Avatar
20th Century Fox

http://www.avatarmovie.com/index.html

By: Alex Young

There isn’t much to be said about James Cameron’s epic $300 million blockbuster “Avatar” that hasn’t already been said. If you look at the facts, since the film release it’s been nominated for nine academy awards, won “Best Picture” and “Best Director” at the Golden Globes, and grossed a pretty penny at the box office. All of this would be pretty impressive for an average director, but this is a James Cameron project so these types of prestigious accolades are to be expected.

“Avatar” is Cameron’s return to form after spending nearly a decade away from film audiences after the release of his blockbuster magnum opus “Titanic”. Cameron is no stranger to science fiction considering he directed the first two “Terminator” movies, “Aliens”, and was the brains behind the mind-bending special effects of “The Abyss”.

On the surface “Avatar” is about the crippled US Marine Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), who is assigned to a classified US military project to fill in for his brother who has been killed. Sully finds out that the US government wants him to operate a genetic being disguised as an alien that’s programmed to respond to his neurological system. Sully’s mission is to operate his avatar and infiltrate an indigenous alien race known as the Na’vi that live on the moon Pandora, rich with natural resources. Sully is instructed to learn their language, become a member of their tribe, and negotiate a deal for the Na’vi to abandon their homeland so the US government can harvest their resources for a hefty profit on earth. Once Jake meets a Na’vi woman named Neytiri, he is brought into the tribe and begins to learn their rituals and way of life. Soon he becomes enchanted by how they live on Pandora. When it comes time to negotiate the tribes surrender to the US military, Sully is torn between the world he comes from and the world he does not want to abandon.



With an all star cast including Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana and Stephen Lang, “Avatar” sets the bar for modern science fiction. Regardless of whether or not the story line captures your attention, there is no denying the experience the 3D special effects have on audiences. Cameron brings you into another world with “Avatar”, and it should be no surprise why so many studios are beginning to produce 3D features in 2010 with more to come in the future.