I was admittedly skeptical about James Cameron’s newest film, AVATAR, especially considering it was his first straightforward movie since TITANIC – which was all the way back in 1997… 12 years ago.  As details began to emerge, including various photos, trailers and clips, and details of the film’s enormous budget (estimated $230,000,000!), I started to seriously wonder if this project had any hope of success whatsoever.  Let’s face it, the economy being what it is, and big Hollywood blockbuster flicks lacking more and more in substance, can even someone like Cameron make a movie that will really wow us these days?

The story opens in the future, where a crew consisting of military grunts, educated planetary scientists, and some high-ranking government officials are investigating a planet called “Pandora” for mining purposes.  This planet contains a mineral that is incredibly valuable, though the richest deposit is covered by the natural-grown home of human-like alien inhabitants called the Na’vi – tall, blue majestic creatures not unlike American Indians in more ways than one.  The powers that be have decided that putting certain select individuals into Na’vi bodies, and integrating them among the people, might offer an alternative toward relocating their tribe to a less obtrusive location on Pandora.  But the aliens are one with their planet, even to a telepathic degree, and are very set in their ways.  Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), a paralyzed-from-the-waist-down soldier, volunteers for the project after his twin brother (the intended subject) dies.  Dr. Grace Augustine (Sigourney Weaver), who has already spent time amongst the Na’vi, guides Jake through his journey, and he is joined by his friend and Na’vi expert Norm (Joel Moore).  Though their mission is to intergrate themselves with the planet and Na’vi tribe, Colonel Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang) has other plans, seeing Jake Sully as a potential “man on the inside” that could give him a unfair advantage.  Not long after arriving close to the Na’vi’s home, Jake soon finds himself separated from his team, and amidst the peril of this mysterious planet.  He is saved in the nick of time by Neytiri (Zoe Saldana), a beautiful but tough Na’vi warrior who brings Jake home to meet the rest of her people.  Over time Sulley begins to become one with the tribe, and prove himself capable and worthy of their trust.  But over time the powers that be start getting restless, and are no longer satisfied waiting for a peaceful solution.  Can Jake Sully use his influence to prevent a full-scale inter-species war, or is it already too late?

This is a story we’ve seen dozens of times before (DANCES WITH WOLVES comes to mind), but what Cameron has done here is take a familiar tale and tell it in a whole new way.  AVATAR is a visual feast unlike anything you’ve ever seen before.  Then again, just looking at the past few years of video games and comic books, it may be fair to say that James Cameron took little bits and pieces of popular fanboy culture, and integrated them into this overall presentation.  Either way the film is a magnificent work, and extremely engaging from start to finish.  I was particularly thrilled to see Cameron work with Sigourney Weaver again, especially since they both have been heralded for many years over their collaboration on ALIENS.  Sam Worthington struggles a bit with his American accent, but even that’s not distracting enough to pull you out of this experience.  His character of Jake Sully doesn’t have an immense amount of depth to it, but thankfully the Na’vi personas make up for that.  Zoe Saldana is perhaps the most impressive performance here, even if mostly in voice.  The role of Neytiri is what drives this picture, conveying the right dose of anger and emotional distress necessary to leave a lasting impression.  I found myself in two separate scenes getting choked up because of something her character was doing, and all the while forgetting I was watching a mixture of polygons and computer colors.  Stephen Lang deserves attention as well, oozing with power-hungry machismo, and a genuinely scary motivation behind him.  He is that authoratative figure that you fear the mere thought of knowing he’s in control.  I’ve always liked Lang as a character actor, but he’s never been given roles that show his true acting range or ability.  This is a showcase piece for him, and it’s long overdue.  Other actors like Michelle Rodriguez, Giovanni Ribisi, and Joel Moore are a bit underdeveloped, though that’s bound to happen in an effects-heavy film such as this.  I get the sense there was more intended with their respective characters, but perhaps just not time to fit it in – especially Joel’s role of Norm, since there’s a scene early in the film that indicates the potential of extreme jealousy toward the Jake Sulley character, though that jealousy goes away rather quickly.  Solid actors like Wes Studi and CCH  Pounder provide Na’vi voices worth mentioning, giving the tribe some weight with their line deliveries, and an effective screen presence with their performance.

But let’s face it, in a movie like this, the focus is the effects and action, of which there is plenty to discuss.  I worried a little that Cameron would rely too much on CGI for all aspects of the film, and ultimately be directing a virtual cartoon rather than a polished theatrical experience.  His use of technology here is nothing short of brilliant and flawless.  I recall watching THE LORD OF THE RINGS movies in their theatrical runs, and even though I was wowed by the nice use of special effects in those movies, there was still that darn “uncanny valley” present – that certain something your eye can tell which gives away where the live action stops and the CGI begins.  It’s especially present now when you go back and watch movies like that on the small screen.  But AVATAR bridges that gap, and takes the special effects to a completely new and unusual level.  There are multiple shots in this film where (I imagine) everything on screen is done in a computer, and yet it never feels hollow or lifeless… it all feels real and tangible.  That is the magic of this film, and perhaps the magic of Cameron.  He has delivered a movie experience in which we find ourselves believing what we see to be real.  It is immersive and breathtaking, and never allows itself to get boring and repetitive.  Clocking in at two hours and forty-two minutes, AVATAR is certainly a long film, but thankfully anything but mundane.  I imagine on repeat viewings that the runtime might be a bit difficult, but I can honestly say everything going on is interesting and engaging, so make sure to clear your bladder before the lights go down.

I’m happy to say Jimmy C’s still got it, and his time away from typical Hollywood moviemaking didn’t sully (no pun intended) his ability.  The score by frequent Cameron collaborator James Horner, is extremely complimetary and effective to the film, and stands out – which is a hard thing to do in a visual buffet such as this.  It should be noted that AVATAR is a rather violent and mature-themed film.  There is a lot of death presented, and some in rather rough fashion.  There’s also fairly heavy use of obscene language, mostly “S” words, so be aware if you’re taking the young ones.  There’s even a scene of “implied” sexual contact, which I found a little surprising, but never offensive.  This is not a big dumb action movie, but rather a thinking person’s action flick.  If you watched the “Pandora” featurette we posted a while back, you’ll understand my fascination with the depth given to this fictional world, and I did wish more of that was explored within the film, but it should make for an incredible DVD/Blu-ray experience.  The last thing I’ll say is in regards to the 3-D aspects.  I saw this in 3-D.  You NEED to see this in 3-D.  This is one of those movies that excels beyond its own limits through its 3-D presentation.  Everything is not just real in its look, but feels as if you could reach out and grab it.  I love that 3-D has become so impressive these days in film, and this is a movie that takes full advantage of that.  Do yourself a favor and make it a point to watch this the way is deserves to be seen.

In closing, it has to be said that we’ve certainly seen this story before, but we’ve never seen it told with such beauty.  James Cameron proves he hasn’t lost his touch, and delivers what may just be one of the most amazing films of the past decade.  The bar just got set very, very high – now let’s see if anyone can dare to reach it.  Perhaps the only concern for Cameron at this point is how to possibly outdo himself.

AVATAR opens December 18th everywhere.

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