It’s the year 2154 on Pandora, a moon of an unidentified planet far out in space. Jake Sully, an ex-marine paraplegic, has just arrived on Pandora after a six-year period of cryogenic sleep -- the time it takes to travel there from the home planet. Petroleum has been exhausted on Earth, so scientists and military types have established themselves on Pandora in order to mine unobtanium, a new fuel source. The thing is, though, the moon is inhabited by a humanoid-appearing race called the Na’vi. They have blue skin, are about ten feet tall, and are not taking kindly to the earthlings’ attempts to take over their world. To resolve this conflict, scientists have bioengineered avatars by mixing human and Na’vi DNA. These avatars are linked with and controlled by “drivers,” of whom Jake is one. Jake’s job is to direct his avatar to infiltrate a local Na’vi group.
I don’t know about you, but I’ve long struggled with the word avatar, it being one of those words whose meanings I can never quite remember. So, for the umpteenth time, I looked it up and found that an avatar is: 1) the descent to Earth of a Hindu deity, like Vishnu, in human or animal form; and 2) a representation or embodiment of a quality or concept. If this second definition sounds familiar, it is: virtually the same idea was used about six months ago in the film Surrogates. The principal difference is that Avatar is set somewhere in a galaxy far away, while Surrogates takes place on Earth.
Here’s what happens: Jake’s bioengineered avatar goes on an exploratory infiltration mission in the jungle. He soon finds himself in dire trouble and is saved by Neytiri, a beautiful Na’vi female. Their personalities clash at first, but before long they fall in love and become “united for all time.” Jake’s sympathies shift from pro-Earth to pro-Na’vi. Soon a few other earthlings join with Jake and his new people, setting up the conflict that forms the picture’s tension. In due time a series of classic battles occurs between the basically bad earthlings and the good Na’vi. It’s likely that the conflict is meant to mirror the imperialistic taking of Native American land and resources by European-extracted settlers in the U. S. and other countries in the New World.
Avatar was directed by James Cameron, helmsman of Titanic and the first two Terminator films, among many others. Cameron began working on Avatar in 1994, and it is said to be the most expensive movie ever made. At this writing, his Titanic is the highest-grossing film ever, but Avatar could eclipse it. The picture stars relatively unknown actors Sam Worthington as Jake and Zoe Saldana as Neytiri, both of whom do creditable acting jobs, as does Sigourney Weaver in her role as the chief scientist. The rest of the characters are so one-dimensional that they seem to have stepped right out of the pages of a comic book.
On the positive side: Avatar is beautiful to look at – one of the most gorgeous movies I’ve ever seen, with amazing special effects. Also, the picture builds up a good amount of dramatic tension: we come to sympathize with the Na’vi. The environmental message of good planetary stewardship is admirable up to a point.
On the negative side: The picture seems underlyingly humanistic and New-Agey, not to say politically correct to the extreme. There’s a good deal of violence and plenty of objectionable language. Worst of all, it subtly leaves the impression that the creation, rather than the Creator, is what should be worshiped.
Bottom line: Probably worth seeing for its beauty and special effects (especially if you watch it in 3-D) – if you can stomach the language, violence, and stereotyped plot. I won’t be surprised if it wins the Oscar for Best Picture, but I’d suggest another look at Surrogates – the superior film in my view.
Film Rating: PG-13
My Rating: 2 ¾ stars.
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