Avatar; Cameron's new

Rating: 10/10 (14 January 2010)

Sometimes, you are lucky when you go to the cinema. You find a movie which entertains you, or which you find surprisingly good. Maybe it's a movie which you heard was bad, maybe it's a movie you hoped was good. In the end it'll be your opinion that matters. When I heard about Avatar a few years back I wrote it off, as it had Signourey Weaver and Michelle Rodriguez in it, neither of which I hold very warm feelings for these days. And into my "I'll rent it or something like that in a few years"-binge it went. Then I saw the trailer on the TV; and BANG it got my curiosity up. I stayed away from any online review or forum regarding it, as I wanted to see it with an open mind.(Open as in beyond; "Wow this looks cool.")
And let me tell you, I am happy I did see it!
Avatar is James Cameron's latest movie, a man who seems content with releasing movies that are at the very least good(True Lies) to mind-boggingly awesome(Terminator 2, the Abyss). Avatar squarely enters the latter category and then jumps up a notch.
To summarize the plot; Mankind has spread out into the universe, and on the planet Pandora they have found a mineral that supposedly is quite valuable. The valuable resources on Pandora looks up for grabs if not for the annoying natives, the Na'vi, or "The People" in their own language. These blue-skinned tribals seem to disagree with a massive corporate resource-grab of their world. The main character is the marine Jake, wheelchair bound and sent to Pandora as a replacement for his murdered brother who was to take part in the Avatar-project, the last peaceful means to get the Na'Vi to move out of the way of the Corporate forces. From Jake's first steps(literally speaking) on Pandora to to the last minutes of the movie it's a beautiful image that is painted in front of your eyes, and the story and characters are gripping and well-crafted in the way few but Cameron can deliver. Jake's journey from a gung-ho marine mercenary to a leader of the Na'Vi will quite literally suck your breath away, as even with some predictability the movie contains that special something to keep you glued to your seat.
Now, let me repeat myself here; this movie is a masterpiece. The visuals are outstanding, the soundtrack much more enjoyable than I'd expect and the characters are either likable or completely fitting in their villainous role. Even Rodriguez' character comes across as well-acted. The romantic subplot is, strangely enough, good. It seems that Cameron knows how to add that as well into a movie without it feeling forced. I am not sure where the hatred comes from, but I'd dare to guess it's from online critics and certain sub-par satirical cartoons which makes a name for themselves to go against the mainstream, even if it means that they're wrong.
In the end, the best way to make up your mind; See it. If you then don't like it then at least you've been honest enough to give it a try rather than listening to a sad bunch of people that just ant you to follow their every wor.