The perfect dream

Rating: 10/10 (4 February 2010)

This movie touches me emotionally in so many levels. Sullys vulnerability in real life contra his strenght in the Avatar world.
In real life his legs. His emotional vulnerability when he needs to convince Quaritch to go back into the Avatar world to enter the final stage of becoming a man. His vulnerability when he is confronted with Quaritch and Selfridge. And when he is found comatose on the floor by Neytiri. In the Avatar world when he is getting stronger in the second bow scene, and Neytiri is getting shy for the first time because she notice him as a man. At his first flight. When he makes the speech at the tree of souls. When he is standing next to his Toruk as the leader of all the clans. And in the final scene, the vulnerability of his real life body kissed by Neytiri and the power of the ending. This has got to be the best ending in movie history, both as a story, visually and regarding sound effects.
I see several themes in Avatar: 1) Dreaming and waking up. This is verbalized several times during the movie and I understand this theme much like Total Recall (1990) 2) Computer game contra real life. Avatar = representation of the gamer in a game. I think a lot of gamers recognize the perception of real life being gray at times, and perceive their real life weaknesses (physical or mental) in contrast to their physical or mental strenght in cyberspace. 3) The spiritual theme. Avatar = incarnation of god in Hinduism. That all living creatures are connected and dependent on each other. That there is a cycle of life. That you have to see others, in the sense that you have to respect them, and they have the same rights as you. That you have to learn to see for yourself, that the deeper understanding of spirituality must come from within, from yourself.
Technically Avatar is outstanding. The 3D technology is a step forward in movie history much like the dawn of sound in late 1920ies and the dawn of color in the 1920ies (bicolor) and 1930ies (tricolor). With this extra dimension in movies, future directors will be able to narrate their stories in a much more compelling and realistic way. In first person view, for instance, like in Avatar where you follow the marines out of the transport shuttle. Or, like in Avatar, enhancing the actors faces giving the impression that you can almost reach out and touch them. This effect make you look at the actors most of the time in Avator, even though the background is incredibly detailed and interesting, too. It may take a while yet though, before we see any director master the 3D as well as Cameron.
The editing of scenes and sounds in Avatar are also outstanding, with the sound from the next scene being used to end the prior scene and vice versa. Most striking is the long sequence where Sully has a voice-over while he is trained by Neytiri with inter-cutting of him being weeks older. This sequence conveys his transformation in a way that is as believable as it is moving. The use of slow motion to halt the time is outstanding. Also the use of variations of "back trunk shots" - in 3D. Finally Avatar has got to have the best moment of pure movie magic in movie history: The scene with the pure spirits landing on Sully - in breathtaking 3D.
In Wizard of Oz (1939) Dorothys first words when she enters the magnificent colored world are "I don't think we are in Kansas anymore". In Avatar (2009) when Sully wheels out of the transport shuttle we hear Quaritch voice "We are not in Kansas anymore". And then CUT to Quaritch feet in outstanding 3D. No, we are not in Kansas anymore, we are in another era and dimension of movie making. I have 700+ titles in my vote history; Avatar is my favorite.