Don't Judge a Book by Its Cover

Rating: 10/10 (18 December 2009)

Few movies deserve to be long. This is one of them. At no point during the picture do we feel it's dragging too slowly, nor do we ever feel like the script has been "dumbed down" for us. There is minimal set up and the plot gets rolling along as soon as the opening title emerges. Sam Worthington's voice-over provides us with just the enough back story while also setting the mood. He plays his character as a young, brave, but ultimately innocent, service member. His persona echos that of many enlisted servicemen who joined up after seeing a "Be all you can be" commercial. He has little, if any, hindsight. Armed only with courage, we witness him make calculated errors. But he has faith in himself and we sympathize with him because he's so vulnerable. Yes, this is a big budget Hollywood movie. Yes, it has many clichéd and unoriginal plot elements. Yet it is unusually well focused, and it embodies the same spirit as any character driven independent feature film. And it does so very well. This is a movie which doesn't rely on A-lister movie stars because Cameron understands that movie stars and money don't constitute a great film. Cameron uses his cast, crew, and every available technology much like the great Leonardos and Donatellos used their paint brushes. Personally, I dislike going to movie theaters. I usually wait for the DVD. But this was too good to pass up as there are no other James Camerons out there. I dread the day he'll retire. He makes action sequences like no other. In most pictures, my mind goes numb once the fireballs and bullets start flying. But not this time. Cameron understands the importance of letting the audience emotionally invest in the protagonists, mean while comprehending the threat which the antagonists pose. I found myself relating to the Worthington character which made the theatrical viewing more of a genuine experience and not just three hours of "entertainment." Avatar is such a cinematic treat much like Terminator 2 and Titanic in that it overwhelms our senses. It would be a shame for anyone who claims to appreciate the motion picture to ignore this one.