Up until last week I had not seen a movie that I could comfortably say was the best of 2009. Some good movies sure and even a few great ones but no number one contender for best flick of the year. And then James Cameron's new 3D science fiction epic literally blew my mind. It was an outstanding treat to see the beautiful and incredibly rendered plants, wildlife, and people of the writer-director's imaginary planet of Pandora. The story was easy to follow (despite knowing almost nothing about the plot beforehand), emotionally compelling, and incredibly satisfying at its conclusion. I see Avatar as opening new metaphorical doors to what future fantasy and science fiction films could be. It was like I had glimpsed the future of cinema and I really liked what I saw. If you don't see "Avatar" in cinemas before it has gone, you are doing yourself a real disservice. "Avatar" was worth the wait.
People had a right to be skeptical; Cameron had not made a feature film since 1999's "Titanic." "Avatar" was an original story and was trying to push the boundaries of what could be done cinematically. And it cost somewhere between $250 and $500 million to make, according to different estimates. Yet, the movie already made back all of that money and has currently grossed over $1 billion worldwide. All hail the king.
"Avatar" is at its core both a love story and a story of military capitalists trying to take advantage of an indigenous population for a valuable mineral. It stars the impressive new action star Sam Worthington ("Terminator Salvation") as handicapped space marine Jake Sully. Sully's permanent injury robs him of the use of his legs. When he is given the opportunity to use an avatar, a genetically bred human-Navi hybrid which a user transports his/her mind temporarily into, he can not only walk again but do things a normal human body could not. The Navi are the giant blue inhabitants of the planet Pandora and they don't trust the Sky People (us), for good reason. There are human soldiers, scientists, and administrators in the story. There are Navi warriors, witch doctors, and alien domesticated animals. The battle lines are drawn and a war is coming.
But the film is not only fighting and action scenes, actually it is only occasionally violent. Instead, Sully spends much of the movie learning to be a Navi by training with a female Navi, Neytiri (voiced by Zoe Saldana; "Star Trek"), and if he wins the trust of her tribe, he could possibly broker a peace deal. Sully is a newcomer to the world and his wonder and awe is also the audiences. The hidden dangers he stumbles into are surprises the audience is also not expecting. He is a perfect, flawed but morally decent, human being to be the main character. We believe in Sully from the beginning and want him to do what's right although we're not always sure what that is. Saldana's voice performance is passionate, enticing, and equally compelling. There are other worthwhile performances including Stephen Lang as Sully's determined military commander, Colonel Quarich, Giovanni Ribsi as a weasely corporate planetary liaison, and Sigourney Weaver as a passionate head scientist.
But the real mastermind and credit behind Avatar must go to James Cameron himself. He believed in the project and helped create it from the ground up. Cameron is known for his attention to detail and his drive to create the best product possible. He has certainly succeeded beyond the bounds of everyone's wildest imagination (except maybe his own). For making such a compelling yet accessible science fiction film, Cameron deserves the acclaim he is being showered with. "Avatar" deserves an Oscar nomination for best picture and will be my favorite for the big prize but Cameron himself also deserves a nod for his directing and storytelling skills. The award season just got a lot more interesting.
Rated PG-13 for intense epic battle sequences and warfare, sensuality, language and some smoking.
