Avatar review

So, I saw Avatar last night.

Now, this is a movie that people have apparently been looking forward to for a long time, one that's been hyped to the heavens as an experience that's going to "change the way we watch movies" or some other nonsense. I didn't even know it existed until last year and it wasn't on my radar as anything worth watching until I saw the trailer. And I have to admit, part of the reason I even bothered to see it is because I really liked watching Up in 3D and was anxious to go back for more. So keep in mind that this review is the opinion of a guy whose anticipation level going in was somehwere along the lines of "this looks pretty neat" as opposed to someone who's been waiting for this for 15 years.

(Spoiler free)




Avatar, as I'm sure everyone knows by now, is set quite a long time in The Future, when humans are capable of travelling to other solar systems. We've discovered the planet of Pandora, actually a moon orbiting a gas giant, which is host to a dizzying array of alien life forms. Among these are the Na'vi, 12-foot tall sentient humanoids at a neolithic stage of technological development. They happen to be living on top of a massive deposit of "unobtainium", an extremely valuable ore with gravity-defying properties. A money-hungry mining corporation has been seeking to get it's hands on the stuff for a while, using medical supplies and education to try and entice the Na'vi into "relocating". Unfortunately the relationship between the humans and natives has turned sour for unknown reasons, and in a last-ditch effort at finding a diplomatic solution the science geeks have come up with the idea of using Avatars, Na'vi/human hybrid bodies remotely controller by human "drivers", to get back in the alien's good books. The plot follows Jake Sully, a paralysed marine, as he takes control of an Avatar to act as a body-guard to a human science team.

Somewhat interestingly, we aren't given a whole lot of background information about this set-up. Apart from a brief two-second flashback, Earth is never shown on screen- the entire film takes place on Pandora. I was initially skeptical of the idea that anyone would be allowed to so callously dig up an alien biosphere (as far as we know the only one found in the movie's setting) for profit, but it's implied at various points in the movie that Pandora was discovered at the very least as far back as when the main character was a child, presumably allowing people to become apathetic about it, and that Earth's economy isn't doing very well (there's another possible explanation off-handedly revealed near the film's climax, but I won't spoil it).

It's been no secret that this movie is as much, or possibly more, about the planet of Pandora itself than it is about characters or the story, and in that regard Avatar succeeds with flying colours (often literally). The world is an extremely imaginative one brimming with outlandish alien life forms that fit together into a believable biosphere. The Na'avi feel like an actual fleshed-out society with their own culture, history and language, and I constantly wanted to know more about them. At one point a character holds up a thick textbook on Na'avi biology and culture. If someone were to actually write such a thing I would buy it.

On the other hand, the movie often feels like it's playing it safe. District 9 provided a fascinating look at truly alien aliens and what it might be like for humans to interact with them. The Na'avi on the other hand are very obviously based on a combination of native americans and african tribal cultures, and all of the non-sentient species are basically just alien versions of living or extinct Earth species. There is one very original biological wrinkle to all of this that I wasn't aware of before going into the movie, but I won't spoil it in case anyone else is similarly clueless.

Avatar is a movie that's being sold largely on it's technological achievements, and while I don't agree that it's going to revolutionize cinema, there's no denying that it's a stunning film visually, the best part being an early scene making heavy use of bioluminsecence that literally had me gaping at the screen. The CG isn't the best from a pure realism perspective, but it's more convincing than anything I've ever seen. I had to constantly remind myself that pretty much the entirety of Pandora was computer generated and when the movie switched from CG to live action it didn't feel like any noticable transition had taken place. The movie looks real, but not our vesion of real, if that makes any sense.

On the 3D side Avatar is surprisingly restrained compared to Up, with entire scenes going by without any noticeable 3D effects. When it is used it's used well, however. The 3D displays used by the humans have a startling clarity that makes it look as if the film crew actually built holographic computers for the movie. Water effects are also fantastic.

Unfortunately, with all the skads of money and creativity being thrown at the movie's visuals, the story takes a back seat. I predicted when I saw the trailer that I would be able to guess everything that happens in the plot, and by and large that was the case. This is a derivative and cliched story, and I'm not going to give Avatar a pass on that, but it's a well executed, well told derivative, cliched story. It kept me fully engaged during a 160 running time that amazingly doesn't feel padded out due to good pacing and conservative use of action scenes (a lesson Micheal Bay really needs to take to heart). The plot moves ahead at a fast clip, with some interesting new exposition, or piece of character development, or giant robot knife fight (it's as awesome as it sounds) or giant explosion always around the corner just when things are in danger of flagging. Crucially, the important romantic sub-plot doesn't feel like it's dragging the story down- Jake Sully and his Na'avi love interest have genuine chemistry between them.

The movie makes use of some well-worn themes, such as the idea of the Na'avi being one with nature, but thankfully there's a plausible reason for the tree-hugging nonsense that I won't spoil. Less forgivable is the brief and jarring foray into heavy handed Iraq war parallels, where for two scenes the characters constantly spout lines cribbed from George Bush speeches before the whole thing is abruptly forgotten about. The entire sequence lasts less than two minutes and feels as if it was added on the spot while filming was taking place as an afterthought.

Over all Avatar is more about expensive eye candy than it is about plot, but it's an enjoyable adventure to sit through none the less. If you've been waiting 15 years for an experience that's going to change cinema forever you're probably going to be dissapointed; go in with the right attitude however, and you should have a good time.