The first ever joint review! (As requested by Pete Hewitt): Avatar

So here is part two of our first ever joint review. If you didn't get a chance, check out Joey's post from yesterday. Happy Earth Day, hope you enjoy our review!


When I first saw the trailer for Avatar, I was intrigued if nothing else. It reminded me of the first time that I saw a trailer for Mel Gibson’s Apocalypto (and they were actually more similar than I then realized). Although it fascinated me on some levels, it was not enough to make my “must-see list.” I had already seen a 3D movie (Toy Story 1&2 Double Feature was amazing and I can’t wait for 3 to come out in June), and I assumed that some of the novelty of the new style would wear off with my second three-dimensional experience. So, even though I very much enjoy and prefer to see movies on their opening weekend, I did not see Avatar its first, second, or even third weekend in theaters.

Soon after the hype surrounded me. Facebook status updates ranged from “this changed my life” to “I’m seeing Avatar for the 4th time (in three weeks) tomorrow.” My friends’ recommendations varied anywhere from “awesome” to “you’ll hate it.” I decided that I owed it to myself as a fan of film and amateur movie critic (soon to be professional) to check it out. I had seen Jurassic Park and imagined that James Cameron would again attempt to create an environment that evoked a sense of wonder, and I had been warned that some thought the film had a somewhat liberal agenda, but other than that I did not know what to expect. And I like it that way, free to form my own opinions.

Avatar is truly a testament to human creativity and imagination. The way that Cameron created not only a new setting, but a new culture and very world, was in many ways like the Star Wars and Lord of the Rings franchises (some of my all-time favorites). The spectacle and cinematography are phenomenal. The viewer is immersed into another time and place. The attention to details and creative ingenuity are so convincing that I found myself forgetting that what I was watching was largely computer generated and not live-action. Everything from the creatures that roamed the jungles to the very scientific laws that govern life were constructed anew. And it was fascinating.

That being said, in many ways I am throwback. I believe that at the essence of film and movie making is the art of storytelling. It is at the very core of what movies should be about. Unfortunately, this story has been told ten times over. Without the basic premise of Avatars, the Pocahontas story is not a whole lot different. The writer was determined to make humans look like inconsiderate pigs and the knocks on capitalism were overt and unhindered. One of the best examples of that is the unreasonably over-the-top character of Colonel Miles Quaritch (see scene where he punches Sully after opening the simulator). The mineral they are trying to ‘obtain’ is called ‘unobtainium’ for crying out loud. Furthermore, there were clearly measures taken to insure that the indigenous people resembled Native Americans, explaining both why parts originally reminded me of Apocalypto and why some are placing it in the genre of sci-fi western.

While I have stated my grievances with the plot, all-in-all, it is a good movie. Avatar is engaging in a way that few movies are, but still leaves something to be desired. If the hype generates the sequels and possibly trilogy that rumors speculate about, I will definitely go to see them (and this time I won’t wait until week four). Hopefully with another shot, they will get the fundamental story aspect right.

4 stars out of 5


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Thanks and check back soon for a review of a Humprhey Bogart Classic.

-Nuss