Directed by: James Cameron Starring: Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), Colonel Miles Quaritz? (Stephen Lang), Dr. Grace Augustine (Sigourney Weaver), Zoe Saldana, Parker (Giovanni Ribisi) Michelle Rodriguez, Wes Studi etc.
One of the most visually stunning and imaginative films ever made. A wheelchair-bound ex-marine travels with other ex-soldiers, scientists and greedy corporate types in the year 2154 to pillage the planet or moon "Pandora" of a rock known as "unobtainium" which is worth tens of millions of dollars. The ex-soldiers are along to move the ten-foot tall blue inhabitants away from where the valuable rocks are either voluntarily or by force. The only weapon the blue people or "Na-vi" have are arrows tipped in a deadly toxin. They are really no match for the human invaders. The "Na'vi" are very similar to Native Americans.
Although he has no training or "Na'vi" language lessons, Sully is made part of the "Avatar program". Avatar's are a combination of human and "Na'vi" DNA, controlled from afar by the human's whose DNA is part of their Avatar (kind of like puppets in a way).
The biggest villains of the movie are Colonel Miles Quaritz? (Stephen Lang) as a gung-ho military officer who looks forward to engaging and killing the indigenous 'enemy' and Parker (Giovanni Ribisi) a corporate man whose sole concern is exploiting Pandora for all the valuable "unobtainium" he can get his hands on at any cost.
Acerbic, cigarette smoking scientist Dr. Grace Augustine (Sigourney Weaver) is none too happy that this untrained wheelchair-bound ex-marine is part of her program. However, she is respectful of the "Na'vi" people and their harmony with the natural world.
Sully finds a female member of the "Na'vi". Although she thinks he is a "scown" (a moron), she teaches him to survive in their harsh environment. After awhile he becomes an official "Na'vi" and he chooses her as a mate. On Pandora are all kinds of deadly, dangerous animals. Sully learns to appreciate the ways of the "Na'vi" and he helps them to survive human greed and militarism. Perhaps the best movie I have seen in the last year. Like a combination of "Dances With Wolves" and "Lawrence of Arabia", among others, set in outer space. You have to be a real "scown" not to enjoy this movie, even though it is about three hours long.
1 comment:
I have to agree, Avatar was so deep in symbolism and spoke to me in such a broad sense.
Though I also have to say that "Up in the air" really spoke to my generation and my life situation more acutely ... I recommend both films..
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