Dances With Pandorans

Rating: 7/10 (5 January 2010)

AVATAR is a visual feast. And at an estimated $280 million to make, it had better be. James Cameron, best known for spending as much money as he can on a project (see TITANIC and his other flicks that have given him the nickname "The $200 million dollar man"), leads the way again as writer/director. And with him comes Aussie actor Sam Worthington who also starred in Cameron's TERMINATOR SALVATION film.
As stated at the beginning, this is a highly stylized, visual film that has 3-D effects galore. You feel like you're riding on the back of some faraway creature as it dives through clouds, brushes the forest tops, and skims floating cliff faces. It is THIS that gives most, if not all, of the film's entertainment punch. If you didn't see it in 3-D, then you're missing out on the best part of the movie.
But where the film falls down is its story. This film is basically a rip-off of two ideas: DANCES WITH WOLVES and Frank Herbert's lesser known Pandora series of books. In fact, Wes Studi, who starred in Dances With Wolves as a tough Pawnee Indian, holds a similar role here in Avatar as the roughshod Eytukan. Granted, this is a space epic, but the transfer of ideas from Dances With Wolves still holds very true: A white man comes into native country, battles with them, learns to respect them, switches allegiances, helps save the natives from complete annihilation. This is pure Dances With Wolves.
As far as Frank Herbert's Pandora series goes, there's quite a few similarities. The first big one is the planet. In both Frank's and Cameron's universes, the planet is called Pandora. Nothing to get in a fuss about since the mythology of Pandora is well known since the time of the early Greeks. But where the similarities merge is with the planet itself. In both universes, the planet is alive. Literally. And this living force has a name. On Frank Herbert's Pandora, it is a life force known as Avata (hmmm, that sounds familiar too). On Cameron's Pandora, it is known as Eywa. Both planets are hostile to humans but are valuable in their own way (for Frank Herbert is was the expansion of humanity, and for James Cameron a rich mineral source).
So for those out there that are touting how "original" this is, I think you just haven't remembered (or weren't around) when actor/director Kevin Costner filmed his western epic and/or haven't read Frank Herbert's Pandora series (starting with Destination: Void and going through The Ascension Factor).
All this being said, Avatar is entertaining. It has that big-screen appeal and escapism that so many movie-goers pine for. And it has some of the best visual effects you'll ever see. But just don't tell me it's "original."