AVATAR (USA 2009) ***** Top 10
Directed by James Cameron

For a $240 million picture, AVATAR will make or break 20th Century Fox.  At least AVATAR, the film writer/director James Cameron (TITANIC, TERMINATOR 2) chose to make after 12 years of hibernation is a masterwork, full of awesome special effects and cinematic clarity with a storyline containing an important environmental message.

First word of the film out has it that the film has great visuals but an adolescent story.  But one can argue that a film can be a great work even though it may contain a great narrative based on some Pulitzer winning novel or no story at all.  AVATAR is sci-fi action adventure in digital 3-D at its best.  The resolution on screen is phenomenal and coupled with 3D, AVATAR is arguably the best experience one can have at the cinema this Christmas. 

The so-called adolescent plot concerns an ex-marine Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) paralyzed waist down recruited in the Avatar program masterminded by scientist Grace (Sigourney Weaver).  When the film opens, Jake is transported to Pandora, a forest covered extraterrestrial moon inhabited by Na’vi, a humanoid race.  The purpose of the interest in Pandora is the harvesting of a valuable mineral.  Since humans are unable to breathe the air on Pandora, they have created genetically-bred human-Na’vi hybrids known as Avatars. On Pandora, through his Avatar body, Jake will be able to walk again.  But Jake questions his human morals once he falls for a Na’vi female (Zoe Sladana).

Complain though one may of the simplistic story, one has to hand it to Cameron for his imaginative creatures on Pandora.  Besides the dire horse, with six legs and fibre armoured shoulders, the rhinoceros inspired thanator and the viperwolf, the mountains banshee, a pterodactyl-like creature is the most fascinating as it involves a required rite of passage for all Na’vi warriors.  Jake’s bonding with his banshee takes quite a fair amount of screen time, but the film soars high once the two take flight – courtesy of digital 3D.  The design of the AVATAR and Na’vi creatures, 10 feet in height with perfect bodies is clever enough to combine the human elements of flexibility, strength and ultimately sexuality.

AVATAR has the grand scale of the LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy.  Though author Cameron is no Tolkien, his staging of spectacle more than makes up for it.  Best of all, Cameron has the entire audience rooting against the human race.  And AVATAR contains what the Tolkien trilogy lacked – a believable powerful romantic element.  It is remarkable that the cast do a great acting job – considering that most would be filmed acting to a blank wall.

Avatar will be released in 2D and 3D formats, along with an IMAX 3D release in selected theatres. The film is being touted as a breakthrough in terms of filmmaking technology, for its development of 3D viewing and stereoscopic filmmaking with cameras that were specially designed for the film’s production.  See it in at least the 3D format or not at all!