REVIEW: Avatar

A quick plot summary of Avatar from jamescameron.org:

Far into the future, Human space travelers find a planet given the name Alpha Centauri B-4. It's known as Pandora, which is bountifully blessed with weird and wonderful creatures and plants that breathe ammonia instead of oxygen. The Humans seek to take the wealth of this amazing planet for themselves. The hero of the story is an injured, former marine named Jake Sully, who unwillingly joins the native population of Pandora in a dramatic and mesmerizing battle to avoid conquest by the invading extraterrestrials from Earth.

James Cameron has cranked out a lot of blockbusters in his movie-making career. Terminator, Aliens, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, True Lies, and, of course, Titanic. Avatar is definitely in this vein.

I'd like this review to remain positive as long as possible. I do have to say that the visuals were pretty amazing and better than I expected, especially the landscape of Pandora. The creatures on the planet and the blue natives were pretty obviously CG but still pretty darn well done. The fight/war scenes were well choreographed, thrilling and exciting. It was pretty good spectacle. Unfortunately, a movie can't be all just spectacle.

This movie has one of the most heavy-handed stories I've seen in a while. Its hard to find something that isn't an obvious cliche. We've got the iron pumping, scarred, tough guy sergeant who plays by his own rules. The ex-Marines spouting lines like "Yeah, get some!" while they mow down natives. On top of that throw in the wise-cracking scientist and the money-is-everything, Gordon Gekko-esque corporate guy. It is pretty difficult to take a movie seriously with that cast of known characters.

Not only are the characters cliche, but the story is a cherry picking of history. Now I don't mind metaphors in movies, but please try to add some layer of subtlety or original thought while you're at it. Of course, Avatar is basically the story of the Native American's battle with European settlers, like Dances with Wolves in space. Cameron doesn't add anything new to this story. He just replaces the Native Americans with Na'vi. There's even that haunting, chanting music over serious scenes, just like every other movie about native peoples. Even the weaponry is the same, guns versus bows and arrows. Actually, the one twist Cameron does throw in is breaking down the Na'vi's Mother Earth-based mysticism with a scientific explanation. In my opinion this hurts the story even more (it reminded me of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menance, when they boil down the Force to a blood condition).

In the end Avatar is just too self-serious. I would have no problem treating it like Die Hard or Transformers-level empty fun, but the critic's and Cameron's bestowal of importance won't allow that. So, great job on the special effects, but the story and characters just aren't worth the hype.

Kinsey: 3/5 stars
Wade: 2.5/5 stars