“Avatar”

Rated PG-13 for intense epic battle sequences and warfare, sensuality, language and some smoking.

 

“Avatar” seemed oddly familiar to me. Then I realized I was seeing another movie: “Dances with Amazonian Smurfs.”  Sadly, I am not the first writer to make that dig at “Avatar.” I googled it and discovered that I am a little late, but I may have been the first to add the “Amazonian” slant; I guess I have to settle for second place.

James Cameron produced and directed “Avatar,” and when he announced that he was going to make it, geeks and fantasy fans got their hearts going a-pitter patter. And this is a fantasy film of “titanic” (wink, wink) proportions.

Wounded Marine veteran Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) loses the use of his legs due to a spinal injury. Because of “poor veteran benefits” he doesn’t get the surgery he needs, so when his scientist twin brother dies, he is recruited as his semi-replacement (actually, because he shares his DNA). Jake jumps at the chance because he can use his legs again because he goes to a planet (Pandora) that uses humans to virtually maneuver bio-engineered avatars to wage war against the indigenous humanoids.

Humans, who have poisoned their world (our world 100 years in the future), have come to this new planet to mine it of a valuable mineral. This seemed a non-sequitur to me, but let us not tarry over this detail. The aforementioned indigenous humanoids (the Na’vi) are giant, blue-skinned, elf-featured creatures. They fight with bows and arrows and worship a female nature god.

A mega-corporation wants to, more or less, rape the land and, if necessary, kill the people to succeed. (They are “savages” in their eyes.) They use the military for this, soldiers and soldiers for hire. The big generalissimo is Col. Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang), but the big mean business has to also use scientist eggheads. The major scientist is Dr. Grace Augustine (Sigourney Weaver), and she really loves these blue nature worshipers, and not surprisingly she is a tree hugger.

Jake is hired by the colonel to infiltrate the natives’ tribe and figure out how to move them off the land so the corporation can grab all the goodie underneath the soil. Shockingly Jake, while leaping from vine to tree limb semi-naked, falls in love with Neytiri (Zoe Saldana), daughter of the tribal leader. Naturally, he goes native and joins the Blue Skins.

Thereafter, it is a war between modern technology and Mother Nature. And you may remember, one should never fool with Mother Nature.

I can just imagine what deniers of climate change must think of James Cameron’s film. I reckon they might say this is all environmental propaganda, but don’t let the politics keep you from seeing the film.

I got a little drowsy during the first hour and a half but the film gathered steam and the last hour was great. I think some minor editing would have made it better for me, but I am not the demographic that Mr. Cameron and his investors were going after.

However, I know what I saw: a major film of this genre. Perhaps I saw a classic at its birth. It is a beautiful film. And pushing the obvious, not to say cliché, button: the special effects are truly impressive, at least in 3D. The flora and fauna of Pandora are incredible and not like a creepy Thomas Kinkade painting either … more like a National Geographic rendering of a world unimaginable.

I enjoyed “Avatar” and respect it, despite its very minor flaws. I would have preferred some ambiguity in the plot, some less certainty as to who are the good and who are the bad, but, I guess, no matter how well made “Avatar” may be, in fantasy, there is room for only two types of characters: the bad and the unicorns.

“Avatar” gets four bow ties out of five.