If I could, I would rate it a 20.....utterly amazing and, don't think me crazy, a grand homage to Native Americans

Rating: 10/10 (22 December 2009)

In the future, humans have traveled to the far reaches of the universe. On a planet called Pandora, a very important new element was discovered, one that is very valuable. But, wouldn't you know, the natives on the planet live in the forest, where most of the element is located, underground. It is the human intention to "displace" the natives out of their woods and get to the mineral. For years, the Americans have occupied an outpost on the planet and have tried peaceful methods to reason with the aliens. The top scientist, Grace (Sigourney Weaver) learned their language and opened a "school" to teach the native children English and the ways of the human. But, the Pandoran population truly wants none of it, for they rightly feel that their world will be destroyed. Although they have only bows and arrows, with a killing poison attached, they are very fierce. As a last resort, the Marines are trying a program of elaborate "robots", where an earthling goes into a sort of capsule and sleeps while his "soul" inhabits a native body. It is their hope that learning the ways of the natives will make them easier to "conquer" and move. Now, a wheelchair-bound Marine named Jake Scully (Sam Worthington) gets a new, Pandoran body and goes with Grace and a few others on a mission. But, due to some fierce dinosaur-like creatures, Jake becomes separated from the others and is left in the forest at night. Grace believes he will surely die. He would have, too, for a powerful female warrior, Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) was set to shoot him. But, some seeds from their "tree of life" cover Jake and Neytiri sees it as an omen. She takes Jake back to her village where he is eventually accepted as a tribesman. He learns to ride the native "horses" and "dragons". He and Neytiri also fall in love. But, during the night, Jake "reports" back to the Marines when his native body is asleep. The marine commander believes he is gathering information to defeat the primitive folk. As one might guess, Jake soon realizes his new people are very worthy and should not be destroyed or moved, for their life is "connected" deeply to the forest, their home. What will Jake do to save Neytiri and his new brothers and sisters? This is an amazing film, a stunningly visual panorama that has to be seen to be believed. The planet of Pandora is a forest like no other, with plants that "glow" and creatures that resemble dinosaurs, wolves, and dragons. The natives, too, resemble the American Indian and other earthly tribes, such as the residents of the Amazon rain forests. Most importantly, they are "attached" to their planet as the Native Americans were to the earth. When they kill an animal for food, they utter prayers to the animal for giving his life so that they might be sustained. They consider the destruction of any plant a blow to their own bodies. Thus, in many respects, the movie is a gigantic homage to the American Indian and their way of life. Wes Studi, who was the ultra frightening Native American in The Last of the Mohicans, even plays the Pandoran leader. But, enough of this. The actors, including Worthington, Weaver, Saldana, Ribisi, Stephen Lang and all of the rest do a fine job. The dialogue and story are, perhaps, not totally original but quite, quite adequate. However, even all these take a back seat to the incredibly imaginative scope of the film's setting, a new world far away. It is the grand scale of the forested planet that will take a viewer's breath away. In short, dear film fan, see it. Absolutely, if you can go to only ONE film this year or next, make it AVATAR. It is truly a jaw-dropping work that will overwhelm most anyone with its visionary beauty.