Worth Every Minute, Despite Flaws

Rating: 8/10 (18 December 2009)

I'm not going to make this out to be one of the best films ever created or going to tell you that all the hype is complete BS. What I will say is that what James Cameron has done in creating Avatar is another step in the evolution of cinema and one hell of a ride. It's an exciting film that takes you to places no film has before. Like many have said, it's the closest you will come to going to another world and a journey well worth taking. But before that, let me get the negatives out of the way.
Firstly, and this seems to be the main complaint, I think the film borrowed too heavily from the stereotype of the noble savage. It's all fine that there is a distinct good and evil between the natives of Pandora and the invading Earthlings, but the film is very cliché when it comes to it's display of the Na'vi. They are very reminiscent of both the Indians and Africans, right down to war cries and bows and arrows. Creating these humanoid aliens is fine, but if Cameron spent so long on this film, he could have at least been a little more creative in his creation of these Na'vi by drastically changing their culture and way of life from anything representative of earth. Still, I suppose people need something to relate to.
To go with this is a story that is every bit as cliché as, say, Dances with Wolves or any other advanced-man-invades-tribal-man's-home story. This story is the same exact thing as any story about any historical invasion of a technologically inferior group of people, be it Indians, African tribes, Mayans and Incans, etc. Sure, it's taken to planetary heights, but it's still the same old universal tale, right down to the cliché fish-out-of-water hero, hardass military badguy, slimy corporate badguy, and heart-of-gold ally who wants to study and save the native people.
That's my biggest gripe with this film. Instead of giving us a film that uses every story cliché about a group of people invading another, Cameron could have created an absolutely different and imaginary world. He could have created a unique story about that world and how vast and radical it is from our own. He could have created creatures that have never been thought of, indigenous people the likes of which we have never seen, and base a unique story around the uniqueness of this new and fascinating world. Instead, we get hybrids of animals from earth, and even hybrids of humanoid cat-creatures that we could call familiar. Hell, the Na'vi even kiss. Would alien's from another planet know what a kiss is? Possibly, I suppose, but it's a good example of a lost opportunity to really go in a very different a radical place with this film, one I would have liked to have seen.
With that being said, I will say that Cameron is forgiven for all transgressions, because this film is all about Pandora.
Every moment spend there (pretty much the entire film) is an absolute joy. It's exciting and had me smiling the entire time. It's like looking at a moving painting you can't watch enough of. There's a great deal of story involved, yes, but that story is deeply rooted into Pandora itself. And that is what saves this film. Cameron has created a world that we could only wish was our own and it will remain one of the greatest environments ever created for a film. Of course we all know about the amazing special effects. And they are 100% amazing. Nothing in this film feels unnatural, something Cameron has become a master at. You will believe that this could happen in the next 200 years.
You may have also heard about the final 40 minutes. And everything you have heard is absolutely correct. This is one of the most exciting war scenes ever created for film. Cameron has directed one of, if not the, best action scenes in a film ever. It's like Star Wars, Jurassic Park, Top Gun, The Loader scene from Aliens, and a ninja movie wrapped up in 40 minutes. It also contains one of the greatest one-on-one showdowns of any film. Simply put, if you see the film for anything, see it for this final 40 minutes. You may think that waiting 2 hours for this final battle wouldn't be worth it. You would be wrong. Firstly because the film isn't as dull as some have made it out to be. And secondly, it is just that good.
Though some have said this won't revolutionize film, I would argue they are wrong. Though the story lacks as great of a script or plot as it could have, and though it doesn't take the whole alien thing far enough in my opinion, the graphics used in this film and the creation of Pandora have opened the door for the creation of anything in film. Any world can be created, any species can be realized. Cameron, who has created some of the greatest action and sci-fi of our time has created yet another phenomenal and important piece of sci-fi.