Avatar is a ground-breaking cinematic delight from James Cameron, the man who brought us Aliens, Titanic, Terminator, and The Abyss. Despite spending much of his time since Titanic pootling around the bottom of the ocean in a yellow submarine, he has spent the last four and a half years developing some pretty incredible motion capture technology and used it to bring an alien world to life in Avatar. The story begins with one marine, Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), who arrives on the planet Pandora after five years in cryo-stasis. His brother, a brilliant scientist, had been intended for the journey, but after his sudden death, Jake is taken on as a last-minute replacement. His role here is to remotely control an alien body in order to interact with the native 'Na'vi', 9 foot tall, blue, and with tails, who have a unique symbiotic relationship with the natural world of Pandora and, quite rightly, have some strong objections to us human types digging it up for minerals. Jake undertakes his mission with vigour - having lost the use of his legs he enjoys his avatar body's super-human abilities. At first he is happy to spy on the Na'vi and report back to evil soldier boss Colonel Miles Quaritch (stephen Lang), but as he becomes more involved with the Na'vi and Neytiri (Zoe Saldana), his guide, he realises that perhaps it's not the aliens who are the bad guys...
I first heard about this film about a year ago and was very excited to see it. Cameron's new technology was already being picked up by a select band of other respected directors (Peter Jackson for TinTin, Guillermo del Toro for The Hobbit) so I knew he had to be onto something special. Empire was pant-wettingly excited about it, and the reports from preview screenings seemed generally positive. However, I was circumspect; there are few films these days that truly provide something new. But, I am delighted to report, Avatar definitely does! Using motion-capture, 3D, and spectacular CGI, James Cameron has really introduced us to a new and completely immersive viewing experience. The 2hr45m viewing time may put some cinema-goers off, but the extra time is needed as we are introduced to an alien planet that is rich and full of life and a completely new way of interaction. There is a lot to learn and see, and a shorter film would not be able to do justice to it. The whole planet is beautiful and you feel like you are on a very privileged journey as you travel with Jake and Neytiri through forests full of unusual fauna and flora, up mountains that float suspended above the ground, and to trees which act as archives for the collective memories of long-gone Na'vi. James Cameron has spent a long time creating this beautiful world and when the film finishes you feel sad that you have to leave it.
The message of the film is one that is necessary and very effectively communicated. There are hints at what state the Earth is in in 2154. We never see it but the final voice-over mentions a 'dying world' and the fact that humans have travelled so far to mine the minerals of Pandora suggests that the natural resources of our own world have finally run out. Avatar has a Green message, but it is one that isn't shoved down your throat. Pandora is an idealistic world where the Na'vi are fulfilled by living in natural balance with their planet; our relationship with the Earth is much more troubled, but this film made me feel fresh shame for the way humanity is slowly choking our natural habitat.
There are so many brilliant and spectacular moments in this film that I can't begin to list them, I can only recommend that you see the film in 3D while it's still on the big-screen, as it definitely won't translate well to DVD. It's not perfect; although the lengthy set-up is necessary the film does take a while to get going (though I guarantee you'll be totally hooked by the one hour mark); also the 3D isn't fully bedded in at the start, but again it does hit the spot about half way through. However, this is obviously a transitional film - Cameron is using techniques and technology developed pretty much for this film. I can't wait to see what sort of films come out in the next few years as the mo-cap and 3D is finessed. In the meantime this is the freshest thing to hit the big screen in quite a while. Go see it and prepare to have your mind well and truly blown!
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