Newspaper Review

Rating: 9/10 (5 June 2010)

White People, Blue People and a Green World Worth Fighting For
Many of you have probably seen or at least heard about James Cameron's new movie, Avatar, a stunning sci-fi adventure that breaks more boundaries in film-making than anything since the original Matrix. With a virtually no-name cast and both Titanic and Terminator 2 (two of Cameron's past blockbusters/classics) to live up to, Avatar had some big shoes to fill. Fortunately, it's a pretty big movie, nominated for nine Golden Globes including Best Picture-Drama, and is, most importantly, something of a chimera in terms of its ability to encompass and combine several genres.
The most prominent feature of the film are its visuals, which are comprised of colorful computer animation so good that what's real and what's simulated are indistinguishable from one another, meriting the film's four year and over $250 million production. It follows the story of a young paraplegic ex-marine (played by Sam Worthington; Terminator Salvation) who is given a second chance at success through his genetic makeup which is identical to his recently deceased twin brother; a famous scientist scheduled to study and befriend the natives of the newly discovered planet, Pandora. Through a technology called "Avatar," the marine has his conscience temporarily transferred (think The Matrix with fewer wires) to a genetically corresponding (blue) body based on the physical structure of the native Pandorans, called Na'vi. In this way Jake Sully (the marine) learns about their culture by experiencing it first hand. Sounds harmless enough, but the snag is that the aliens are located above a huge deposit of incredibly valuable mineral, prompting some members of the invading Earthlings to act in a less than diplomatic way. After spending more than six months with the blue people and becoming incorporated into their relatively peaceful culture, it doesn't take a genius to figure out which side Jake is on.
The main complaint about the movie is its story, which is considered weak by some, failing to match up to the visual aspect of it. It's true that the story is cliché, somewhat sparse, and almost juvenile, but what some fail to consider is that that might add to the movie watching experience, rather than detract from it. The simplistic story, in my opinion, may have been done unintentionally, but even if that's the case, it fit with the kind of tale they're trying to tell. Rather than using a realistic (logically, of course, as realism can't legitimately be used to describe people co-inhabiting an alien planet), gritty plot line which is so common in today's films (i.e. Dark Knight), Avatar takes a more pathotic approach, appealing to the emotions instead of the mind. As a stylistic and somewhat expressionist work that uses basic human feelings to make an impact, the film deals with elemental themes like greed, power, belonging, and love. In this way, it's made like an epic of times past, with a large, over the top experience that everyone can understand, and hopefully enjoy.
Some have compared the planet of Pandora to a veritable Eden, a symbol of simplicity which mankind has long since lost, and which is reflected both in message and storytelling style of the film as a whole. The aliens, in contrast to most sci-fi movies, are completely devoid of machinery, living completely ecologically by a religion reminiscent of animism, where all living things in nature are infinitely connected with one another. At points like these, Avatar seems more like something out of the 1960's than a work coming out just three weeks ago, but it's certainly refreshing after the dark, generally pessimistic movies which dominate today's market. In an attempt to explain symbolism without sounding too much like an over-enthusiastic English teacher, Avatar is most likely an allegory for the European invasion and subversion of North American culture. However, it could also be applied to any invasion of foreign powers to a primitive population, which is the kind of thing that has (unfortunately) happened countless times in the past.
Basely put, it was a pretty damn good movie, which "(ex.) will probably be nominated for several academy awards but will most likely miss out on best picture because the academy will focus too much on story," said Tom Oliva, English teacher/Film Club supervisor at Hen Hud. "ex. Still, it will spark a new trend in movies that will make filmmakers focus more on giving the audience the 'bang for their buck' than on the little things, like plot, the defining characteristic that makes it a piece of art." While the messages it was sending was far from subtle, it was important, urging humans (probably the U.S., depicted as a gray, technologically sophisticated, and regressively animalistic people) to cease its greed-driven, militaristic imperialism and addiction to technology. As our tech becomes more advanced, we lose our "souls," what it is that makes us human deteriorating proportionally to our growth in machine complexity. In any case, I believe Avatar to be a fantastic, Oscar meriting film, more than worth the (pricey) cost of a movie, 3-D, or IMAX ticket, and think it will, as it promised, change the way movies are made forever.