‘Avatar’ not all it’s cracked up to be (4/5)

Avatar

Starring: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver.
Directed by: James Cameron
Rating: PG-13 for intense epic battle sequences and warfare, sensuality, language and some smoking.
Running time: 2 hours, 42 minutes.

“Avatar” has been said to be the movie that reinvents how movies are made.

That’s quite the statement. And, in my opinion, it’s also not true.

That’s not to say that “Avatar” isn’t a fantastic movie that will engage you at frame 1. In fact, it’s a spectacular movie, and the technology is nothing short of revolutionary. Director James Cameron has had his heart set on making this movie for about a decade, but wisely decided to hold back until the scope of computer graphics matched his grandiose plans.

Plot-wise, “Avatar” is the equivalent of an inter-planetary “Pocahontas” without the Disney singalongs. But visually, it’s a spellbinding adventure that is breathtaking in 3-D (and I would highly recommend taking the opportunity to see the movie in 3-D).

If you’re capable of not taking yourself too seriously and are able of enjoying what is essentially a decent science fiction movie, then “Avatar” could quickly rise up among your list of favorites.

It takes place on the planet Pandora, where bossman Parker Selfridge (Giovanni Ribisi) has set up a mining operation in search of “unobtanium,” a very rare and very valuable rock found under Pandora’s surface. But it just so happens that the planet’s natives, known as the Na’Vi, live directly above the richest vein of unobtanium.

Understanding the bad press that would be given by simply wiping out the Na’Vi, Parker allows a team of scientists to interact with the natives with the intention of getting them to move.

And so, paraplegic Marine Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) finds himself with the rare opportunity of walking again — only not in his own body. Aided by the team of Dr. Grace Augustine (Sigourney Weaver), Sully is able to transfer his consciousness into that of an “avatar,” an engineered creature made to look like a 10-foot-tall, blue, felinesque Na’Vi.

Sully is quickly recruited by Colonel Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang), who wants Sully to spy for him in order to gather as much intel on the Na’Vi and their location as possible.

But after spending days as his avatar, Sully soon finds himself unsure as to whether he is human or Na’Vi. Add to that a blossoming love interest in the Na’Vi princess, Neytiri (Zoe Saldana), and Sully’s loyalties begin to blur.

Despite the unfathomable $400 million budget, “Avatar” was still unable to pull away from the notorious sci-fi pitfalls of good versus evil and cookie-cutter characters.

What amazed me was the fact that, despite this being a two-and-a-half-hour movie, so many characters managed to fall by the wayside. Parts of the movie seemed made up of solely Jake Sully and Neytiri with an occasional popup of one of the other dozen characters.

I was a little disappointed with the role of scientist Norm Spellman. His early introduction and and overall attitude may lead you to believe that he will achieve “sidekick” status, but his character quickly drops out and is barely noticeable by the end. Weaver’s character was one of the more significant and even she had less screen time than I would have expected.

And even those who managed to show up on the screen seemed very archetype — you’re the battle-hungry war guy, you’re the tree-hugging scientist, you’re the money-loving capitalist.

But, what this movie may lack in characterization, it more than makes up for in the visual aspect and overall wonder the film brings with it. And, though I knock it, the plot itself isn’t bad — it was enough to keep me riveted even after the 162 minutes were over. The Na’Vi are exceptional and just plain fun to watch. And James Horner’s musical contributions were, as usual, stellar, especially when incorporating the Na’Vi language into the soundtrack.

The movie that reinvents movies? Maybe not. But it’s a definite step in the right direction.

4 of 5 stars