Just because we’re only getting around to reviewing Avatar now, it doesn’t mean that we’re ignoring the biggest film of all time (so far.) By now, if you haven’t seen James Cameron’s eco-sci-fi epic, you’re probably not going to see it (until it ends up on TV and you’re too far away to change the channel) but for those who have, you’ll understand the film’s contradictory nature, and just why it took us so long to get our thoughts straight on it. The thing is, Avatar is a film that is really easy to love, or hate, and for anyone we’ve spoken to who has seen it, their reaction has been split along the lines: nobody who’s experienced the world of Pandora has been able to truly say they feel ambivalent about the film.
And an experience it is. Of recent years, there’s been a cinematic shift towards making movies much more of an interactive experience: it’s no small part of why 3D is coming back with a bang, and even without such high-tech effects, why the first-person camera has proven so successful in Cloverfield, Paranormal Activity and all the way back to The Blair Witch Project. Cameron’s latest movie is no different, seeking more to transport viewers to the alien moon of Pandora than to tell a smart or charming story.
The story follows former marine Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) as he ships out to Pandora, replacing his recently deceased twin brother: the reason is a complicated bio-technological being, an avatar, genetically linked to Jake’s brother (and therefore Jake himself), and a waste of money if he is no longer alive to use it. Transplanting Jake’s conscious into the avatar to act as a pilot, Jake’s employers hope he’ll infiltrate the native Na’vi people of Pandora and, more importantly, gain access to the valuable mineral “unobtainium” that runs under the Na’vi’s home. Things are complicated when Jake meets the Na’vi princess Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) and his loyalties are subsequently divided as the two form a close friendship and, ultimately, fall in love.
While the film may seem like a trans-species love story, Avatar only uses the relationship between Jake and Neytiri to allow Jake (and viewers) access to Neytiri’s world, and the deep spiritual connection the Na’vi have to the world around them. With this in mind, Jake’s journey is less about his romance and more of a religious epiphany.
It’s an interesting turn to what could have been a straightforward action-and-romance flick, but that’s one of the very issues that’s dividing audiences: the semi-religious connotations of Pandora, combined with the “green” theme, is lain on pretty thick towards the film’s close, and while the film reaches its climax in multiple action sequences, even these end up being overrun with the film’s other imagery, as if these action scenes only exist to give a reason for the environmentalist stories to wrap up.
It’s a complaint that equally extends to some of the other characters, both human and Na’vi: Giovanni Ribisi plays the head of the human corporation over-running Pandora, while Sigourney Weaver is sometimes human and sometimes Na’vi in the role of scientist Grace Augustine, piloting her own avatar in order to understand the Na’vi culture and biology. Unfortunately, both of these characters are never given enough screen time to explore any depth, or even purpose (although the audience are still expected to react to them in pantomime style) while the real villain of the piece, Stephen Lang’s muscle-bound Colonel Quaritch tosses his machismo around without an ounce of subtlety and never really attains status as anything other than a big villain who may as well remain nameless.
It might sound like Avatar doesn’t offer much to viewers, but that’s the point at which we remember it’s a James Cameron film, and if there’s one thing Cameron does well, it’s drawing his audience in. There’s little enough substance to Jake or Neytiri to make us truly care for them, but we do regardless, and it’s a testament to Cameron’s skill as a director, the impressive team behind the movie’s graphics and both Worthington and Saldana as actors.
So much of the movie is actually hidden behind the blue skin of the Na’vi that perhaps not enough has been said of the actors: Worthington acted Christian Bale off the screen in last year’s Terminator: Salvation, while Saldana managed to make even Uhuru interesting in Star Trek, and despite the heavy use of effects, they’re both proving their acting salt here. Each of the Na’vi is created using motion capture technology, but the emotive facial features and body language is just as much a product of the actors as it is the special effects team. But that’s not to say that the special effects behind Avatar aren’t impressive: if anything, impressive is an understatement.
Avatar is unusual in that there’s no part of Pandora that doesn’t look real and is an all-round success because of it: from the Na’vi to the other animals that inhabit the planet (okay, it’s a moon!), right down to the flora and weather conditions, you could easily convince someone that the true cost of the film’s production was because Cameron filmed everything on location. Textures, lighting, everything is brought to life, and there’s no real noticeable difference when “real life” is put next to digital effects on screen. In 3D, the effects are even more impressive, and although the film resorts to some forced perspective and “OMG-it’s-coming-out-of-the-screen” tricks to enhance that, it just adds to the realism of the film, and isn’t as obvious as other 3D movies of the last twelve months.
It all comes together to create one of the better cinematic experiences of recent years, but audiences need to remember that when they’re walking out of the cinemas: Avatar isn’t all about a great plot, or just the effects, but a combination of both, and what that produces. Don’t ask me how Cameron does it, but somehow, he brings it all together and still manages to get the best of everything to complement the rest of the film. Avatar probably won’t leave you pondering on all the finer points of live and existence itself, but it sure will leave you entertained.
Zombie Rating: B+
James Cameron’s Avatar is still showing in most good cinemas now, both in 3D and 2D.
Hey there! I have to say I really enjoy Your blog, it makes for an informative Read! I hope to see more stories from you soon! Thanks!