Avatar

Welcome blog readers....to my first review...I hope you like it :)

I have always said that I never understood people who see films multiple times and that it's something I would never do….so with that in mind, here is my review of Avatar, a film that I have seen 4 times.

I had no idea what to expect from this film when I went to see it the first time. I had gone for the 3D to start with having been hooked by the bug of the third dimension years ago at an IMAX cinema. The trailers I had seen for the film had been vague as to the plot which is usually a good sign….not like some comedies that show you every single funny bit before you get to see the movie itself. I picked up my 3D glasses and prepared to be amazed! As usual I put them on too early and spent the time before the feature thinking…hmm this 3D isn’t all that impressive. Then suddenly I was nearly hit in the face by a flying “5” that shot out of the screen... then a 4... 3… 2 and 1.

All aboard for Pandora:

Like I said, I didn’t know much about the story and I actually liked that—it was like being told a story as a child where the direction of the tale and what happened next were a total mystery. I think we never lose the love of a good story throughout our lives.

The film starts on a transport ship taking a crew to a planet far away. One of those places where you have to stick people into freezers for the whole trip. The planet is Pandora and it is home to the Na’vi, but more importantly it is home to large deposits of the bizarrely named Unobtanium. The scene is set for a conflict of interests here as the humans—the military and corporations—want to simply move the Na’vi away from their homes and the Na’vi don’t want to move. However we have a massive advantage of firepower so after bribery fails there is threatening and then forced removal of the natives. All this sounds eerily familiar to the way big powers sometimes work here on Earth and I think you cannot help but recognise that underlying subtext to the film. You identify with the Na’vi and the humans who want to save Pandora, you are appalled at the military and the big corporation…well, unless you are the CEO of a big corporation, in which case you are probably fueling up the bomber to take out the sacred Home Tree as we speak.

I loved the environmental message within the film. It is the norm in a lot of science fiction films that we humans go and sort out some disaster on another world…we fly in like saviours and solve the universes woes….GO HUMANS! We Rock! Only we don’t, we have potential but we also have a planet that we are squandering and depleting of its natural resources for profit and exploiting other creatures and ignoring there fight for survival. Not a great CV for the galactic job of hero.

Avatar painted a picture far more closely recognisable as humanity. Some people were trying to protect the world but big business didn’t care so long as they made a profit. It felt very much like Pandora was the Earth and I was watching a documentary on the discovery channel about the Amazon rain forest instead of a film. That is not a criticism—it made me think and made me want to do something to prevent us from reaching such a crisis point here on the 3rd rock from the sun.

The animation and the effects are out of this world….it really is a spectacular visual experience and you can tell that no expense has been spared to create Pandora and all her wildlife. I am not sure if the 3D adds a huge amount to the film…I only saw it once with the glasses on and yet I enjoyed it just as much the other times.

I don’t think I have any criticisms of Avatar, although I am disappointed that it is being re-released with 8 minutes of unseen footage at the cinemas….this is just blatant profiteering and to my mind spoils the films memory a bit. I hope that after Lord of the Rings tried the same tricks with multiple editions that people won’t be so easily fooled and rush back to the big screens….although I think they probably will.

All in all I would recommend this film for anyone….go see it…..go see it now!

Grace Rating:

9/10