When Lighting Strikes

Rating: 10/10 (30 December 2009)

James Cameron does learn from his previous efforts and keeps getting better and better, and he has come close to achieving perfection in his latest production, the marvelous and wonderful "Avatar", a film with non stop energy that entertains, teaches, and delights us. Though not completely original, the film shines because its elements all fit into place and take us through experiences which will probably never be matched or surpassed in the silver screen.
"Avatar" is the story of the conflicts between two worlds, one protecting his idyllic environment where everything has a connection to an unifying force and spirit, and another one that continues to self destruct by greed and lack of insight. As we are introduced to the wonders of Pandora, an ironic name if any, the wonders begin. Cameron has given us sights and creations of amazing imagination, with the fauna and flora that parades in front of our eyes, fantastic beings with much more life in them than most of any previous CGI creatures, come to mind the dinosaurs and gorillas of "Jurassic Park" and "King Kong", but the new animals show more force and agility, and what takes our breath away is how real their interaction appears to be.
The crowning jewel are the humanoids native to Pandora, tall and proud blue skinned beings, lovingly rendered by computer programs that rely heavily on the performances of the cast. A million years ahead of the work done with similar process by Zemeckis in the disturbing "Polar Express" and "Christmas Carol", the people from Pandora manage to express their emotions quite eloquently, and those emotions range from jealousy to heartbreak. Most incredible work is done by Worthington and Saldana, as the central couple who must learn to understand and appreciate each other.
Humand eventually try to encroach over the people of Pandora's natural resources, by any means necessary, and a epic battle results because of the destruction of secret sites in order to break the natives' spirits. These are powerful scenes, full of an intensity rarely seen in epic/fantasy films, and the last hour of the film delivers what has sorely been missing from the latest entries by Scott in "Kingdom of Heaven" and Stone's "Alexander", a vibrant and powerful collection of physical confrontations where survival is the key element, spectacle is mixed with sheer will and determination, and the results are magnificent.
Finally, I can't heap enough praise upon this sensation movie, the best of 2009, one that is as powerful as "Departures", as imaginative and entertaining as "Star Trek", full of some of the wonder of "Up", and with great performances that recalls the amazing work of Robin Williams in the "World's Greatest Dad" and Jessica Biel's and Kristin Scott-Thomas in "Easy Virtue", films that like "Avatar" are worth a second or third viewing because they aim and hit their respective targets because of their pure cinematic power. How does one know that a film will become a classic? When one leave the theatre and can't wait to see it again for the sum of its parts, not by misreading the power of a single performance and hoping the luster will compensate for the mediocrity of the rest of the film, or by hoping that a set of clever lines will turn a screenplay into gold. Cameron has made sure "Avatar"'s separate parts all work in tune, from its performances, to its screenplay, to its editing, and special effects, never forgetting that what matters the most is the fact that its heart beats with enough conviction to connect to the sense of wonder in all of us. A great film.