MOVIE REVIEWS
James Cameron’s Avatar Review
Have you ever wanted to see a movie that will transport you to a world beyond your own imagination? Well, Avatar is the movie to see. This film is directed and written by James Cameron, who won 3 Oscars for Titanic and brought you Terminator 2. He raised the bar not only for movies but also 3D movies with a new wave of special effects. These new special effects enhance the cinematic experience by providing beautiful Photo-realistic CGI which blurs the line between fantasy and reality.
Jake Sully, a former marine who was crippled in the line of duty and confined to a wheel chair, still possesses a strong spirit that will not quit. Unknown to him, luck would give him a new chance traveling light years away, to a human outpost on the planet Pandora. A corporation there is running an excavation for a rare mineral that could aid the Earth in solving its energy crisis as well as making the higher up richer. Military soldiers are stationed at the outpost and scientists to work on what is known as the Avatar Program. The Avatar program takes human DNA and combines it with the DNA of the natives of the planet called Na’vi and thus creating an Avatar, a remote body which human “drivers” can link to with their consciousness. The “drivers” are able to survive the planet’s foreign toxic air that human’s can not survive in. Upon receiving his Avatar, Jake is given a mission to infiltrate the Na’vi Tribe and learn their ways in order to make negotiations with them easier, or in worse case find their weakness. When Jake encounters the beautiful Na’vi, Neytiri, his world begins to change; once the sacred trees seed show Neytiri he is one with a great spirit he is then taken in by her tribe. The Na’vi put him through many tests of courage and spirit and soon enough he learns to respect the way of the Na’vi. Later, he is confronted with a problem that would involve both sides and ultimately decide the fate of the world.
This movie uses the latest in motion capture technology, which makes creating the film’s action sequences much more precise. Unlike the previous motion capture technologies, the actor would perform first then have the 3D background added in later. Cameron’s cameras allowed him to view the actors in the 3D environment of the film. This made directing the scenes much easier and more effective because he could change things if necessary. The creation of Pandora was entirely made from scratch. Cameron’s team enlisted the help of many top artists from around the world. These artists created the vehicles, the tropical setting of the planet, the creatures and the characters. Another thing that his team did was travel to a mining rig in the Gulf of Mexico to gather data for the creation of Hell’s Gate, the human base on Pandora. During their visit they photographed and filmed every little detail on the rig so that the CGI would be much more realistic.
The movie features a great cast of actors such as Sigourney Weaver and Sam Worthington. Sam does an excellent job of portraying Jake Sully, as the character are very believable (the type of guy you’d like to go out and have a few drinks with). Sigourney Weaver delivers an excellent performance as Dr. Grace Augustine, a botanist who helped develop the Avatar Program. Some other actors included: Michelle Rodriguez, Giovanni Ribisi, Joel David Moore and Zoe Saldana, as the voice of Neytiri. Each actor delivers a solid performance bringing the characters to life and immersing the audience into the movie.
Overall, the movie is excellent. The world of Pandora is brought to life using advanced Photo Realistic CGI, immersing the audience into a world of pure fantasy. James Cameron is praised for using the latest technology to take the audience on a very beautiful trip to a land of pure fantasy. The characters are brought to life by very talented actors, each delivering a very solid performance. The action sequences are very beautiful and intense; slowing it down a bit every now and then to emphasize on the complete effects of the scenery, background and alien creatures. This experience is only enhanced by watching the movie in IMAX 3D, as every detail is highlighted and detailed beautifully just dropping your jaw and making you feel like you are in it at certain moments.
One thing I would like to add, to experience this movie fully is to see it in IMAX. This movie sucks you in and takes your breath away. It is a definitely-must-see and is worth every penny.
*** Written by David Lopez
