Visually impressive, but not much more

Rating: 7/10 (8 May 2010)

Avatar was possibly the most hyped film of the last decade. For the die-hard fans of James Cameron, the film is not likely to disappoint, but for the rest of us, it is little more than a decent adventure.
From a technical point of view, the film was said to revolutionize film-making, and I have to say it is certainly one of the most impressive films I have seen, effects-wise. I can only imagine how much work it takes to create the characters inhabiting Pandora, not to mention the astounding landscapes. It is truly a wonder to behold, and the nature is so detailed that the main reason I have to rewatch it is to find new flowers and animals.
The story, on the other hand, is average at best. It is about the planet Pandora, whose natural resources (cheesily named unobtainium) makes it attractive to the exploitative US army. On the other side of the spectrum, there are scientists who only want to observe the planet because of its rich nature and advanced ecological system. In between these extremes, we find Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), a paraplegic ex-marine, who, in the shape of his avatar, can walk again. One can only imagine what he feels like when inhabiting his avatar, which is an interesting touch cinematically because the planet therefore offers as much escapism for Jake as it does for the film viewer.
"We will fight terror with terror." This line, said by the hilariously over the top villain, a super evil American colonel (Stephen Lang) is one of the best examples of how overtly political Avatar is. This is not a bad thing per se; indeed, the message is quite admirable, but I can't help but feel that James Cameron is hitting the viewer over the head, much like Crash did five years ago. We know that violence is bad and that it is bad to exploit other cultures just because you have superior weapon force, so there is really no need to rub it in as much as Avatar does. It is also ironic, then, that the ultimate solution to the problem is a military counter-attack. Although to be fair, it would have been a bit of an anticlimax if the film ended with a big act of diplomacy.