AVATAR REVIEW

*MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

Since its release in 2009, Avatar has received mixed reviews despite earning over $2bn at the box office. In my opinion, I think that Avatar is one of the most creative films due to its stunning visuals.

The narrative takes place in the distant future (2154, to be exact). The main character is Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) a paraplegic who, after his brother's death, takes his place in a mission on the distant world of Pandora. There he learns of greedy corporate figurehead Parker Selfridge's (Giovanni Ribisi) intentions of driving off the native humanoid "Na'vi" in order to mine for the precious material scattered throughout their rich woodland. In exchange for the spinal surgery that will fix his legs, Jake gathers intel for the cooperating military unit spearheaded by gung-ho Colonel Quaritch (Stephen Lang), while simultaneously attempting to infiltrate the Na'vi people with the use of an "avatar" identity. While Jake begins to bond with the native tribe and quickly falls in love with the beautiful alien Neytiri (Zoe Saldana), the restless Colonel moves forward with his ruthless extermination tactics, forcing the soldier to take a stand - and fight back in an epic battle for the fate of Pandora.

When I first watched this film, I was only 12 years old. I didn't think much of it back then but after rewatching it, I now understand why it was so popular at the box office. The world of Pandora is stunning to look at, it's weird to think that it's not a real planet and is just the work of computer generated imagery. 

Director James Cameron first began working on the drafts of this film in the mid 1990s. Cameron is best known for incredible movie masterpieces such as Aliens, The Terminator and Titanic. This film just shows how creative he can be as both a director and writer. It's because of this film and the aforementioned films why he will always be known as an iconic director.

The performances in this film are brilliant, especially from Sigourney Weaver who reunites with Cameron after the two worked together in Aliens. Weaver plays Grace Augustine who is a scientist stationed on Pandora and she is in charge of a program that places human 'pilots' in control of Avatars. In my opinion, Grace is just as brave and fierce as Ripley but I would say that Ripley has a softer side. This is because when Grace is first introduced to Sully, she's not happy and asks what happened to his brother as he was a professional and doesn't think Sully is suitable for the mission. To be honest, I remember my first opinion of her was that she came across as a bit bitchy when we first meet her but now I really like that. Too many films have showed females as 'damsel-in-distress' type characters but, fortunately, Hollywood is finally recognising that women can be action heroines too. This goes out to Zoe Saldana too. She plays Neytiri, a member of the Na'vi who teaches Jake how to be a part of her tribe. She is fierce like Grace but has a kind heart and eventually the pair bond.

The main protagonist is Sully who is portrayed by Worthington. Despite his condition, he doesn't show signs of weakness. However, we know how much he would love to be able to walk again because when he wakes up in his Avatar body, we see how happy he is to have feelings in his legs and, in his excitement, escapes the lab. This is what makes him a likable protagonist. 

With every action/adventure film, there's an antagonist that creates tension. Lang's Colonel Quaritch is menacing and intimidating due to his strength and his determination not to go down in defeat. When we first meet him, we instantly know he's a villain because of the way he acts. 

The majority of the film is Neytiri teaching Sully but, fortunately, they're enjoyable to watch because of their chemistry. The final battle sequence is about an hour long but it's full of excitement. It moves at a fast pace which makes it exhilarating.

Like I mentioned earlier, the visuals are truly stunning. The special effects haven't been this good since The Lord Of The Rings. It's no surprise that it won an Academy Award for its visuals, beating District 9 and Star Trek. Most films use 3D as a way of earning more money but in Avatar, the 3D makes us feel part of Pandora. 

Cameron has announced that he will makes several Avatar films and, in most cases, when I hear a sequel is being made, I feel apprehensive but knowing Cameron, they'll probably be just as impressive as the first one.

8/10