Review: Avatar
Apparently James Cameron was not content just being "King of the World" with Titanic -- now he's tackling other planets, with lovers even more star-crossed than Jack and Rose in one of the most anxiously awaited epic science fiction film of the decade, Avatar.
The story takes place on Pandora, a lush planet light years from Earth where a multinational corporation has established a mining colony. Harvesting of the rich deposits of the fittingly named unobtanium on the planet is made difficult by the toxic air and seemingly primitive and hostile inhabitants, the Na'vi. In an attempt to make nice with the natives, the conglomerate uses "avatars", remotely controlled biological bodies created by mixing the "driver" human DNA with that of the native genome. The avatars can then act as proxies within the local inhabitants to infiltrate and then negotiate their exodus from a prime mining location. The guns for hire military forces prefer wielding a heavy stick, with oversized armored robots and firepower, than finding a peaceful solution. In a world where everything is connected -- think biodiversity -- mining under the Na'vi Hometree and the "Sky People" brute force has cataclysmic effects.
Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), is a crippled former Marine who takes his late twin brother's place in the avatar program. Without any scientific background or technical training, Jake is thrust into the experience of linking his consciousness to his twin's avatar. In his excitement at regaining the use of his legs and the ability to safely breathe the air, Jake enthusiastically explores all of Pandora's many wonders.
During an overzealous and dangerous attempt to get to know the local wildlife, Jake unexpectedly must fend for himself until he is assisted by one of the females of the Na'vi, Neytiri (Zoe Saldana). She reluctantly takes him as her pupil to teach him how to speak her language and honor the traditions of nature, as he becomes part of her clan. Although much attention in Avatar is placed on Jake and Neytiri's romance, the true central theme is that of the conflict between the military-industrial forces and Jake's choice between meeting his commanding officer's orders or defending his adopted Na'vi culture. As Jake states: "Everything is backwards now, like out there is the true world and in here is the dream".
What is unique and revolutionary about Avatar is the total reliance on photo-realistic computer-generated characters through the use of motion capture animation technology. Cameron wrote the original script treatment in 1994, but production was delayed until 2006 due to the non-existence of technology advanced enough to accomplish his vision. He co-developed the Fusion Camera System as a way to shoot features in stereoscopic 3-D, and used his digital high-def camera in his documentaries Aliens of the Deep and Ghosts of the Abyss. Unlike previous performance capture systems, where the digital environment is added after the actors' motions have been captured, Cameron's virtual camera allowed him to observe directly on a monitor in real time how the actor's virtual counterpart interacted with the movie's digital world. He could then adjust and direct the scenes in the same manner as if shooting live action footage. Every detail of the actors' performances is preserved in the final CG character as they appear on the screen. Avatar was originally scheduled to be released in May 2009 but was pushed back to December 2009 to allow more time for the complex CGI post-production as well as to give more time for theatres worldwide to install 3D projectors.
The results of this new technology are amazing and visually stunning. If you've been reluctant to experience the latest 3-D technologies -- many viewers I've spoken to complain of headaches they've suffered due to old stereoscopic projection -- then you are in for a welcome surprise. The realism of the visual elements are almost overwhelming, and I was in awe of the zero gravity movements within the interstellar transport to the dewdrops on a jungle leaf. Within 15 minutes I told myself that I would be seeing this film again, just so that I could see what I'd missed. The movements of Jake as his avatar, along with the Na'vi people's running through the trees and flying through the air are breath-taking as if the viewer is part of the scene. Don't rely on the online trailers even in high definition as they can't convey the magnificence of Avatar in a theater projected in 3-D.
Most films that rely heavily on CGI technology often suffer in the narrative. Avatar's story is fairly substantial, but better character development could have been accomplished especially with a running time of 162 minutes. What Avatar does contain is an impressive number of strong female characters in this film. Besides the strong-willed and intelligent lead character Neytiri, supporting female characters include Dr. Grace Augustine (Sigourney Weaver), an Earth scientist who seems most comfortable in the skin of her avatar as she interacts with the children of the tribe; Trudy Chacon (Michelle Rodriguez), a retired Marine pilot with a conscience who serves as the science team's support in flight; and the Na'vi Queen Moat, played by one of my personal favorites, Guyanese-American actress C.C.H. Pounder (Bagdad Cafe, Prizzi's Honor). Parker Selfridge (Giovanni Ribisi) is the stereotypical conglomerate representative, willing to sacrifice the life of a "blue monkey" for a rock that sells for $20 million per kilo. Stephen Lang convincingly plays the zealous Colonel Miles Quaritch, who gives the impression he could have just as easily been a character from Apocalypse Now.
Avatar encompasses so many genres -- action, romance, fantasy, sci-fi -- in such a way that its appeal will reach many audiences. In the world that Cameron has created, the planet Pandora and its Na'vi inhabitants will likely take a place amongst the worlds and cultures created onscreen by Lucas and Jackson. Along with the adventure and action, hopefully viewers will appreciate what Cameron had stated at ComicCon 2009 that he'd wanted to accomplish with Avatar:
"...to do something that has a conscience, that maybe in the enjoying of it makes you think a little bit about the way you interact with nature and your fellow man."