Avatar (2009)

James Cameron has waited over a decade to accomplish Avatar. There is a lot to be said about this movie. Cameron has accomplished what George Lucas admirably attempted more than thirty years ago in Star Wars, and what Peter Jackson tried to translate from literature earlier this decade in Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. Cameron has seamlessly created for himself a fully realized world, right down to the language and religion that permeates the story. It's as fully realized a world as can be made for the big screen. 

Apart from what Cameron has created, this movie is a technological achievement that puts it head and shoulders above any movie ever created, and if it does not get an Oscar for special effects, it will be the biggest snub in history. I saw it in 3D and it was the sharpest 3D experience I have ever seen. Often you lose brightness and clarity when you put those glasses on, however the opposite is the case here. This was the sharpest and clearest picture I have ever experienced in a movie theater. I would normally credit this to the theater; however, it's clear that it was the filmmaker's brilliance that made this kind of clarity possible on the big screen. 

The story of Avatar is a good one. Many people see it as unoriginal, they say it's a story they've seen before. Of course you've seen it before, it's a good story. Good stories are told often and in many different ways. Avatar's story is provocative, timely, engaging, and just plain good. There are countless other summaries of the plot, so I won't waste time writing about it here. It's a long movie, to be sure, however, it has to be long to tell the story it wants to tell. There might be some superfluous scenes; however, the viewer is so engrossed in the gorgeous visuals they don't mind. 

I saw no memorable failures when it came to the acting, human and Na'vi alike. It's a very well put together cast. Sam Worthington as the protagonist, Sigourney Weaver as the cautious and defensive head scientist, Zoe Saldana in a great physical performance as the Na'vi princess, and Giovanni Ribisi as the greedy administration type, and Stephen Lang as the blood hungry Colonel. Specifically, I'd like to mention the performances of those actors tied to the CG Na'vi creatures. We don't get to see their actual faces, but they were no less a part of this movie. It's exciting when an actor's performance can be so completely and accurately realized in an exotically modeled CG creature. Makeup can only take you so far. What Cameron has perfected is a technique that will redefine what Hollywood believes is possible in filmmaking. 

Avatar, is the Star Wars of this generation. It has taken what was thought impossible, and made it into something that is visually spectacular. It's easy to find flaws when you're looking for them. There are many in Avatar if you want to go and find them be my guest. However, if you want to go to fundamentally entertaining and enjoyable movie, go, with an open mind and a big bucket of popcorn to go see Avatar. 8/10

P.S. Avatar has been nominated for 9 Academy Awards including: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, Best Original Score, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing and Best Visual Effects.