Avatar Review (Spoiler-Free)

Just a quick fun fact to start this off; Avatar was the first movie that I was very eager to watch in 3-D and was suppose to be the first 3-D movie that I’ve seen since the 90's. Unfortunately, I never got to see this in theaters but on on a TV screen instead so eye experience was certainly not what James Cameron and his production team prominently intended. So with that context out of the way, let's talk about this huge juggernaut of a new IP release. It’s pretty rare that I would watch a movie and feel equally emotionally attached to what’s taking place while also being completely engrossed in the world that I'm introduced to. Avatar is certainly one of those rare instances with the exceptionally crafted universe of Pandora truly being a spectacle to behold. During the marketing phase and the first few days of its release, this movie was being hyped up for its visuals and immersive 3D experience. And though I didn’t get the full recommended experience, I still felt that this movie lived up to its advertised hook factor.

This alien planet felt so real and believable that I completely bought everything that I was looking at as a real set and not just “good CGI”. I was completely immersed in this world and gradually found myself connecting to the sights and sounds like a tourist being gently introduced to an exotic foreign environment. Everything from the alien creatures, plants, floating mountains, giant trees, and especially the Na'vi (the spotlighted humanoid species that inhabits Pandora) immediately drew me in with all of its alluring beauty. As the main character, human colonel Jake Sully, ventures off into this new world disguised as one of the Na’vi to spy on them, he becomes attached to the planet and so does the audience stepping into his shoes. There’s an interesting connecting multilayered aspect there of the protagonist being our avatar in the story while he himself transfers his mind into an “avatar” body. The vibrant natural surroundings is so beautiful that he slowly begins to forget his mission, and as he slowly blends in with the Na’vi tribe, the audience starts to get a better picture of who they are.

You learn that this humanoid alien species is not too dissimilar from our own which brings forth a sense of empathy and relatability to what’s happening. Without going into any spoilers, I’ll just conclude by saying Avatar delivers on just about everything that I wanted in this movie. The story was solid (albeit heavily familiar), the overall direction of the movie was exceptional and threw me into a roller coaster of emotions, the characters were believable and entertaining, and the production values were top notch as advertised. I'd say this is definitely worthy of checking out.

Rating: 9/10