MOVIE REVIEW: AVATAR

The long awaited Avatar is finally here! James Cameron brings us the story of Jake Sully, a paraplegic ex-marine who is sent to gain the trust of the Na'vi, an alien race of the planet Pandora, using an avatar made from the DNA of his twin brother and a Na'vi alien. The military wants the Na'vi's land for a valuable mineral that is scattered throughout their land. If Jake successfully infiltrates their tribe and gets them to move, he is promised to have his legs repaired. Once Jake is accepted by the Na'vi, he becomes torn on what side he wants to take. Will he betray the new friends he has made, or will he stand and fight with them?

Twelve years in the making, James Cameron sets a new bar on CGI and 3D technology. Never have I seen a more beautiful film. As for 3D goes, it was getting to be an old trick, however with Avatar you have a whole new experience. Computer screens come right out at you as if you could reach out and touch them, burning embers look as if they are going to fall right into your lap and the beautiful planet of Pandora comes right out at you.

Cameron has been raising the bar for technology for a while now, the alien from The Abyss and the T-100 from Terminator 2: Judgement Day, were both breakthroughs in their day. Another thing Cameron does is create characters that become instant classics. There is no difference here with Avatar. The performances were outstanding in the film. Colonel Miles Quaritch, played by Stephen Lang, is the best villain I have seen in years. Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Giovanni Ribisi and even Michelle Rodriguez all give great performances in the film.

Where the graphics, technology, and characters are all phenomenal, the story is not. The story shares similarities with several films that you've seen before. Guy infiltrates new group, falls in love, becomes torn, switches sides. You have seen this story before. You pretty much knew how it would all turn out before you even went into the theatre. It wasn't a bad story, it just lacked originality and the element of surprise, something Cameron is normally very good at. When he took Terminator 2 flipped it and made Schwarzenegger the good guy, that was something audiences didn't see coming.

I had a blast in the film, and will probably see it a few times in theaters. I highly recommend this film to anyone, I can't see many people coming out of it not blown away. However, I was disappointed in the story and for that reason only I am going to give it a four out of five.