I finally got to see Avatar on Sunday. With how much I’ve been working, and how long the movie is, I didn’t want to go see it late during the week. Anyway, I was able to see it in 3-D.
A former marine, Jake Sully, arrives on the distant moon Pandora in 2154. He is doing to be using an avatar to do work on the surface of Pandora and attempt to interact with the natives, the Na’vi. As he spends more time with the Na’vi, he becomes torn because of orders he received.
There is more going on in the movie than I expected, though the plot is a bit thin for how long the movie is. Most of the focus is on Jake and what he is doing on Pandora with some attention going to the mining operation. I did think the plot was interesting, but it could have been stronger and more original. Some of what happens has been done in other movies, though it is a bit different in this one. A few things are extremely predictable. I still really enjoyed the movie overall despite the plot issues.
The visuals are absolutely amazing in this movie. The motion capture done for the performances of the Na’vi and the avatars is very well done. This is the best use of motion capture I’ve seen since Gollum in Lord of the Rings and Kong in King Kong. Many of the locations in the movie were created with CGI. Pandora is covered with lush plants that are exotic looking and very unique looking wild animals. Those things are created in a way that make them seem realistic even though they have been created just for the movie. I did see the 3-D version of the movie and think the 3-D works very well. There is a decent amount of action throughout the movie, though it does seem like a few action sequences were done just to show off the special effects.
The characters are fine even though they aren’t developed that much. Some of them are rather interesting. Jake ends up on Pandora by chance and most of the movie is focused on what he is going through. Neytiri is a Na’vi that ends up teaching Jake about the Na’vi. She is a strong character even though not a lot is shared about her.
Overall I really enjoyed this movie. It is very entertaining, and done well for a blockbuster action type of movie.
I did get a review posted on Epinions if anyone wants to take a look.
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