Reviews Film / Avatar

Despite its plot issues...

...this movie was great. I must admit that I was incredibly turned off by the Mighty Whitey aspect of the film, which always bugs the crap out of me in every story I've ever seen to employ it. The idea that any outsider could come into a strange civilization, and not only learn the ways of the tribe, but become BETTER at it than the entire tribe, woo the chief's daughter, and then BECOME the chief just doesn't fit within my willing suspension of disbelief. I was also a little disappointed by Sam Worthington's inability to hold a believable American accent; I have no problem with an Australian accent, but I like my accents to be the same in the beginning of the movie as they are in the end. It's a consistency thing. They would have been better off having him keep his accent and saying he was born on an Australian military base to justify it. It's not enough of a problem to ruin the movie, but it's definitely noticeable.

Those complaints aside, however, and despite the fact that the entire plot was almost 100% predictable (You say "My great great grandfather was one of only five people in history to ever tame the Toruk, and he united the tribes." I say, "Jake's about to be number six. And I bet he'll unite the tribes!" Guess what?), the movie was truly an amazing and immersive spectacle of modern movie making. And I don't just mean the special effects or the fights, either - those were amazing, beautiful, and heart-racing, but they weren't what made the movie great. What made this movie great, in my book, was the absolute brilliance and sheer level of detail put into the development of the world of Pandora, and the backstory behind it. I'll excuse the fact that Polythemus is a gas giant in a star system where scientists believe a gas giant couldn't exist. The Na'vi were brilliantly designed, the flora and fauna were impressive and unique (even if noticeably inspired by some earthly analogs), and the history (especially if you check out Pandorapedia - or, even better, the Avatar Wiki) is very impressive. Final word: Regardless your thoughts on the story, the movie is an immersive and memorable experience for the watcher, and in my book, it gets an absolute A+. This will be on my favorite movies shelf for quite some time.