Avatar – The Movie

Today my family and I, which ended up being a group of 8 decided to go to the movies to watch the much acclaimed film, Avatar. We arrived 45 minutes early because I know from my prior experience working in a movie theater that Christmas is one of the busiest days of the year. The theater was 60% full when we arrived and ended up being 94% occupied when nearing the start time.

The movie starts with Jake Sulley (Sam Worthington) cremating his twin brother while two government officials are trying to recruit him to take his brother’s shoes in the most hostile territory known to humans…Pandora. The year is 2154 and the Americans have found a planet which contains a native species known as the “na’vi” and one of the most lucrative elements in the  universe. These blue humanoids stand 10 feet tall are connected intimately to their planet and resist all human culture. Jake is stuck between the role he needs to complete as being his brother’s twin and the heavily trained military mentality he forced to operate in. Jake is assigned to work with the Dr. Augustine, who is the head of the Avatar Program as a body-guard. However, the military want him to infiltrate the Omaticaya Clan (1 of 4 clans on Pandora) to gain usable intelligence in a military siege.

The way Jake can get into the body of his genetically matched na’vi, is he simply enters a cryogenic chamber, sleeps, and wakes up in his “other” body. During a trip with Dr. Augustine, the group is attacked by a native predator which causes Jake to be separated from the group. He has to survive the night on Pandora and nearly dies when Neytiri (a native of Pandora) saves his life. Jake has three months to learn the ways of the Omaticaya Clan, in which time he questions his countries motives and begins identifying more and more with life on Pandora. He falls in love with Neytiri, who serves as his teacher of the na’vi ways.

Jake finishing his hunters training.

However, Colonel Miles Quaritch has other plans. The military is after a precious metal found on Pandora and are willing to destroy everyone who stands in their way…even their own people. Soon Jake chooses his loyalties lie with the Omaticaya clan and mount a resistance against the alien humans, which serves as the climax of the film.

Scene of final battle

I personally liked the movie a lot. It has created a new dimension in American cinema by utilizing a variety of computer graphics to enhance the film. But it does make you wonder if Americans need all these “bells & whistles” to remain engaged in a film…are we not intelligent enough to think???  The culture, world, language, and creatures on Pandora show a tremendous amount of creativity and imagination, which leaves the audience wanting more. The are dynamic characters that fit into the story line well and serve as a good support system to main characters, such as the characters that play the environmentalist vs the industrialists. In addition, the na’vi represent how our world has become so global. Each of the na’vi is connected to the planet, just as we are connected to others. The na’vi respect this relationship and understand it’s immense value, as humans are finally beginning to understand. Furthermore, the scenes James Cameron created are beautiful, vivid, and almost remind you of being on an acid trip (or at least of what I think an acid trip would be like). You can watch the movie in 2D or 3D, I would recommend 3D…it adds to the experience. ENJOY!

Advertisement