Written by James Buce
In Hollywood, a movie is measured by the money it makes and the number of weeks it spends as number one. For director James Cameron and his creation, “Avatar,” the ride at number one has continued for six weeks and has helped catapult “Avatar” past “The Dark Knight” and Cameron’s own “Titanic,” making it the highest grossing movie of all time.
The movie has shattered records both nationally and internationally and will continue to break records due to the unique world created.
“Avatar” introduces the visually stunning world of Pandora in the year 2154 A.D., when humans have begun to inhabit the planet in order to mine its resources. The storyline centers around a paraplegic marine, Jake Sully, and his attempt to immerse himself in the culture of the people of Pandora, the Na’vi. After a series of events and 160 minutes of visual stimulation, Sully must make a choice that will change his world forever.
“Avatar” is unlike any other movie because it was filmed and made specifically for 3D viewing. This is unique because other movies featuring 3D have only had certain scenes that can be called 3D. “Avatar,” however, does not use the cheap gags normally associated with 3D movies, such as “Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D.” “Avatar” uses the 3D cameras to create a world and allows the audience to become part of Pandora.
During the movie the visuals were forced to compensate at times for a lack of storyline and character development. This was particularly obvious within the first 30 minutes of the movie when the dialogue seemed forced and awkward. The early conversations between Sully and the biologist, Norm Spellman, notched the movie down from an epic adventure to a conversation at open house during club week.
Though there are several lines in the movie that can only be described as a cheap attempt at humor using profane language, the visuals make up for any problems with the writing. Cameron spent nearly 15 years creating the world of Pandora, and his dedication showed in the individual hairs of each creature.
There have been several arguments that “Avatar” preaches an anti-America agenda and anti-Christian way of believing, but audiences should remember: this is a movie. There can be arguments made about any agenda in generally any movie, but it all comes down to where you stand when it comes to movies. You either allow yourself to be manipulated by the plotline of a fictional movie or see a movie for entertainment.
Avatar is a visually stimulating movie that creates a new world and offers viewers a chance to imagine a different world. Though the dialogue can be awkward, the script begins to make more sense as the movie unfolds and transports viewers deeper into Pandora.
