Xmas Viewing

Conditions: Annoyingly Overcast.

Film Review: Avatar

Technology is a funny beast. Allowing the creation of wonderful things, but also able to become a great distraction in it's own right. To what extent does a new technology serve itself at the expense of what it was meant to serve? Here James Cameron has invented a whole new way of shooting a movie with digital characters in three dimensions, and he combined this new technology with a story set in the future, about a clash between advanced and primitive cultures. And ultimately the film both demonstrates and embodies the conflict inherit in story telling: that between style and substance. Avatar is an intense film about humans doing what they do best: screwing everything up in order to get what they want. It centers on a crippled ex-marine who, through the Avatar program, gets the chance to walk again on planet Pandora, as an emissary between the corporation who are mining the planet and the Na'vi tribe who live above a huge deposit of the precious ore. Through circumstance he bonds with the native Na'vi, and becomes the chosen one who will ultimately unite the tribles and lead the resistance against the human armed forces. We're running the full gamut here from science fiction-y spaceships and robots to fantasy creatures and the spirit of the planet herself, with a bit of Romeo and Juliet thrown in.

It's been over ten years since Cameron shot Titanic, so a lot more since his last action film, but he doesn't disappoint on any front. The slow parts are full of meaning, the fast parts are visceral and intense, and the pacing is perfect. In fact, although the film is over two and a half hours we could easily take more time on Pandora. Ultimately, though, the film lives or dies on it's digital creatures and it's 3D portrayal and while the creatures are fantastic, I have to express reservations over the whole 3D thing. It's not as though the 3D effects are bad, in fact the 3D in this film is easily the best I've ever seen, seamlessly projecting the depth of objects without the awful "cardboard cutout" effect I've seen on other 3D films. No, the problem simply comes down to one of distraction. Every time something sticks out of the picture, you're reminded again of how cool it is to be seeing something in 3D. And every time you do that, you're a little bit distracted from the film itself. And since the whole point of why we're here is to watch a film, unfortunately I have to conclude that the 3D effects detract from the movie-going experience, instead of enhancing it. 3D is best left to other things that don't include character or story elements. I believe the best way to watch this film is in 2D first, then if you like you can see it again with the glasses.

The story itself is a strong one, centering on a broken soldier who is brought to another battlefield, given another chance, and looks at it through new eyes, falls in love with the other side and decides to fight against his own species. There's a lot of subtle details going on amid the Alien jungle and fearsome beasts. While the characters are computer graphics, they've been hooked up to the actors performace so well that you immediately accept them as completely real, as if the actors are just wearing a lot of blue makeup. This allows some great performances from Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver and Zoe Saldana to shine through. It's astounding to think how much work must have gone into that, and it's a credit that the audience accepts it completely, and that the characters give fully-dramatic performances. And while the story could be compared to Dances With Wolves, and there are obvious references to the great American Iraqi adventure, I believe the film stands up on it's own, or at least that it would if it were not so obscured by the 3D glasses. Has the technology gotten in the way of the meaning? It's ironic that such a question is asked in the film itself, as well as laying at the heart of many of Cameron's previous films. Will we focus on the important yet subtle details, or pursue the flashy path to self-destruction? Four Beasties out of Five.


- Peace out