Review: Avatar

I think that one of my favorite things about watching movies is the discussion that comes along afterward. It’s always really interesting to me to see how two people sitting next to each other in the same theater can have such disparate experiences with the same film. I like to try and use those discussions to get a read on each of my friends, what do they like in movies? What don’t they like? Then, I can use this information to try and recommend movies that they haven’t heard of, or would never have watched on their own. There are few feelings as satisfying as being able to discover an underrated gem, or some small indie movie, and to have someone fall in love with that film based on your recommendation.

In that vein, I think there was one movie in 2009 that seems to have flown under everyone’s radar, and that was a film called “Avatar”. You probably haven’t heard of it, because it didn’t get a very wide release, but Avatar was actually written by the same individual that was responsible for Titanic and The Terminator (two films that are still widely loved at most art-house film festivals). Avatar, similar to the director’s previous fare, is a very understated work. Most of the film’s three-hour running time is spent largely on character development, and you really have to be paying attention to pick up on the subtleties that Cameron uses to advance the plot. Spoiler Alert: I didn’t pick it up my first time through, but on repeat viewings, I’m starting to get the feeling that this film is actually trying to make a statement about the way our culture has mishandled the Earth and our natural environment. Personally, I think that’s a rather brave stance to take. You don’t often see people, especially in Hollywood, that have the courage to draw a line in the sand and declare themselves as firmly against global warming.

Alright, well, that was fun, but it’s probably time to turn my sarcasm filter off and actually talk about the movie, right? Avatar, for those of you that have just recently returned from a 3 year mission to the International Space Station, is James Cameron’s latest big-budget blockbuster. A film many years in the making, Avatar weaves a tale of mankind far into the future. Once we have drained all the resources from our own planet, we go out looking for another planet we can mine for resources. It’s not a very original plot, as you can probably name five movies, video games, and comic books that have aliens coming to Earth for that exact reason. However, it does give the film a slightly fresh twist in that we the humans are the bad guys this time around.

Honestly, I wouldn’t worry too much about the story. It’s serviceable enough to carry you through the film, but it lacks any type of subtlety that would really allow you to identify with it. The foreshadowing comes down like a hammer, meaning that if any of the plot twists in this movie take you by surprise, you probably were just in the bathroom during the scene that set the twist up. Speaking of heavy-handed, yeah, the environmental message in this movie acts like a bully at your community swimming pool. It seems to derive copious amounts of joy from holding your head under the water with all its might, only letting you up for brief gaps of air to ensure that you don’t actually end up with brain damage.

That said, if you were going to see Avatar for the story, perhaps you really do have brain damage. The reason that we all went to see Avatar was for the big budget effects, the new technology, and to check out this film that was pegged as “the next great advancement for cinema.” Personally, I caught the film in IMAX 3-D, and I’d be lying if I said that it didn’t blow me away. Between the 3-D, the level of sophistication in the digital effects, the whole thing had a very epic quality to it. I’ve often heard stories where people relate their experience of seeing Star Wars on the big screen back in 1977, and how they just knew it was going to change everything. I don’t know if I’d go that far with Avatar, since it’s going to be a while before those type of effects are common-place in a major film. However, I wouldn’t be surprised if 20 years down the road, I was telling my kids a story about how I was one of the lucky ones that saw Avatar in theaters.

So, even if we’re only here for the action, we still need something to hold the film together. Since it certainly wasn’t the script, that role fell down to the actors. In general, I was pretty impressed all around, which feels odd to say for a movie that can go upwards of 30 minutes without ever showing an actual human being on screen. Thankfully, Cameron was smart enough to use copious amounts of motion and facial capture, to allow his actors’ performances to shine through their digital…….um…….avatars, I guess. I was pretty worried going into this movie about how I would react to a film that was 95% CGI. The good news is that the Navi (the tall, blue, indigenous population of the planet we humans are out to rape and pillage) are much more Gollum than Jar-Jar.  The highlight for me was Sam Worthingon. I’ve only seen him in two or three things now, but so far, I like what I see. He seems to be entrenched pretty firmly in the big-budget, CGI-laden, summer blockbusters at this point, but I think they work perfectly for him.  In Avatar, he really served to anchor the film, and he was one of the few characters that you could actually identify with. The real drawbacks for me were the “villains”, these evil corporate executives and military contractors. They were such one-note characters, and were so ridiculously over-the-top and evil that I found them to just be overkill.

From the perspective of direction, I was actually pretty impressed. When action scenes started to heat up, Cameron kept them coming fast and furious. The camera zipped around the screen, and the fact that the movie was mostly digital effects, meant that Cameron could put the camera anywhere he wanted to, and that created some really cool shots. Thankfully, no matter how intense a battle got, or how many things were happening on screen, you could always follow what was happening. Cameron is a master of framing his shots and for directing your attention to whatever it is he wants you to see. You always have a read on who is winning each particular battle, and where each of the main characters are in the battlefield. Michael Bay, are you taking notes?

So, in conclusion, should you see Avatar? Well, you probably already did. This thing is the highest grossing film of all time (and I’m so far behind with actually typing up this review that the film is already on DVD). Avatar was exactly what we expected it to be. It was a cinematic achievement, it raised the bar for technology and special effects in films, and it was one of the heralds of 3-D technology in movies. If you don’t believe me, check out the movies playing in your local theater right now, chances are, half of them will be available in 3-D. Personally, I’m not too big of a fan. The 3-D in Avatar was amazing, but I’m just not sure that other films will benefit as much. Going to the movies is already expensive enough, when you tack on the additional $5 or so that it typically costs to catch the movie in 3-D, you better make damn sure that you really want to see this movie in theaters. This is especially true for those of you with a little patience, because if you’re willing to hold out for four months, you’ll be able to own the DVD for the same price.

(And speaking of DVD, what is up with the standard release they trotted out a few months back? Do they really think people are stupid enough to buy that? Come on. You know that they’re going to churn out some epic 8-disc Blu-ray collectors set once Christmas comes around. To be honest, I’m tempted to pick it up. I have a feeling that all of the behind the scenes stuff would be really interesting, and would probably give you a greater appreciation for all of the advances in technology and cinematic innovations that Cameron shepherded in in order to be able to make this film. Also, who doesn’t like a good blooper reel?)

If you didn’t catch Avatar in theaters, that really is too bad. I can’t imagine that it would affect you the same way when you’re sitting at home on your own 32” television. But then again, maybe that says everything about the kind of movie Avatar is. When you have to sit down and view it on its own merits as a story, the whole thing falls apart to some degree. It really was the IMAX screen, the HD effects, and the pioneering use of 3-D that will cause people to remember this film. If you missed it the first time around, you should probably either keep your fingers crossed that it gets an IMAX release some time in the future, or you’ll just have to wait 30 years until technology gives your ability to re-create the same experience in your own home (Be sure to tell your grandkids I said “Hi”).

Despite all its flaws, Avatar was innovative, unique, and was the first big-budget film I’ve seen in a LONG time that wasn’t a remake, or based on a novel, comic, video game, etc. For that fact alone, I’m willing to share three beers with Avatar if we were to meet up at a bar. However, we should probably make sure we recycle the cans/bottles, for some reason I get the feeling like I should start taking better care of the Earth.