“Avatar” Review

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Holy cats, “Avatar” is dope. What George Lucas couldn’t seem to pull off in three “Star Wars” prequels — world-building adolescent power fantasies — Cameron nails in less than three hours…and in three dimensions! My only gripe is that it took so long to reach theaters; this project was back-burnered by Cameron way, way back in 1994. I’d all but given up on mega-budgeted thrill rides because they lacked the craftsmanship the King of the World brings to the table. There’s no denying the man can dazzle like no other. Oh, he’s overly sentimental and hardly the most nuanced auteur of his generation. But who goes to these kinds of movies for subtlety? This is space fantasy at its god damndest.

So what’s it all about anyway? Well, in the year 2154 our economy is still in the tank, and we evidently don’t have universal health care yet, either. But we’ve conquered space! And on a distant planetoid a bajillion light years from Earth, a mineral deposit worth an ass-load of money sits beneath the holy land of a felinoid race of nine-foot-tall aliens called Na’vi. Corporatists and gung-ho military men wish to relocate the indiginous people, peacefully or otherwise. To their credit, they try a diplomatic solution first. This involves genetically engineering a batch of “avatars” — human/Na’vi hybrids that one can download his consciouness into and have the ultimate out-of-body experience. These avatars will ingratiate themselves with the Na’vi people before politely asking them to move along.

Paralyzed ex-Marine Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) takes the place of his late twin brother in the avatar program. He’s teamed with some leery, peacenik scientists who fully embrace the Na’vi culture. Chain-smoking Dr. Grace Augustine (Sigourney Weaver) in particular receives him coolly. That he’s taking his orders from the ruthless Colonel Quaritch (Stephen Lang) does little to earn anyone’s trust. Meanwhile, Jake is absolutely thrilled to walk again while in his avatar body. But orders are orders, and when he and Na’vi warrior Neytiri “meet cute” after he’s nearly mauled by vicious beasties, he begins gathering intelligence about the “hostiles.” Soon, though, he starts questioning his mission as he finds his place among the Na’vi.

All this culminates with the most ginormous showdown between the hulking military industrial complex and the arrow-slinging blue meanies in a whiz-bang aerial battle that schools every setpiece I’ve seen in the past ten years.

What the trailers for the film don’t do justice to is the film’s scope. The depth and breadth of the film, enhanced by the 3D presentation, is staggering, simply staggering. The moon Pandora is completely alien, a glow-in-the-dark jungle that crawls with all manner of wildlife and even defies gravity in some sectors, where mountainous chunks of rock hang in the sky. My contacts kept drying out because I went so long without blinking while watching this film. I just wanted to drink it all in.

Where I’m often highly critical of CGI in the films, I found the look of the Na’vi, which does take a little getting used to, truly amazing. Neytiri resembles a giant, super-skinny blue version of my cat with her wide-set yellow eyes. Zoe Saldana’s performance shines through the pixels, as the animators really bring computer graphics to the next level. The CGI in this flick works. This is the new standard. Jar Jar Binks can eat me.

“Avatar” is one hell of a popcorn movie. It’s the last enormous sci-fi actioner of the decade, and the aughts certainly are going to go out in style. Welcome back, James Cameron.

-Brad Lohan

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