Yep, this movie should’ve won Best Picture, granted there were quite a few good movies that came out in 09, but Avatar really topped them all. It not only expanded what we can expect to see from movies going into the future, but it also showed how a great story and an awesome imagination can take us all on an adventure that is truly one of a kind. I’ll be the first to say that I was skeptical when the first images were shown of what Pandora and it’s inhabitants looked like, but I should’ve trusted James Cameron and his amazing vision. It’s truly an epic to behold.

Sum It Up:

Avatar is a movie set in our future where we’ve obviously tapped our resources and need to look elsewhere for those resources. Cue the moon Pandora, a setting not all that different from Earth, except that it has really tall blue alien peeps instead of our normal fleshy selves (along with a wide array of other interesting alien species) Our hero Jake Sulley is enlisted into the “avatar” program as a substitute for his brother who recently passed away. (they were twins) Avatars, in a nutshell, are cloned aliens that are then used as a “pod” for humans to transfer their consciousness into in order to mingle/walk amongst the indigenous population. Throw in the daughter of a chief, a menacing General, and lots of kewl creatures along the way, and you have the movie Avatar.

the Good:

Everything is amazing about this movie. I’m not going to make this review too in depth, because you honestly have to see this movie. I shouldn’t have to tell you anything you don’t already know, but let’s sum up real quick the reasons you need to see this movie…

- $2,713,395,000 Worldwide in total sales can’t be wrong.

-The visual effects were the first of their kind and will be some of the most amazing that I’ve seen for a long time I’m sure. (that or till the sequel comes out)

-On top of the visual effects it was the best use of the 3D technology to date. (yes I saw it in theaters both ways so I can actually make that comparison…though I liked the normal 2D version better – it was still the most impressive use of the 3D I had seen yet…not that toping Beowulf or Jim Carrey’s A Christmas Carol was too hard to do…)

-The story is fun, full of adventure, and wonder. (and for anyone who thinks it’s such a hack off of movies like Pocahontas, and this movie Delgo – which I’ve not seen needs to really take the time to watch the movie to see that it’s not only better than those movies, but it’s so much more than any of those …)

-The characters all have extreme depth and give you reason to invest the 3 hrs. of viewing time to see how their story carries out.

-The production value and time spent are completely obvious in every last detail.

-It’s by far the best looking movie on BluRay to date and really shows you what our home movies are capable of with the new technology.

the Bad:

I’m not going to say that the movie was perfect, at first I was, but I got to thinking about it and there are some parts where I would’ve changed a few things.

Such as the one liners that our hero spurts out in moments of angst or egotism … (an example would be where he scares off a beast – or thinks he does – and in his moment of triumph he yells “yeah what now bitch” … completely unecessary and close to just stupid … I’m not sure if Cameron was trying to push the “marine” aspect of Jake or what in this segment but the line was not needed) There were a couple other instances of this type of dialogue and each time you hear it you sort of think to yourself, “wtf…?”

Add that in with some mediocre acting from a few characters and I’d say that gives the minus half a point. But that’s honestly it. I’ve seen the movie 3 times now and still have yet to find any real reason to complain.

Final Thought:

Seriously, I know I probably sound completely biased for this movie but I own the BluRay now and I know that I’ll watch this at least another 3 times before November when the extended 4 disc edition comes out on BluRay and I buy that version instead. If you failed to see Avatar in IMAX, a 3d Cinema, or even a normal theater then you have my sympathy. You missed out on one of the best movie experiences of our life-time.

Avatar Review: (9.5/10)