was I ever confused about what was happening or seeing on screen. It all made sense; there were just no real surprises.
Perhaps the thing I hated the most was the name they came up with for the mineral that brought the humans to the alien world of Pandora in the first place: Unobtainium. Seriously? Could just be me, but I thought it was really dumb and every time someone said the word I felt like I wanted to laugh AT the movie, not with it.
I really enjoyed the villian of the movie - again, predictably - the resident military Jarhead commander who goes by the name Colonel Miles Quaritch (played by Stephen Lang). Despite the enormous pitfall of having such a cliche bad guy, Cameron and Lang do a very good job creating an actual character, a real person. He is not a total asshole - that role is admirably filled by Giovanni Ribisi's corporate tool - in fact, he pulls strings to help the main character with a few favors. The Colonel is simply a supremely confident man, that sometimes borders on arrogance, and knows exactly who he is and what he is about. He is battle scarred, he is willing to do any dirty work with his own hands, and even heroically tough. Two of my favorite images of this man involve him casually leaning against the pilots chair, calmly drinking a cup o' coffee as he leads his troops in the predictable assault on the Na'Vi; and the moment where he commits himself personally to the inevitable battle amidst flaming wrecking as a virtual incarnation of destruction.
A beautifully realized movie, I would totally recommend this film to anyone and would encourage a cinema viewing if only get the scope of the thing. I will this movie an 8.5 out of 10 because of its predictability.
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