Breathtaking experience bringing a beautiful new world to life!

Rating: 8/10 (17 December 2009)

Queing outside the BFI IMAX in London, we waited in expectation for James Cameron's new film. The Terminator, Aliens & Titanic were becoming distant memories following the director's lengthy absence from the world of Hollywood. Avatar is worth the wait...
At first your eyes may struggle to adjust, I know mine did, but once accustomed to the 3D imagery they are transported to the vibrant, enchanting and yet potentially deadly planet of Pandorra. 'You're not in Kansas anymore' is the line borrowed from another breakthrough film in cinema. Perhaps this will one day be held in the same light.
Jake Sully is the marine, bound to a wheelchair in human life, who is selected to fill the role of his late scientist brother. There he is given his own Avatar - a body in the form of the planet's native resident, the Navi, controlled by his mind. Jake now has the freedom he could once only dream of. At first our enthusiastic hero is caught between his roles of research and combat. What ensues is a relationship with the Navi, one female in particular, that will dramatically change, not just the course of his own life but that of the whole of Pandorra.
As a member of the audience it is often possible to empathise with an on-screen character. Avatar puts you right into the heart of the film and in doing so pushes the boundaries to the limit. Welcome to the new world of cinema.