It's Gorgeous, It's Entertaining, It's A Visual Orgasm.

Rating: 8/10 (18 December 2009)

A paraplegic marine is sent to a program that would give him the ability to walk, as well as be over ten feet tall with blue skin. He becomes a Na'vi, these native like creatures that live on Pandora, a moon that scientists and marines want to invade to grab some minerals that are worth lots and lots of money.
I must say that before I saw Avatar, in IMAX 3-D no less, I made an effort to avoid every trailer, every TV spots and anything regarding the plot. It was difficult because everything on the internet and in the media was AVATAR for the months leading up to it. But I managed to pull it off, knowing that knowing nothing about it would probably heighten my experience. It did. Was I expecting to be blown away? I was, but did Cameron pull it off? For the most part. The film, from a visual and technical stand point is marvelous. Is it the next step in film-making? It looks like it, but it feels more like a first step and not the giant leap people have been waiting for.
Avatar stars the next big star, Sam Worthington. His twin brother has died and the government needs him to operate this avatar that is worth millions. Since he is genetically identical, they figured it would be fine. Sigourney Weaver is the person spearheading the operation, she is always butting heads with Stephen Land, the Colonel and Giovanni Ribisi, the head honcho of everything. She wants to learn and comes to love the natives, they want to blow them all up. There is our conflict ladies and gentlemen. Where is Worthington in all this? He becomes emotionally attached to one of the Na'vi creatures and fights on their side. I don't blame him because for the first time ever, I was sexually attracted to a creature created from motion capture, played by Trekkie Zoe Saldana.
So Avatar is the big game changer, or so they say. Let me say that I wanted this film to be my Star Wars. I wasn't alive when that film came out, so I've never really had that AWE moment. Lord of the Ring came close and Avatar has come even closer. But it never really reached it. Cameron and his team have created a world with so much detail that you'll probably have to see the film twice just to break the surface. He paints the film in beautiful colours, even at night. Everything illuminates beautifully, and it was a smart move. Using 3-D technology, Cameron knew he had to brighten the picture, since everyone would have these dark classes on their eyes. His camera, which he created, gave him an edge on using the technology and he uses it well. It's not gimmicky like G-Force or lame like Harry Potter.
The film has many memorable sequences. I had heard the final battle is off the wall crazy and while it was well done and looked great, I didn't feel like it was 'off the wall crazy'. Seeing Worthington try and tame a creature of flight was one of the more memorable moments. Every moment on Pandora is beautiful and you literally have no idea what to expect. Cameron has created something new here and I commend him for that. In a year full of sequels and load obnoxious films that feel stale, Cameron has created a world that is new, fresh and bright. The story is something we've seen before, but we connect well enough with the characters that we care about the end battle. Did I care in Transformers? Hell no.
Cameron has yet to disappoint me, he continuously pushes the edge of technology and film in general. He takes risks and he manages to pull it off every time, despite the nay sayers. There have been millions of them, they doubted Titanic and when he proved them wrong, they doubted him again with Avatar. In my opinion, he's proved them wrong again, but I can see a lot of people not liking the film as much, The reason? A lot of people are having gripes with the story. It's not bad, it's just been done. I don't care if it's been done, as long as it's done well. Avatar does it well. People tell me that they don't expect the film to blow them away, it might not. I totally expect people to be 50/50 on this film.
In the end, Avatar is a film you need to see. I saw it in 3-D and in IMAX, I went in knowing nothing about it. I had no idea that they all controlled the Na'vi creatures, I had no idea about why they were there or even that he had a twin. Was the film worth it? It sure was, the experience is one to marvel in. This film was a film made for IMAX, and in the words of Cameron himself, made for 3-D. I don't think I would have enjoyed it as much as I did if it were a regular screen. Everyone's talking about it, everyone's seeing it, so be a part of the phenomenon.