Short version: Excellent movie. Good story with unexpected twists. The 3-D effects aided representation of an amazing planet and technology – few if any 3D gimmicks. The packed audience I saw it with clapped at the end.
Longer version:
Sure, this is a tale of native people fighting against corporate interests to save a planet. But only those myopically political would see this movie as an agent for the green agenda, or socialism or against the military, or our colonial/westward expansion history.
Dramatic movies need bad guys. Movies need good guys. In this case the “bad” guys are a corporation hungry for a silly named compound called “unobtanium” found only on a planet named “Pandora”. The corporation wants the unobtainium and, admirably, wants to mine it without harming Pandora’s natives.
BUT the mother lode of all unobtanium deposits lies under a village – and the company needs that village moved. So they genetically grow human operated “avatars” that look like the natives to go out and negotiate with the natives. To see what they want in return for moving. Jake Sully, a paralyzed Marine, operates one of the avatars. The movie is really the story of his slowly learning about and becoming one of the natives and the resulting tension as he bounces between avatar and human company.
But Pandora holds many dangers, not just the natives, and the movie uses the inherent dangers on the planet to good dramatic effect. Ultimately, the natives really can’t move, for reasons the movie will explain, and violence erupts.
I’ll stop there… and just say that as the movies story serves well, but the 3d effects serve to add to the drama, realism, and aid the story greatly. The endless list of 3D animator/computer jocks in the credits testify to how hard this was – but their efforts produced a majestic video environment.
It wasn’t “Star Wars” level of culture shock, but it is a darn good movie. My daughter loved it. My son was concerned it was really a blast against our Indian wars, and caution to “save the planet”. But there was one BIG difference between Avatar and our earth…. Pandora planet really was in danger.
I recommend Avatar and especially the 3D version.
December 21st, 2009 at 10:04 am
Our planet is fine, a lot of people on it are no good or useless!
December 21st, 2009 at 11:48 am
I saw the non-3d version this weekend. I liked it in general. I thought it was a tad preachy. Particularly the line “We killed our mother long ago” and all the allusions to Gaia.
Above that, it was a *very* well done movie. The computer generated effects were almost indistinguishable from reality. I forgot I was looking at 3d models several times. The points were very well made and the story flowed logically.