Sunday, December 20, 2009

Avatar

Movie name: Avatar
Year of release: 2009
Director: James Cameron
Stars: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Michelle Rodriguez, Giovanni Ribisi, Joel David Moore, CCH Pounder, Wes Studi, Laz Alonso, Dileep Rao, Matt Gerald
Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 7

Synopsis:"Avatar" marks the return of James Cameron to the director's chair, following his previous documentaries "Ghosts of the Abyss" and "Aliens of the Deep" and since his last feature, the hugely successful "Titanic". The film, as has been widely reported, took years of development and implied the creation of new technology for the shooting itself to be effectively done. The film follows the story of Jake Sully, a marine who is taken to the planet Pandora, since his twin passed away and his shared genes are needed for him to inhabit an Avatar. Pandora is a planet rich in resources, some of which are worth millions for a company who wants to drill it to it's core. The planet is however inhabited by a race named Na'vi, who live in communion with the forest and it's creatures. The Avatars developed by Grace Augustine, allow for humans to take possession of alien bodies and explore the planet freely. Jake is assigned the mission to research the natives and try to get an angle for the military who are in the planet to assure that the drilling is done. Jake however falls in love with Neytiri, the young princess of the clan and has to choose which side to stay with as the tension between the parties escalate. James Cameron has a reputation for being a pioneer in terms of special effects and technology development and "Avatar" is no exception. The film blends live action and 3D in a perfect way, creating an entirely new dimension to the action taking place. The film takes it's time to introduce us to the main characters and to the conflict taking place. Once the action takes off, that's where Cameron's credentials as an action director come to the fore. The film is relentless and with beautiful set pieces. The most faltering piece of this film is at points it's new-agey tone, however as everything that James Cameron has done, his expertise as a filmmaker and storyteller surpass that. Sam Worthington proves to be an excellent choice for the part: his character is filled with sorrow, joy, love and excitement for the new world and new life he finds. Sigourney Weaver is as usual fantastic. A trip worth taking.

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