On...Avatar

Film Review: AVATAR
Written and Directed by James Cameron

This review is based on the IMAX 3D version of the film.

I'll spare you the plot details of the film besides saying its rather thin. My wife summed up the film in four words, "Don't destroy the planet." And Cameron hammers this message in five different ways again and again. That being said I did enjoy Avatar. In many ways I was visually blown away. About 45 minutes in I couldn't help thinking that this will change movies in ways not seen since the first "talkie" 82 years ago. The 3D elements are breathtaking in their clarity and depth. The world Cameron creates is truly amazing. It is rich and vibrant and layered. And I'm talking about the non-CGI parts as well. With all of Cameron's love of nature I have always found his technology more profound. (Aliens, The Abyss, T2) I love his Marines and his array of weapons. And yes they have raw firepower. I just wished I could have rooted for them in this film.

I must admit that I'm a big James Cameron fan. Aliens was my all time favorite non-Star Wars film of my teens. It is still a kickass film and holds up amazingly well. Once a year I whip out the director's cut. I wish Avatar was more like Aliens. Action without all the preaching. But as a Cameron fan (I have seen all his movies, Piranha II excepted, at least 5 times each) I kept seeing classic Cameron stock characters reappear in Avatar. Cameron loves the tough, yet sensitive common man hero who plays by his own rules (Michael Biehn in Terminator and Aliens, Ed Harris in The Abyss, Leo in Titanic) and Avatar's Sam Worthington is the younger epitome of this character/hero. Though I found the formula a bit frayed here. Cameron also loves the tough-as-nails exterior bitch with the interior heart of gold as in Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio's Lindsey in The Abyss and Sigourney Weaver's Grace here in Avatar. Paul Reiser's bureaucrat scumbag Burke in Aliens is duplicated by Giovanni Ribisi in Avatar. Michael Biehn's psycho marine in The Abyss reappears in slightly less neurotic form in Avatar in the form of Stephen Lang's head of security. Even the forklift suits from Aliens get a CGI facelift in Avatar. You see where I'm going with this. The story and characters seem simplistic and a rehash of his earlier work. This slows down the film and denies it true greatness.

On the other hand, Cameron knows spectacle and big time showbiz cinema. He also knows how to wield technology like nobody's business. AND deliver the goods. Avatar is worth seeing, or should I say worth experiencing. Especially on IMAX 3D. I just with it was tighter in the story and editing. 2hrs 40min is excessive and I have no problem with long films. I wanted to yell out "just get to it for goodness sakes!" And that's the other problem. Avatar's plot is more than a roadmap. It's a clear as day interstate with lights and plenty of signs. You can see everything coming from a mile away. Nothing is that surprising. Avatar is not subtle. It hits you over the head with a child's repetitiveness for better or worse.

I won't go into the "preaching" of the film, but I did one review that sums it up rather nicely. They said Avatar was a cross between Dances with Wolves and Ferngully. And it is. And because of that I doubt it will reach blockbuster status. As much as I was blown away by the visuals, I don't think I have much desire to see it again. And TV will just castrate it. We'll see if teenage boys love it as much as teenage girls loved Titanic. I personally won't make that bet.

REVIEW: Visuals 10+, Story and pacing 5,
AVERAGE 7.5 out of 10.

Rotten Tomatoes Review and Average