Salt Lake Tribune Review
"Avatar" is all about the wow.
Every ounce of writer-director
James Cameron's energy in this fantasy epic -- his first movie since "Titanic" 12 years ago -- is in making the audience's eyes pop out and lie on the floor in submission to the 3-D wonderment on the screen.
In creating the distant world of Pandora, Cameron gives us computer-generated vistas of floating mountains, hammerheaded rhinos, plants that radiate light when touched or stepped on, and enough psychedelic fluorescent colors to fill a late-'60s college dorm. (And, yes, spend the extra two bucks to see it in 3-D -- the effects are even more astonishing.)
Cameron also furthers the cause of computer animation, and particularly the use of motion-capture technology. The Na'vi, the 10-foot-tall blue-skinned native inhabitants of Pandora, move as gracefully and muscularly as the human actors -- because actual actors (
Sam Worthington,
Zoe Saldana and
Sigourney Weaver among them) are making the movements, and Cameron's tech crew has transferred them perfectly to the characters. (Credit
Peter Jackson's Weta Workshop, which also worked on "The Lord of the Rings" and "District 9.")
But engaging the eyes isn't the same as engaging the brain, and breaking new ground in technology and visual splendor doesn't mean Cameron can get away with a pedestrian storyline that was lampooned rightly by the "South Park" guys as "Dances With Smurfs."
The story takes paralyzed Marine Cpl. Jake Sully (Worthington, from "Terminator Salvation") to Pandora. Sully's twin brother has recently died, and Jake is a genetic match for his twin's "avatar" -- a lab-made copy of a Na'vi, to be controlled by Jake's brainwaves. (Weaver portrays the lead scientist who explains all this.)
The plan is for Jake to move among the Na'vi and persuade them to relocate away from a valuable ore deposit desired by a mining company's sleazy executive (
Giovanni Ribisi). The military also wants an inside man among the Na'vi, and the gruff Col. Miles Quaritch (
Stephen Lang) promises Jake an operation to cure his paralysis once he's done.
But once on the planet, Jake begins to appreciate the Na'vis' deep connection with Pandora's plants and animals -- and starts to fall for the warrior woman Neytiri (performed by Saldana, last seen as Uhura in "Star Trek"). This forces Jake to declare his loyalties to the Na'vi or to the humans.
The paper-thin storyline, the tacked-on environmental message and the you-pick-'em historical allegories (there's enough here to make comparisons to the War on Terror or the plight of American Indians) are all quickly shunted aside, though, by Cameron's all-out drive to throw the biggest, splashiest, high-tech images up on the screen.
The movie's final battle is the most action-packed sequence you've seen all year -- and further proof that Cameron, for all his excesses, is again the king of his movie world.
-- Sean P. Means
Il Buono, Il Bruto, Il Cattivo
Submitted by: lunanul
2 stars overall because 'Avatar' is a halfling of a movie. Innovative visuals aren't everything - how about some decent dialogue? Character development? Ok, maybe just a slightly fresh turn on the too-familiar story? Nope, sorry - ran out of budget. All we need is mouth-opening, tear-jerking visual wonder. Never mind about the rest. Make the heroes look lovely and the villians puddle-deep. Who cares what the bluies are saying as long as the lips are in synch and there's lots of wispy window-dressing plucked from Miyazaki?
From a standpoint of innovation/creativity:
Visuals: ****
Story: *
Writing: *
Character development: *
+ Sigourney must have rebelled at some point during production; her character at least made a jump from heartless smoke-blowing tart to near-human being in the course of the film. Bravo!
Contrived and indulgent, but visually stunning
Submitted by: tivogirl
I must say I agree almost 100% with Sean on this one. The visuals in the film are simply unmatched and the motion capture is leaps beyond what anyone else has done to this point. Technologically this is certainly an evolutionary step in moviemaking. I would disagree, however, with the imperative to see it in 3D. I have easily triggered motion sickness and even the 2D version of this had me looking away at some points in the first half of the film. If you are sensitive to motion, stick to 2D - it's still amazing to look at.
However, it is too bad the storyline and pacing can't match up. The last hour is fast-paced, exciting and fun. The first hour and a half could easily have been cut to 45 minutes. It is just indulgent and, frankly, gets a little boring.
Overall, it's one of those touchstone films you really should see in the theater. James Cameron has truly evolved filmmaking, but don't expect the story to to be anything but predictable. And take all your bathroom breaks in the first 90 minutes.
AWESOME MOVIE!
Submitted by: sloanbone
This is certainly one of the best movies of all time in my book. I understand people feel it has a week overall story, but I believe this movie is more about character development than a simple rising-falling action type of story.
Great flick - deserves all of the praise it is getting. GOGO 2 Billion!
Stunningly Beautiful Film
Submitted by: jasons
The story and its characters are timeless. And there is much more nuance and emotional satisfaction in this film than some reviewers give it credit for.
And, oh the visual scenery!! It is absolutely breathtaking. Go and see this on the big screen. I loved it in 3D.
Awesome in 3D
Submitted by: sc72
Awesome movie and if you have never seen a 3D movie. Now is your chance!
What a conceit
Submitted by: itsahowl
There are a couple of things wrong with spending more money than the gross national product of most countries on making a single movie, but I won't go into them here. Needless to say the special effects are superb. But that alone will not carry a 3 hour film. Simply put the story is simplistic and is neither good fantasy nor good sci-fi. If you don't mind being hit over the head repeatedly by the Gaia metaphors then I guess you might find something interesting here. But the plot line is predictable long before the 90 minute mark and the action ending caters exclusively to the video gamers in the audience.
And what is up with having a cigarette smoking character in a futuristic sci-fi epic? It was totally out of place, distracting and was either a badly misguided product placement or more of James Cameron's conceit in bucking the current Hollywood push for more positive images.
My advice, rent Moon on DVD when it is released this month. It was the best sci-fi movie of 2009.
Breathtaking!!
Submitted by: Zovox
Don't pay any attention to the Trib review by Sean Means who gave it 3 stars. This guy rated "Where the Wild Things Are" higher -- what?? If you've seen that one, you'll never pay attention to a Trib review from Sean again.
Avatar is one of the best movies I've ever "seen." I'm trying to think of a better one and at the moment I can't think of one.
Avatar Simply Beautiful
Submitted by: stinkymexican
Great show
Liked 2D better than 3D
Submitted by: livewire
I loved this movie. It's been ages since a movie got me this emotional. But, here's the thing about the 3D. I went to an early matinee not realizing the movie timeslot I chose was not in 3D. I was actually pretty devastated, since i was totally looking forward to experiencing this new technology. The saleslady told me that some people actually like it better in 2D, so I got over it soon enough. When the movie started and I saw how amazing it "looked" I again had to get over my disappointment that I was not watching in 3D. I figured I'd eventually see it again. I didn't realize that the opportunity would arise to see the movie again the same day, this time in 3D. Well, guess what? I'm one of those people that liked it better in 2D. The 3D was just not as impressive as I thought it would be. It was great during the still quiet shots, but for all the action and flying around scenes was not that effective. It just hurt your eyes. And the non-CGI subjects were flat as ever. Also, it was brighter in 2D. The 3D glasses have a dark tint and that took away the intensity of the colors. But, the story, I thought was amazing. Sure, it reminded me of Dances with Wolves, but what story hasn't been told before. It's still a new interpretation, and you're going to get something different out of it because you're at a different place in your life than you were when you saw Dances with Wolves.
Spectacular Visuals - But long, boring and trite plot
Submitted by: arandersen
Regardless of the negatives, if you are interested in special effects and computer animation, you have to see this movie just for historical purposes. But for me, the plot and characterizations were abysmally bad. I was bored to death. And the movie is almost three hours long. I don't mind a long movie if its interesting, but this movie is not interesting. The plot is trite and predictable. It truly is just a knock off of Dancing with Wolves. By the end of the second hour, I found myself loitering in the lobby after a bathroom break, not really caring about rushing back to the show. And, what is worse, I found myself not caring whether the hero lived or died. Indifference and boredom and real downers in an otherwise spectacularly cutting edge visual show. If you like visuals, go and enjoy it, but bring a good book in case you get bored. It might help to ingest your favorite chemical first.
Old cautionary tale gets new sci fi spin with Avatar
Submitted by: retrobot
While not the most original science fiction film of the year (that goes out to District 9) it's still one of the best. Twelve years away from the camera hasn't put a dent in Cameron's eye for the big screen spectacle -- he handles the camera and action like an old school director, devoid of nausea inducing shaky cam and providing one of the best 3D movies to date with spectacular settings and effects. While others will complain the movie is "Dances with Smurfs in Space" and devoid of originality, the allegorical story still works within in the context of the film, where Cameron employs the latest technology and introduces new ideas to make it feel fresh. Is it predictable? Yes, don't expect any surprises here, but it's a comforting kind of predictability like the kind that comes from a great Disney film -- and there's nothing wrong with that.
The rundown: James Cameron's fantasy epic, set on a Day-Glo planet inhabited by 10-foot blue people, is a feast for the eyes — especially in 3D. 164 minutes. (SPM)
Synopsis: An ex-Marine finds himself thrust into hostilities on an alien planet filled with exotic life forms. As an Avatar, a human mind in an alien body, he finds himself torn between two worlds, in a desperate fight for his own survival and that of the indigenous people.
BEST MOVIE EVER! [ Report Abuse ]