Avatar

Director:
James Cameron

Writer:
James Cameron

Cast:
Sam Worthington as Jake Sully
Zoe Saldana as Neytiri
Sigourney Weaver as Dr. Grace Augustine
Stephen Lang as Col. Miles Quaritch
Joel Moore as Norm Spellman
Michelle Rodriguez as Trudy Chacon

Released: 2009
Studio: Fox
Box Office: $595,752,416 (as of 1/31/10)

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 82%
IMDB Score: 8.6

Format: 3D Theater

Never before has a movie looked so beautiful upon a screen. The world of Pandora designed by James Cameron and his crew is so breathtakingly mesmerizing and stunning, that I can forgive the film of all its storytelling faults. Avatar is perfectly suited for the big screen. It is a spectacle meant to be seen in 3D. Cameron spent over 10 years working on this film, because he had to invent the 3D technology required to fulfill his vision. It has paid off with Avatar now being the highest grossing film of all-time worldwide, and within the next few days domestically, passing Cameron’s previous movie, Titanic.

Avatar is the best film that I’ve seen in 2009. Not because of the acting nor the plot, but because of the experience. I got so wrapped up with what was happening on the screen that the movie seemed like it wasn’t nearly as long as its runtime.

It’s the story of a crippled ex-marine, Jake Sully, traveling to the distant planet Pandora to take control of an Avatar, a body of the native Na’vi. The humans are there to mine unobtanium, an expensive commodity back on Earth. Jake’s mission is to befriend the Na’vi and to negotiate their relocation from a rich unobtanium deposit. The story is very derivative of several other films, most notably Pocahontas. Following is a link to a very funny Mad Lib comparing the plot of Pocahontas to the plot of Avatar:

Avatar Mad Lib

As I stated earlier, I can forgive the film for being unoriginal story wise, because it presents that story in such an outstandingly original way. Zoe Saldana did a remarkable job as Neytiri even though her character is entirely motion captured. Really my only gripe is that Sigourney Weaver’s avatar looks too human and not enough like the other Na’vi.

Favorite Performance:
Zoe Saldana as Neytiri

Favorite Quote:
Col. Quaritch: If there is a hell you might want to go there for some R&R after a tour on Pandora.

Grade:
A