Avatar: My review of the movie.

Four out of five

A few years ago we were treated to an epic extravaganza that had redefined cinema with the use of CGI. The expressions of a man were seen on the screen on the face of a very different creature. The movie was Lord of the Rings: “The Two Towers” and the creature Gollum’s expressions were that of the talented Andy Serkis. James Cameron was impressed by the advancement of CGI and decided to make Avatar.

James Cameron’s Avatar is a treat to the senses. The movie deftly manages to hold the viewer to the screen by its representation of a fantastical realm. Sam Worthington doesn’t disappoint in his portrayal of the disabled, frustrated war soldier who is forced to mix into the race of Na’vi. Flirting with the two worlds, Sam efficiently manages to portray a man’s dilemma of betraying his own race in favour of what is right. Sigourney Weaver of “Aliens” fame shows her acting prowess as the determined scientist Grace, who also has the trust of the other race. The actress Zoe Saldana is remarkable as the Na’vi princess Nyetiri. The movie flows like a breeze, with the real and the virtual intermingled so well that one wonders that the director actually visited another planet.

The action scenes are shot marvellously well and are the typical Cameron that we have seen in Terminator. Movie goers and critics were initially sceptical about the movie because of its giant budget ($237 million). But James Cameron has once again proved himself as he did in Titanic. He made a movie that has reset all standards of filmmaking and has a soul in it that reaches out to the viewers and connects with them.

The movie has its flaws too that explain why I have given it four stars, not five. Firstly, the plot is clichéd. It has been tried by numerous fantasy writers and any avid fantasy reader would know it. The sequence of controlling the beast by connecting to its mind is, regretfully, very old book. Anne Mcaffrey did it in Dragonriders of Pern and more recently Christopher Paolini in his Inheritence series. It shows that Hollywood, too, has a dearth of ideas and is a slave to previously written material. Bits and pieces of other fantasy are thrown in too.

Secondly, the movie doesn’t start on a promising note. The starting monologue of Sam Worthington seems like a melodramatic droning. It’s not until he transfers into his Avatar that the movie gets into second gear.

But Avatar is excellent cinema, despite its flaws. Don’t watch it solely for the effects. Watch it because it has a life and a spirit of its own. Kudos, James.