Pandora

Rating: 7/10 (30 May 2014)

James Cameron returned to the directors chair after a 12-year hiatus to helm this enormous blockbuster that became the highest-grossing film of all time! Story concerns a paralyzed marine named Jake Sully(played by Sam Worthington), who is used as an avatar(where a person's mind can inhabit another body, in this case ten-foot tall, blue-skinned aliens on the planet Pandora) in order to learn more about their culture so that they can be persuaded to leave their homes, since they sit atop an extremely valuable mineral rock that is worth a fortune. Trouble is, Jake becomes so immersed in his new identity that he doesn't want to go back to his old one, leading to a ruthless final battle between the Pandorans and the invading Earth forces led by a callous Col.(played by Stephen Lang).
A visual feast, Cameron fills the screen with astonishing CGI marvels that will dazzle the viewer and immerse them in this unique cinematic world. True, the story isn't original("Dances With Wolves" did do it better.) but it is an interesting inversion of expectations, since the Earth people are clearly the callous invaders, and the local population the good guys! Long but most interesting film is still a success, and it seems sequels are on the way...