My Movie Review: 2012

THEATRICAL POSTER

Avatar is 2009 American epic science fiction film written and directed by James Cameron, and starring Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Stephen Lang, Michelle Rodriguez, Joel David Moore, Giovanni Ribisi and Sigourney Weaver. The film is set in the mid-22nd century, when humans are mining a precious mineral called unobtanium on Pandora, a lush habitable moon of a gas giant in the Alpha Centauri star system. The expansion of the mining colony threatens the continued existence of a local tribe of Na'vi- a humanoid species indigenous to Pandora. The film's tile refers to a genetically engineered Na'vi body with the mind of a remotely located human, and is used to interact with the natives of Pandora.

Development of Avatar began in 1994, when Cameron wrote an 80-page treatment for the film. Filming was supposed to take place after the completion of Cameron's 1997 film Titanic, for a planned release in 1999, but according to Cameron, the necessary technology was not yet available to achieve his vision of the film. Work on the language of the film's extraterrestrial beings began in summer 2005, and Cameron began developing the screenplay and fictional universe in early 2006. Avatar was officially budgeted at $237 million. Other estimates put the cost between $280 million and $310 million for production and at $150 million for promotion. The film made extensive use of cutting edge motion capture filming techniques, and was released for traditional viewing, 3-D viewing(using the Real 3d, Dolby 3D, XpanD 3d and IMAX 3d formats), and for "4-D" experiences in select South Korea threatens. The stereoscopic filmmaking was touted as a breakthrough in cinematic technology.

Avatar premiered in London on December 10, 2009 and was internationally released on December 16 and in the United States and Canada on December 18, to positive critical reviews and commercial success. The film broke several box office records during its release and became the highest-grossing film of all time in North America and worldwide, surpassing Titanic, which had held the records for the previous twelve years. It also became the first film to gross more the $2 billion. Avatar was nominated for nine academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director, and won three, for Best Cinematography, Best Visual Effects and Best Art Direction. The film's home release went on to break opening sales records and became the top-selling Blu-ray of all time. Following the film's success, Cameron signed with 20th Century Fox to produce two sequels, making Avatar the first of a planned trilogy.

James Cameron, the director

Plot/Synopsis

In 2148, humans have severely depleted Earth's natural resources. In 2154, the Resources Development Authority(RDA) mines for a valuable mineral-unobtanium-on Pandora, a densely forested habitable moon of the gas giant Polyphemus in the Alpha Centauri star system. Pandora, whose atmosphere is poisonous to humans, is inhabited by the Na'vi, 10-foot tall, blue-skinned, sapient humanoids who live in harmony with nature and worship a mother goddess called Eywa.

To explore Pandora's biosphere, scientists use Na'vi human hybrids called "avatars", operated by genetically matched humans; Jake Sully, a paraplegic former marine, replaces his deceased twin brother as an operator of one. Dr. Grace Augustine, head of the Avatar Program, considers Sully an inadequate replacement and assigns him as a bodyguard. While protecting the avatars of Grace and scientist Norm Spellman as they collect biological data, Jake's avatar is attacked by a thanator and flees into the forest, where he is rescued by Neytiri, a female Na'vi. Upon sight of an auspicious portent, she takes him to her clan, whereupon Neytiri's mother Mo'at, the clan's spiritual leader, orders her daughter to initiate Jake into their society.

Colonel Miles Quartrich, head of RDA's private security force, promises Jake that the company will restore his legs if he gathers intelligence about the Na'vi and the clan's gathering place, a giant arboreal called Hometree, on grounds taht it stands above the richest deposit of unobtanium in the area. When Grace learns of this, she transfers herself, Jake, and Norm to an outpost. Over three months, Jake grows to sympathize with the natives. After Jake is initiated into the tribe, he and Neytiri choose each other as mates, and soon afterward, Jake reveals his change of allegiance when he attempts to disable a bulldozer that threatens to destroy a sacred Na'vi site. When Quartrich shows a video recording of Jake's attack on the bulldozer to Administrator Parker Selfridge, another in which Jake admits that the Na'vi will never abandon Hometree, Selfridge orders Hometree destroyed.

Despite Grace's argument that destroying Hometree could damage the biological neural network native to Pandora, Selfridge gives Jake and Grace one final chance to convince the Na'vi to evacuate before commencing the attack. While trying to warn the na'vi, jake confesses to being a spy and the Na'vi take him and Grace captive. seeing this, Quartrich's forces destroy Hometree, killing Neytiri's father(the clan chief) and many others. Mo'at frees Jake and Grace, but they are detached from their avatars and imprisoned by Quartrich's forces. Pilot Trudy Chacon, disgusted by Quartrich's brutality, carries them to Grace's outpost, but during the escape, Quartrich shoots at them which hits Grace.

To regain the Na'vis trust, Jake connects his mind to that of Toruk, a dragon-like predator feared and honoured in Na'vi history. Thus connected, Jake finds the refugees at the sacred Tree of Souls and pleads with Mo'at to heal Grace. The clan attempts to transfer Grace form her human body into her avatar with the aid of the Tree of Souls, but she succumbs to her injuries before the process can complete.

Supported by the new chief Tsu'tey, who acts as Jake's translator, Jake speaks to unite the clan and tells them to gather other clans for battle against the RDA. Having noticed this convention, Quartrich organizes a pre-emptive strike against the Tree of Souls, believing that its destruction will demoralize the natives. On the eve of battle, Jake prays to Eywa, via a neural connection to the Tree of Souls, to intercede on behalf of the Na'vi.

During the subsequent battle, the Na'vi suffer heavy casualties, including Tsu'tey and Trudy; but are rescued when Pandora wildlife unexpectedly join the attack and overwhelm the humans, which Neytiri interprets as Eywa's answer to Jake's prayer. Jake destroys a makeshift bomber before it can reach the Tree of Souls; whereupon Quartrich dons an AMP suit and breaches the avatar link unit containing Jake's human body, exposing Jake to Pandora's poisonous atmosphere. Quartrich the prepares to slit the throat of Jake's avatar, but Neytiri kills Quartrich and saves jake from suffocation.

With the exceptions of Jake, Norm, Max and several other scientists, all humans are expelled from Pandora and sent back home to Earth whereafter Jake is transferred entirely into his avatar with the aid of the Tree of Souls.

Cast

Humans

Sam Worthington as Jake Sully- a disabled former Marine who becomes part of the Avatar Program after his twin brother is killed. His military background helps the Na'vi warriors relate to him. He serves as the protagonist of the film. Cameron cast the Australian actor after a worldwide search for promising young actors, preferring relative unknowns to keep the budget down. Worthington, who was living in his car at the time, auditioned twice early in development, and he has signed on for possible sequels. Cameron felt that because Worthington had not done a major film, he would give the character "a quality that is really real." Cameron said he "has that quality of being a guy you'd want to have beer with, and he ultimately becomes a leader who transforms the world.

Stephen Lang as Colonel Miles Quartrich-the head of the mining operation's security detail. Fiercely loyal to his military code, he has a profound disregarded for Pandora's inhabitants that is evident in both his actions and his language. He serves as the main antagonist of the film. Lang had unsuccessfully auditioned for a role in Cameron's Aliens(1986), but the director remembered Lang and sought him for Avatar. Michael Biehn, who was in Aliens, read the script and watched some of the 3-D footage with Cameron, but was ultimately not cast in the role.

Sigourney Weaver as Dr. Grace Augustine- an exobiologist and head of the Avatar Program. She mentors Sully and is an advocate of peaceful relations with the Na'vi, having set up a school to teach them English.

Michelle Rodriguez as Trudy Chacon- a combat pilot assigned to support the Avatar Program who is sympathetic to the Na'vi. Cameron had wanted to work with Rodriguez since seeing her in Girlfright.

Giovanni Ribisi as Parker Selfridge- the corporate adminitrator for the RDA mining corporation. While he is at first willing to destroy the Na'vi civilization to preserve the company's bottom line, he is reluctant to authorize the attacks on the Na'vi, doing so only after Quartrich presuades him that it is necessary, and the attacks will be humane. When the attacks are broadcast to the base, Selfridge displays discomfort at the violence.

Joel David Moore as Dr. Norm Spellman- a xenoanthropologist who studies plant and animal life as part of the Avatar Program. He arrives on the Pandora at the same time as Sully and operates an avatar. Although he is expected to lead the diplomatic contact with the Na'vi, it turns out that Jake has the personality better suited to win the natives' respect.

Dileep Rao as Dr. Max Patel- a scientist who works in the Avatar Program and comes to support Jake's rebellion against the RDA.

Na'vi

Zoe Saldana as Neytiri- the daughter of the leader of the Omaticaya(the Na'vi clan central to the story.) She is attracted to Jake because of his bravery, though frustrated with him for what she sees as his naiveté and stupidity. She serves as the both the film's Na'vi protagonist and Jake's love interest. The character, like all the Na'vi, was created using performance capture, and its visual aspect is entirely computer generated. Saldana has also signed on for potential sequels.

C.C.H. Pounder as Mo'at- the Omaticaya's spiritual leader, Neytiri's mother, and consort to clan leader Eytukan.

Wes Studi as Eytukan- the Omaticaya's clan leader, Neytiri's father, and Mo'at's mate.

Laz Alonso as Tsu'tey- the finest warrior of the Omaticaya. He is heir to the chieftainship of the tribe. At the beginning of the film's story, he is betrothed to Neytiri.

MY REVIEW

Strength

Avatar is a science fiction movie directed by James Cameron, which is highly didactic about how will the future survive without natural resources in the Earth. I have learned a lot of how the humanity strives to save their home, imagine, they ceded six years of their lives travelling across space to Pandora through Hyper-sleep for a faster travel, and what brings them to Pandora is mining to dug up large deposits of precious minerals called Unobtanium costing $20 Million per kilo which they believe are superconductors of energy enough to sustain Earth's energy needs for the 22nd century, Unobtanium was the reason why the Hallelujah Mountains floated due to the rock's strong magnetic fields causing to levitate land masses. I also learned that every living things, even trees between creatures on Pandora communicates through wave reactions collecting large numbers of Pandoran creatures defending their home from humans which the Na'vi people assumed that it was a rescue of Eywa, their mother goddess. Despite of the wreaked havoc, some humans still on the Na'vi's side, in order to preserve their harmony and peace in nature. Behind the scenes, I was amazed how it was filmed using motion-capture technology, it is very informative for techie people. Avatar is also a dramatic movie, imagine, a Na'vi fell in love with a human through a fake Na'vi or simply Avatar(Na'vi-human Hybrids), it is very fantasizing as well. One factor that attracts me most to the movie is the graphics, James Cameron started writing Avatar during 1994, and supposed to be on cinemas in 1999, but the technology needed for Cameron's vision was inappropriate, postponing the the said production. The Na'vis are very good examples for human in terms of loving nature, the Na'vi do really love their biosphere, as well as there creator, Eywa, they do strongly respect each living creature on Pandoran territories. I also learned some Na'vi languages that are quite funny to pronounce like "skawxng" meaning morn and "tsaheylu" meaning bond. Somehow it is fictional, I still feel that if it exist, it must be so magical to live there, more solemn to live than earth, more calming in the eyes, and much more suitable in a Na'vi form since Pandoran ambiance is poisonous to humankind, if I was given choices where to live life, I would definitely fly to Pandora no matter how long I will travel, it's worth the wait.

Weakness

Since I love this movie, I only suspected few weaknesses in the movie, the gruesome killing of the innocent Na'vi people is very unsatisfying, massive bulldozers stomp the majestic jungle, the helpless sapient humanoids lost their home, the Hometree, where rich deposits of Unobtanium lies, bombarded by destructive missiles and bombs just to force them to evacuate, while the Na'vi aims their matchless arrows. As their enormous Hometree snaps, many Na'vis try to flee, but some were crushed by the 20 feet wide branches, even children, feared dead in this chaos. Neytiri's father died in this scene due to darted shrapnel in his heart, the play is very unsuitable for viewing young audiences, the brutality done by the humans is unbearable, it is showing how careless we are to our nature, it was us who killed our own Mother.

Conclusion

In my conclusion, this is the best movie of all times, it breached to the top and made history as the highest earning movie with a staggering box office of $2.8 billion, its graphics are soothing in the eyes and has a very unique synopsis . I'm so excited for Avatar 2 which will be filming this September 2012, and be on cinemas for the next year. Avatar was intentionally crafted exclusively for each one of us, it's like the sci-fi movie of the heavens, aired unto earth. My admiration to this movie is indescribable, I can't take my eyes of the screen, it's simply extraordinary, I salute you, James Cameron.

Recommendations

I admonish that they must have apprised how did they discover the rock in the Alpha Centauri System, isn't it stressing if you were an employee of the RDA(Resources Development Administration) travelling most of your life for just a rock? I think there might be nearby planets holding large Unobtanium deposits, I heard some studies that the fictional rock was a resemblance of Lead Sulfide, but, who knows, that was year 2148, a very long way to go, and it's just fiction.

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