I am sure you have heard enough reviews and viewpoints already about one of the most anticipated movies of this year. Some say it will suck, some say it will be boring and predictable but everyone agrees on the part that it will be stuff we haven’t seen before. And that, is the right part!
Let me feed the cynic in you a bit. The story is nothing new, it is in fact predictably simple. There are no stars except the under utilized michelle rodriguez and Giovanni Ribisi. There is nothing that can make you feel deep within or even move you to tears or laugh till your stomach hurts. There is no drama.. There is even some bad lines mouthed by the actors and some excess use of phosphorescence.. but ladies and gentlemen the film works…
From the moment I put on my 3D glasses and sat down in the cushy PVR Citywalk Audi 4, I did not move an inch from my seat. The perfect audience that had whistled and clapped when the 20th century fox logo turned on screen in 3D, fell silent and remained so till the lights came on for the 1.5 hr break. Jaws hurt as they hung open for most part of the first half, as presented before me was a world in full color, Pandora!.. The characters came alive from a world unknown and even through a weak storyline, they held their place by the pure visual mastery that James Cameroon has displayed again as he tells their story, scene by scene, set in a world which is nothing short of magical. There are creatures from another era, with colors never used before in such extensive canvas. There are the blue Na’vi, so real in their expressions you dont doubt for a moment that they are not real, breathing characters..and there are human beings, who are incarnations of evil except a handful with humanity still intact in them..they move emote and fight in front of your eyes and you gasp escape their arrows flying at you and forget to blink for long stretches!
The second half however makes one feel for the falling, as the human race does what they do best, which is conquer kill and exploit, and mercilessly displace the Na’vi from their home. We get the message that is not too subtly delivered, we are all interconnected! Yes, it draws heavily from the Gaia theory of existence. As the evil humans fail to understand the value of the knowledge and go after kilos of the physical wealth, it pulls a heart-string somewhere, for a brief moment. And then, it is war. We have clearly taken sides by now and we want our blue men and women to have their land back, we want them to preserve the real wealth that is the heart of their planet. It worked for me right here, where it made me feel for a race alien to me, against my own.
The film ends predictably, almost cheesy in the convenience with which it gets thing right. But hey, when you are on a roller coaster ride you don’t complain about those seat belts do you?
So as I left the hall with my friends and the hall came alive with tentative claps, I realized that the occasionally slow Avatar at the end of it a pure visual spectacle, of a scale that will be tough to match for a while. And it is a visual spectacle that should not be missed.. must watch, and must watch in 3D, IMAX if you can.. The story as I said before, is just a thread to hold the marvel together..
Avatar is a technicolor (dunno it if is technicolor or not) visual delight & the FXs are just outstanding. I suspect the reason why people remained quiet in their seats is the novelty of the experience of watching a visually lush 3-D film that was well-executed. James Cameron apparently had a plant expert, who helped in with the film and that might explain some of the most beautiful plants and flowers that you see in the movie.
The storyline like you pointed out was weak.
I wonder when Avatar games will be out…bet you they will be a huge hit.
Kamla Bhatt
Awesomatic….am gonna enjoy this visual spectacle tonyt..hurraay