At one point in Avatar the military unit on Pandora throws gas canisters into the home of the Na’vi. A shot shows one of these gas canisters hitting the ground and rebounding; sitting in the theatre with my 3D glasses on I flinched. 3D is cool.
Approximately fifteen years after originally conceived, Avatar is finally in theatres and it is, amazing. The story centres on Jake Sully and his experiences on a planet called Pandora that humans have recently discovered. On Pandora there are all kinds of new life including the Na’vi, a race similar to humans except overall just better. Due to really really cool technology Jake controls an avatar (a body that looks just like a Na’vi) and can see, hear and feel through his avatar all from the comfort of the lab. Soon he (as in his avatar) is living with the real Na’vi, learning their ways, falling in love and eventually protecting them against the greedy, capitalistic humans. This story is complicated but James Cameron has almost three hours for it to develop and the plot never feels rushed.
The story alone is interesting enough to make this movie worthwhile but it is the visuals that set this movie apart. A whole new world has been created with this movie. Pandora looks like Discovery Channel’s Holy Grail; every minute detail is incredible, from the Na’vi to the plants in the background of some unimportant scene. The hours logged to make this movie must be astronomical. Even the technology of the humans is cool and least remotely realistic. Giant planes and helicopters, impressive ironman-robot-type-deals, hell the breathing masks are cool.
And then there’s the 3D. Avatar is considered the first 3D movie directed at adults; translation being: this movie will make or break the future of 3D. Luckily it’s made it. Besides the whole “look-something’s popping out of the screen” gimmick 3D is amazing because it makes everything look ultra-high-definition. Scenes are given layers and the audience is brought that much closer into the film. This movie has shown that even romantic comedies could have 3D in the future; maybe James Cameron is king of the world.
What this movie needs now is a prequel. How did humans discover/locate/get-to/land-on/settle/learn-the-language/set-up-a-school/create-avatars/discover-that-expensive-mineral/develop-the-technology/etc./etc./etc.? And what about on earth, are there avatars there, are wars being fought with casualties that aren’t real? What do people think of Pandora, how are the international politics playing out? If it takes six years to get to Pandora but you don’t age during that time, that’s got to create some weird things; a mother could end up six years older than her child. Avatar ignores a lot of questions that could fit into a whole other movie.
Avatar is the future of film, there is no doubt in my mind that more and more action movies will begin to be made in 3D, with other genres soon to follow. James Cameron has created an epic movie, that movie-goers will swarm to and that will inspire the film industry and its future direction. And it only took fifteen years and three hundred million dollars.
