The Second Wave of 3D is back with a Splash, & A War

Rating: 8/10 (22 December 2009)

Leave it to James Cameron to release the first real blockbuster of the current wave of 3-D films coming to your movie theaters. The $400 million dollar quoted budget for this film definitely shows. The special effects get a 10 because of that money. This film in a way is Titanic two, as it appeals to the same audience as his former blockbuster. This, Camerons next film appeals to the same audience in exactly the same way using exactly the same formula.
That formula is - an extremely big budget, technical stuff to draw in the men, & a love story to draw in the women. Now add the 3d & animation to bring in the kids too, and this audience is even more complete than Titanic was.
With this in mind, if you want to see 3D done right, go to this movie & note the previews of at least 2 other 3D films coming up. This is not your Grandapas 1950's 3D process, this is state of the art.
The film manages to appeal to a wide swath of audience too. There is plenty of romance for the ladies, plenty of action for that audience, some amazing imaginative creature, plant & animal creations for the naturalist, & just enough plot twist to keep you watching.
The plot is what pulls this film down from a 10. I can see what they tried to do here with the plot in appealing to folks that are in the going "Green" movement. It has a major appeal that direction. Especially telling is the description of the planet trees & nature interconnecting into a massive network described like a computer network to try & draw in the Techno Geeks as well. There is a Natural Force Network for those who like that appeal.
You have the Technological Society, (Jake is from Earth as he served in Venezuela) & the "dying world" description. Then you have the Pandora world which is presented as an entirely natural world with a rare supply of a valuable resource that the other world needs (a stretch here but greed is a good plot toy). Man types versus Pandorian tribes & animals is the set up here. Including the THX special effects, there are lots of cross references to Star Wars in this film.
To me, it is way to pessimistic to refer to Earth as a "dying world". Venezuela is specifically referenced, which makes it ironic as we are trying to save the Earth on Earth day & the DVD is first released on Earth Day week-end. According to this movie, we'd better double our Earth day efforts. That analogy is way too simplistic because as long as man doesn't nuke his own world entirely, this planet is not dying. What is great about our planet is that like the theory of evolution, our planet evolves & survives. Man is capable of destroying himself due to modern weapons. Man is in no way capable of destroying this planet. In fact, the next 50 years could be the most exciting yet in our planets history. Human History is full of Climate Change & the climate has & will always change.
Pandora is painted with a broad brush as a natural Utopia which would be perfect though wild & rough if not for the alien invaders. The Pandorans don't even seem to need to farm, though they do hunt. This simplistic black versus white plot is OK for the first major commercial 3D release with this new process, but as people realize how simplistic these two sides are presented, the plot falls apart. In the real universe, two sides are never that simple.
The battle sequence in this movie pulls in viewers in the second half at is combines elements of The Empire Strikes Back & Return of The Jedi into one movie. That's getting your money's worth. There is enough here to get lots of viewers, particularly ones who want to be dazzled by 3D effects, & pessimistic folks who believe that man is really destroying our planet. For those who want a more complicated real world type of plot, this one will fall short. A fine Fantasy this is.