20th Century Fox | 2009 | 166 mins. | Rated PG-13
Easily one of the most hyped movies of the decade, James Cameron waited more than a decade for technology to catch up to his vision of what Avatar was supposed to be. The film was to be a benchmark of innovation and special effects; the movie that would change the way films were made. While there’s little doubt that Avatar is one of the most visually stunning films ever made, and computer graphics will never be the same, characters that are often flat, stilted dialogue, and somewhat banal story keep it from being a true classic. However, to dismiss Avatar as nothing more than a visual masterpiece would be a mistake, because doing so negates how spectacular the film looks, and dismisses how much fun the whole thing is.
The year is 2154, and after depleting Earth of its natural resources, the human race discovers Pandora, a moon four light years away in the Alpha Centauri—a star system that’s rich in Unobtainium. This exotic mineral holds the key to solving Earth’s energy crisis, so the Resources Development Administration (RDA) creates the Hell’s Gate human colony on Pandora, enlists the protection of the private security force known as Secops, and begins mining the planet. But in their quest for Unobtainium, the humans upset the giant Pandora natives, the Na’vi, who share a deep spiritual connection with their planet; a connection they feel is being threatened by the “Sky People.”
In an attempt to establish friendly relationships with the indigenous Na’vi, the RDA creates the Avatar Program, run by Dr. Grace Augustine (Sigourney Weaver). The program enables humans to enter the Na’vi culture via genetically engineered avatar Na’vi bodies that share a consciousness with their human operators. Because these avatars are hybrids composed of both human and Na’vi DNA, each avatar is telepathically linked to one particular human. When one of the scientists is unexpectedly killed before completing the avatar project, the only possible replacement is his twin brother, Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), a former Marine who now is confined to a wheelchair. Given his background as a marine, Jake is quickly recruited by the head of security, Colonel Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang) to relay information to him and his squad so they can exploit the tribe’s weaknesses if a war breaks out. Once Quaritch assures Jake he can get Jake his legs back in exchange for information, the ex-marine is on board.
Soon though, Jake’s avatar is separated from the group during a routine science expedition. He quickly learns that that all his machismo and military training won’t save him from the various creatures in the Pandora forest. Lucky for him, he’s rescued by a beautiful Na’vi female named Neytiri (Zoë Saldana) after receiving a signal a sign from the sacred “Tree of Voices.” She than takes him to her father, he leader of the Omaticaya Clan.
Here, we come to what I saw as a big hole in the story. Despite what seemed like a reasonable distrust of the Sky People, Neytiri is instructed to teach Jake the way of the Na’vi people, which includes insights into the sanctity of all Pandoran wildlife, lessons on all sorts of Na’vi rituals and history, and information about the tribe’s most sacred sites. It just seemed really odd to me that the Na’vi people would let go of such a deeply held mistrust so quickly; I guess he just seemed like a nice fellow. Things get more complicated when Jake and Neytiri fall in love.
The truth is, much of the story in Avatar is predictable from the start. However, it is told with such stunning visual and other effects, that it often seems more complicated than it is. Storyline issues aside, Avatar definitely makes you think, and that’s a good thing. I’m sure many essays will be written as to whether it’s a classic or not. Whatever you’re opinion, one thing’s for sure; Avatar is one of the most visually stunning films ever made.
On DVD, the 1.78:1 anamorphic transfer perfectly fills my 16×9 television and while it doesn’t rival the Blu-ray release in terms of clarity, Avatar looks extremely good on DVD and is one of the finer looking titles you will ever see on the format. Colors are incredibly and lush and the big assault on the Home Tree exhibits wonderful blues, oranges and greens. Avatar is likely the best release I’ve ever seen on DVD. There was certainly a difference in a side-by-side comparison with the Blu-ray, but for those that don’t have access to Blu-ray; this DVD still offers a wonderful experience.
The Dolby Digital 5.1 format is the best way to listen to Avatar, though the Dolby Digital 2.0 surround format included for legacy systems still sounds quite good. As was the case with the video presentation, the soundtrack for this title is definite reference material for the format. Sound comes from every direction and this is noticeable not only during the big attack sequences, but also on the tarmac at the RDA airbase and during the scenes at the Home Tree where hundreds of Na´vi are present. Each of the six speakers are pushed and showcase sounds from across the full spectrum. James Horner´s impressive score is treated wonderfully by the mix as well. Bass through the .1 LFE channel is strong and the main speakers are very strong in bass response as well. Dialogue from either the English tongue or the Na´vi tongue is clear.
There are no special features. Look for an “Ultimate Edition” in November 2010
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