Avatar
Alright, it's time to see if James Cameron can deliver on all this hype for what could be one of the best looking films of the year. Let's take a look and find out how it turned out.
On a distant planet's moon known as Pandora, Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) is hired to do what his brother couldn't because he was killed. He agrees to take part in the Avatar program. This program allows him to take control of a scientifically created body that resembles the looks of the humanoid creatures on this moon known as Na'vi. He's helped by the head scientist Grace (Sigourney Weaver) and is told to report anything to Colonel Miles (Stephan Lang) when he goes out. One day, he is separated from Grace and his other friend Norm (Joel David Moore) and meets one of the Na'vi, Neytiri (Zoe Saldana). She happens to be related to the leaders of the nearby clan and manages to convince them to let him stay with them. So now Jake must learn everything he can about the Na'vi.
I'm sure the main thing everyone is wondering about is if the visuals hold up to what people expect. My answer would be that, for the most part, they do. The landscape and creatures of this world look so realistic and beautiful. Cameron created a world that I'd love to visit...for a bit before the animals tried to murder me for stepping on a sacred bush. The actors playing the Na'vi also turn in wonderful performances, with the best part of their acting going to an incredibly emotion-filled scene at the climax of the movie. That scene would have been terrible if the actors just turned in bland performances and sounded like they didn't care for this job. Thankfully, it can pretty much bring anyone to tears.
Unfortunately, that's all I've got to say that's good about the movie. Right off the bat, Worthington shows that he really could care less for this movie. The only moments where he puts a decent bit of emotion into it is when he's in his Avatar, but that could also be the facial features making his acting look better. His voice just always sounds so monotone and uncaring, which would be alright if we're dealing with a character that went to Hell and back, but I don't think losing your brother is like that. I can't really blame him completely, though, since the script isn't very well written. The overall plot is basically Pocahontas if she was a blue cat alien thing. So if you know that story, you know this. Worthington is also given some really bad lines and pretty much acts like an idiot through most of the movie. One could say that it's because he's new to the planet and thus doesn't understand the Na'vi's love for the land and all the animals that inhabit it. However, he's constantly reminded about this fact until he's taught the Na'vi way of life. Also, remember when I said the visuals were great for the most part? Well where the visuals fall apart is when any human character is on screen with any CGI. It becomes painfully obvious that none of this is actually there and takes away any belief that this world is real.
So would I recommend Avatar? Not really. It's a beautiful movie, no doubt, but it would have been much better if it was fully CG and had some better writers.
On a distant planet's moon known as Pandora, Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) is hired to do what his brother couldn't because he was killed. He agrees to take part in the Avatar program. This program allows him to take control of a scientifically created body that resembles the looks of the humanoid creatures on this moon known as Na'vi. He's helped by the head scientist Grace (Sigourney Weaver) and is told to report anything to Colonel Miles (Stephan Lang) when he goes out. One day, he is separated from Grace and his other friend Norm (Joel David Moore) and meets one of the Na'vi, Neytiri (Zoe Saldana). She happens to be related to the leaders of the nearby clan and manages to convince them to let him stay with them. So now Jake must learn everything he can about the Na'vi.
I'm sure the main thing everyone is wondering about is if the visuals hold up to what people expect. My answer would be that, for the most part, they do. The landscape and creatures of this world look so realistic and beautiful. Cameron created a world that I'd love to visit...for a bit before the animals tried to murder me for stepping on a sacred bush. The actors playing the Na'vi also turn in wonderful performances, with the best part of their acting going to an incredibly emotion-filled scene at the climax of the movie. That scene would have been terrible if the actors just turned in bland performances and sounded like they didn't care for this job. Thankfully, it can pretty much bring anyone to tears.
Unfortunately, that's all I've got to say that's good about the movie. Right off the bat, Worthington shows that he really could care less for this movie. The only moments where he puts a decent bit of emotion into it is when he's in his Avatar, but that could also be the facial features making his acting look better. His voice just always sounds so monotone and uncaring, which would be alright if we're dealing with a character that went to Hell and back, but I don't think losing your brother is like that. I can't really blame him completely, though, since the script isn't very well written. The overall plot is basically Pocahontas if she was a blue cat alien thing. So if you know that story, you know this. Worthington is also given some really bad lines and pretty much acts like an idiot through most of the movie. One could say that it's because he's new to the planet and thus doesn't understand the Na'vi's love for the land and all the animals that inhabit it. However, he's constantly reminded about this fact until he's taught the Na'vi way of life. Also, remember when I said the visuals were great for the most part? Well where the visuals fall apart is when any human character is on screen with any CGI. It becomes painfully obvious that none of this is actually there and takes away any belief that this world is real.
So would I recommend Avatar? Not really. It's a beautiful movie, no doubt, but it would have been much better if it was fully CG and had some better writers.