Where does the line between reality and fantasy occur? The blend of computer graphics and live action in James Cameron’s alien adventure “Avatar” is so engrained in every scene that it’s impossible for the viewer to comprehend the amount of time and energy spent creating this world on the screen.
The film centers around the colonization of an alien planet by humans and the natural conflict that occurs between them and the natives. The movie draws on themes from the western expansion in the United States and the conflict between settlers and Native Americans. In fact, it’s pretty much exactly that — except the natives have blue skin and ride crazy looking creatures, and the settlers have really big space guns.
In the center of it all is Jake Sulley, played by Sam Worthington (from “Terminator Salvation”), a paraplegic who transfers his mind into the manufactured body of an alien. All of it is to negotiate with the natives and move them from their home. But Sulley didn’t count on becoming one with the natives — or falling in love.
Yes, it’s very clichéd, but so is much of the story. Most characters, while well acted, are cardboard cutouts, filling the role of the greedy corporate head honcho, the hateful military general, the nature-loving native, etc. There’s no one unique among the cast of characters, and the story is incredibly predictable, with important plot points highlighted earlier as if to say, “Remember this, it’s going to be important later.” There are no real surprises in this movie.
It also contains several messages that are easy to spot: Respect nature; the natives were wronged. It’s not that it’s wrong to include these messages, it’s just that they are so blatant that it is distracting from the story arc sometimes, even though that storyline is rather old and overused.
But back to the highlight of “Avatar”: the visual effects. What is there to say except that the film looks amazing every second and is such an immersive experience that it’s easy to forget that it’s almost all special effects.
Even though it is a world filled with blue aliens and glowing plants, “Avatar” immerses the viewer in its vision. The battles are kinetic, and the colors and creatures practically jump off the screen because so much effort has been put into how the movie looks. Although there isn’t anything really groundbreaking here, the movie is just really good looking special effects woven together with real people.
It’s great to look at, of course, but that’s really the whole point of the movie. Director James Cameron has done great work in the past with such films as Alien, Aliens and Terminator, and this is another memorable entry into his canon of films, but it is by far not his best; just his best-looking.
