LinhAvatar in 3D ; sci-fi fantasy action drama film review
December 17th 2009 01:46
Imaginative Immersions by Linh
Fifteen years later and costing almost half a billion dollars to create, director James Cameron's patience in pursuing the very latest motion/animation technology in film has paid off, making his sci-fi epic Avatar a stunning visual wonder to behold. Avatar is a blend of live action, CGI and motion capture technology, which takes the viewer on a visual thrill-ride with battles on land and in air, romance between different races and immersive experiences in a jungle of wild beasts and stunning vegetation.
The story is narrated by the protagonist named Jake Sully, a former Marine who is confined to a wheelchair. After his scientist brother passes away, he is offered a chance to 'walk' again as part of the Avatar programme onboard a military space station that is financed by a corporate mining company and houses a team of scientists and military personnel. An avatar is a remotely-controlled biological body that is linked to and driven by the human consciousness. The avatars are made of combined human DNA and that of the Natives of Pandora, the Na'vi. Jake Sully's mission is to infiltrate the Na'vi on Pandora, a moon orbiting the planet Centauri, and remove the Natives to mine the precious substance 'unobtainium' that could solve the Earth's energy crisis. He meets and falls in love with the female warrior of the Na'vi, Neytiri, after she teaches him the ways of her people. Jake soon becomes one of the Na'vi and his allegiance is tested as he must choose between his military mission and his Nature-loving Na'vi.
Avatar's most alluring visuals are dominated by the captivating flora and fauna in Pandora's jungles; with deceptively harmless and beautiful plants that are self-illuminating or sensitive to touch and will move to avoid danger, and the many prehistoric-looking beasts that are friendly, fierce or dangerous become scene-stealers, even though they are computer generated. Although there are many creatures on Pandora, none have fur or hair except the Na'vi people; even the wolf-like beasts and the horses with the head of an ant-eater are hairless, with smooth, shiny skin that glimmers in the light. Animal lovers and plants enthusiasts will enjoy the spectacular scenes of animals interacting with the Na'vi and the majestic beauty of the floating mountains. James Cameron has imagined a world of many mysteries and wonders which are visualised in superb technological capabilites that may become the benchmark for future filmmaking in this genre.
James Cameron's fictional Na'vi people have a humane soul and are more likeable than some of the humans in the film. The Na'vi are a clan of ten-foot tall, blue-skinned, reptilian-like humanoids and the native inhabitants of Pandora. The Na'vi are spiritual and strong-willed people who have a profound connection with Nature (whom they call Eywa), and they believe all things in life are linked to Nature. Their history, culture and beliefs are connected to Nature and everything flows from it. The viewer becomes deeply involved with the plight of the Na'vi, which are all motion-captured performances driven by actors, but are wonderfully portrayed through voice and movement.
The cast is a mix of new comers, veterans and rising stars who all give convincing performances in the live action scenes (40 percent of the film) and the fantasy scenes, which are predominantly CGI and motion capture but still engaging.
Australian actor Sam Worthington thrilled in Terminator Salvation, and provides a strong portrayal of Jake Sully who finds deeper meaning in flora and fauna than machines; Zoe Saldana is completely motion captured as the beautiful female Na'vi warrior Neytiri. Saldana creates an intriguing character in Neytiri, from being highly suspicious of Jake Sully to trusting him with her life, and she is part of the film's emotive lure; James Cameron's 'reported' mouthpiece of humanitarianism in science is Sigourney Weaver's character Grace Augustine, whom Sigourney Weaver brilliantly portrays as an idealistic perfectionist and she also appears as an avatar; Stephen Lang is fantastic as the thoroughly nasty and ruthless Colonel Miles Quaritch who flexes his military muscle to wage war on the Na'vi; Michelle Rodriguez gives the film some comedy relief as the female Marine pilot Trudy, who gives as good as she gets, and in a role similar to Paul Reiser's character in Aliens, but more animated, Giovanni Ribisi is the pushy and determined space station supervisor Parker Selfridge who forges ahead with his plans regardless of the human and environmental costs.
James Cameron and his visual effects/production team create a clever balance of reality and fantasy, with the live action sequences contrasting in colour, lighting, and human attitudes and behaviour compared to the luscious greenery of Pandora and earthy nature of the Na'vi. However, like the military personnel onboard the space station, the Na'vi have their warriors who fight for survival and defend their home against the onslaught of bullets and firepower from the 'Sky People' - a name the Na'vi give to humans as they are always entering and attacking Pandora from the sky.
There are many allegorical themes and metaphorical messages emerging from Avatar such as ecological/environmental awareness, interracial love, the misuse and abuse of military might, and the dangers of corporate greed; it is essentially about the ways of human nature in attempting to control and destroy Nature. These are recurring themes that appear in all of James Cameron's films including Aliens and Terminator, which some viewers may find as self-indulgent.
Cameron's attempts in allowing the technology to act as a secondary feature to support the actors' performances fails in some aspects, but succeeds in enhancing the visual pleasure of the cinematic experience for audiences. The viewer cannot escape the motion capture technology and other special effects as the action unfolds and the story develops throughout Avatar; humans respond better to human-generated emotions and actions rather than that generated through technology. Despite this, Avatar is a brilliant piece of imaginative cinema artwork in visual and audio effects with a stirring soundtrack that emulates the sounds of nature courtesy of the musical mastery from James Horner. Avatar will definitely be a strong contender for Academy Awards nominations in Best Picture, Best Musical Score, Best Visual Effects, Best Director, Best Cinematography and Best Original Screenplay. It was announced a couple of days ago that Avatar has already earned four Golden Globe nominations including Best Director for James Cameron and two for James Horner in the Best Original Score and Best Original Song categories.
Director: James Cameron
Cast: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Michelle Rodriguez, Giovanni Ribisi, Joel David Moore, CCH Pounder, Dileep Rao, Laz Alonso, Wes Studi
Screenplay: James Cameron
Producers: Colin Wilson, James Cameron , Brooke Breton, Josh McLaglen, Jon Landau, Janace Tashjian, Peter M. Tobyansen
Original Music: James Horner
Cinematography: Mauro Fiore
Running Time: 2 hours 40 minutes
AVATAR ARRIVAL: Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) steps foot on Pandora for the first time in the film Avatar. Image: Twentieth Century Fox.
Fifteen years later and costing almost half a billion dollars to create, director James Cameron's patience in pursuing the very latest motion/animation technology in film has paid off, making his sci-fi epic Avatar a stunning visual wonder to behold. Avatar is a blend of live action, CGI and motion capture technology, which takes the viewer on a visual thrill-ride with battles on land and in air, romance between different races and immersive experiences in a jungle of wild beasts and stunning vegetation.
WARRIOR WAYS: Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) learns the ways of the Na'vi from Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) in the film Avatar. Image: Twentieth Century Fox.
The story is narrated by the protagonist named Jake Sully, a former Marine who is confined to a wheelchair. After his scientist brother passes away, he is offered a chance to 'walk' again as part of the Avatar programme onboard a military space station that is financed by a corporate mining company and houses a team of scientists and military personnel. An avatar is a remotely-controlled biological body that is linked to and driven by the human consciousness. The avatars are made of combined human DNA and that of the Natives of Pandora, the Na'vi. Jake Sully's mission is to infiltrate the Na'vi on Pandora, a moon orbiting the planet Centauri, and remove the Natives to mine the precious substance 'unobtainium' that could solve the Earth's energy crisis. He meets and falls in love with the female warrior of the Na'vi, Neytiri, after she teaches him the ways of her people. Jake soon becomes one of the Na'vi and his allegiance is tested as he must choose between his military mission and his Nature-loving Na'vi.
SACRED SPIRITS: The Eywa makes Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) the chosen one as Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) watches in disbelief in the film Avatar. Image: Twentieth Century Fox.
Avatar's most alluring visuals are dominated by the captivating flora and fauna in Pandora's jungles; with deceptively harmless and beautiful plants that are self-illuminating or sensitive to touch and will move to avoid danger, and the many prehistoric-looking beasts that are friendly, fierce or dangerous become scene-stealers, even though they are computer generated. Although there are many creatures on Pandora, none have fur or hair except the Na'vi people; even the wolf-like beasts and the horses with the head of an ant-eater are hairless, with smooth, shiny skin that glimmers in the light. Animal lovers and plants enthusiasts will enjoy the spectacular scenes of animals interacting with the Na'vi and the majestic beauty of the floating mountains. James Cameron has imagined a world of many mysteries and wonders which are visualised in superb technological capabilites that may become the benchmark for future filmmaking in this genre.
HYBRID HUMANOID: Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) tests his new avatar in the film Avatar. Image: Twentieth Century Fox.
James Cameron's fictional Na'vi people have a humane soul and are more likeable than some of the humans in the film. The Na'vi are a clan of ten-foot tall, blue-skinned, reptilian-like humanoids and the native inhabitants of Pandora. The Na'vi are spiritual and strong-willed people who have a profound connection with Nature (whom they call Eywa), and they believe all things in life are linked to Nature. Their history, culture and beliefs are connected to Nature and everything flows from it. The viewer becomes deeply involved with the plight of the Na'vi, which are all motion-captured performances driven by actors, but are wonderfully portrayed through voice and movement.
NATIVE BEAUTY: Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) fights against human firepower in the film Avatar. Image: Twentieth Century Fox.
The cast is a mix of new comers, veterans and rising stars who all give convincing performances in the live action scenes (40 percent of the film) and the fantasy scenes, which are predominantly CGI and motion capture but still engaging.
Australian actor Sam Worthington thrilled in Terminator Salvation, and provides a strong portrayal of Jake Sully who finds deeper meaning in flora and fauna than machines; Zoe Saldana is completely motion captured as the beautiful female Na'vi warrior Neytiri. Saldana creates an intriguing character in Neytiri, from being highly suspicious of Jake Sully to trusting him with her life, and she is part of the film's emotive lure; James Cameron's 'reported' mouthpiece of humanitarianism in science is Sigourney Weaver's character Grace Augustine, whom Sigourney Weaver brilliantly portrays as an idealistic perfectionist and she also appears as an avatar; Stephen Lang is fantastic as the thoroughly nasty and ruthless Colonel Miles Quaritch who flexes his military muscle to wage war on the Na'vi; Michelle Rodriguez gives the film some comedy relief as the female Marine pilot Trudy, who gives as good as she gets, and in a role similar to Paul Reiser's character in Aliens, but more animated, Giovanni Ribisi is the pushy and determined space station supervisor Parker Selfridge who forges ahead with his plans regardless of the human and environmental costs.
TESTING TIMES: Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) puts his Na'vi training to the test in the film Avatar. Image: Twentieth Century Fox
James Cameron and his visual effects/production team create a clever balance of reality and fantasy, with the live action sequences contrasting in colour, lighting, and human attitudes and behaviour compared to the luscious greenery of Pandora and earthy nature of the Na'vi. However, like the military personnel onboard the space station, the Na'vi have their warriors who fight for survival and defend their home against the onslaught of bullets and firepower from the 'Sky People' - a name the Na'vi give to humans as they are always entering and attacking Pandora from the sky.
There are many allegorical themes and metaphorical messages emerging from Avatar such as ecological/environmental awareness, interracial love, the misuse and abuse of military might, and the dangers of corporate greed; it is essentially about the ways of human nature in attempting to control and destroy Nature. These are recurring themes that appear in all of James Cameron's films including Aliens and Terminator, which some viewers may find as self-indulgent.
DESTRUCTIVE DIFFERENCES: Station Supervisor Parker Selfridge (Giovanni Ribisi) wants forced removal but scientist Grace Augustine (Sigourney Weaver) advocates for humane relocation in the film Avatar. Image: Twentieth Century Fox
Cameron's attempts in allowing the technology to act as a secondary feature to support the actors' performances fails in some aspects, but succeeds in enhancing the visual pleasure of the cinematic experience for audiences. The viewer cannot escape the motion capture technology and other special effects as the action unfolds and the story develops throughout Avatar; humans respond better to human-generated emotions and actions rather than that generated through technology. Despite this, Avatar is a brilliant piece of imaginative cinema artwork in visual and audio effects with a stirring soundtrack that emulates the sounds of nature courtesy of the musical mastery from James Horner. Avatar will definitely be a strong contender for Academy Awards nominations in Best Picture, Best Musical Score, Best Visual Effects, Best Director, Best Cinematography and Best Original Screenplay. It was announced a couple of days ago that Avatar has already earned four Golden Globe nominations including Best Director for James Cameron and two for James Horner in the Best Original Score and Best Original Song categories.
Director: James Cameron
Cast: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Michelle Rodriguez, Giovanni Ribisi, Joel David Moore, CCH Pounder, Dileep Rao, Laz Alonso, Wes Studi
Screenplay: James Cameron
Producers: Colin Wilson, James Cameron , Brooke Breton, Josh McLaglen, Jon Landau, Janace Tashjian, Peter M. Tobyansen
Original Music: James Horner
Cinematography: Mauro Fiore
Running Time: 2 hours 40 minutes
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Comment by Quin Goot
Bagman's Gazette
Cinema Banana
Comment by Linh
Celluloid Fun
Thank you for the comment.
'Avatar' is an excellent film and I hope you enjoy it.
Cheers!