Righto, let’s see what all the fuss about Avatar is then. I felt I had to go see this thing in 3D, which naturally requires a trip to the movie house. Of late I have come to despise the larger cinemas, because the presence of the incessant talking, crunching, noise making, head-hurtingly selfish ‘Great’ British public, soils the enjoyment of the film with the taste of caustic bile. Thusly a cold Tuesday night at the cinema furthest out of town was deemed to be the best time and place to attend. And it largely worked. There were no real problems to sully the experience; not counting the stupid layout of the cinema which posits each seat directly behind the one in front - instead of the more logical shift to the side so one can see between the gap in the seats - in case one is unfortunately seated behind a basketball player or a child with a ‘virtual planetoid’ perched on top of their neck.Much hoo-ha has been made by Mr James Cameron about his groundbreaking 3D technology, but off the bat I should mention that as a child, on a family holiday to Walt Disney World MGM studios I did happen to see an excellent Muppet feature which employed PRECISELY the same 3D technology as evidenced in Avatar. Empire magazine mentioned Cameron’s Terminator 3D ride as being the genesis for Avatar’s groundbreaking effects, but that in itself was clearly just carrying on the work from Muppets 3D. Hell, even Michael Jackson got in on this 3D lark decades ago with Captain Eo, so it’s not like this is brand new or anything. (Incidentally I’m sure I saw on the news (ok, ok Newsround) that they were resurrecting Captain Eo in light of Michael Jackson’s demise? Which is interesting considering no one would touch him (pun intended) when they thought he was a sex pest.)
Anyway, onward to this Avatar review. I would say most of what has been already said and written about it is accurate. The plot is thin and predictable. It could have been bashed out in five minutes on the back of a napkin. Crippled marine Jake Sully travels in his brothers stead, to the densely forested planet of Pandora to participate in the Avatar programme, and help to secure mining rights for the ravaged Earth he has left behind. He soon finds himself indentifying more with the natives than his own ‘Sky People’, as they attempt to take Pandora by force.
There were some great, interesting aspects of the mythology. I loved how the Na’vi bonded with the creatures and the forest itself through these sort of strands connected to their bodies. They could feel and understand the animals and forest. It was a nice idea and very well conveyed. The idea and execution of the Avatars themselves was nice too. The intriguing idea of being able to inhabit another body, played out very well against the opposing backdrops of a military stronghold and a tribal village in the jungle.
There were times when, at first, it seemed derivative – for example huge human mech walkers which initially brought to mind the Matrix – until it dawns upon you that Cameron pretty much invented that for the movies with the ‘loaders’ in ALIENS, and the Matrix was ripping off HIM! The Aliens theme continued in the form of Giovanni Ribisi’s character, who was basically Carter Burke from Aliens. He was even called Parker which made the glaring similarities to Paul Reiser’s character shine through like a white dwarf.
Further on the downside, the central plot concerned some wildly naff ‘noble savage’ / earth worshipping stuff that would make even the most new age of hippies blush into his tie dye and shrink into his Birkenstocks.
But for all the things that didn’t work, there was some truly seamless CGI scenery and exciting action, that you just can’t discount in terms of the thrill and vision of it all. The Na’vi bonding and riding with the Banshees produced some genuinely vertigo-inducing flight sequences. Swooping through the canopy and above the mountains at a dizzying speed. Whilst in the tiny details the movie relishes the imaginatively conjured botany and ecosystem of Pandora.
Initially I did not really know what to make of Avatar. There’s much to love, and likewise much that left me cold. But there’s no denying it was an entertaining watch. Nowhere near Camerons best work, but it’s impossible not enjoy the sheer spectacle of it.
