Avatar

Movie Reviews

Avatar Posted by Matt Smith & Ben Wasley 17 December, 2009 - 1:06 PM

Starring Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana and Sigourney Weaver.

Hamish & Andy Button Pusher Gigglin' Ben says:

Avatar, it’s quite possibly the most hyped movie since titanic, which figures cos it’s the latest offering from titanic creator James Cameron. So, is it soft core porn for geeks or a movie for the rest of us too?

Let’s face it, geeks will lose their minds, but avatar is much more than that. It’s an engaging story combining action, humour, romance and things you’ve never seen before (just like Titanic really).

Visually, the world of Avatar is amazing, with rain forests that would cause Don Burke to explode with excitement and inhabitants that would bring David Attenborough out of retirement. It’s the sort of film you probably need to see more than once, just to absorb it all.

In fact, I’d go as far as saying it’s the perfect date movie too, guys will love the action (edge of your seat stuff) and girls will love the romance (even I got teary) and both of you will love the amazing 3d visual treat of it all.

Basically, it’s a sure fire winner, see it on the big screen in 3D asap, just be warned, it’s almost 3 hours long so watch your fluid intake.

Four And A Half Stars!

Resident Movie Reviewer Matt Smith Says:

The distant planet of Pandora is populated by extraordinary creatures and landscapes. It also contains a mineral which is considered incredibly valuable and a hostile indigenous population called the Na’vi. A human team is sent in to extract the mineral, first with diplomacy, but ultimately with any means necessary.

Jake Scully is a paraplegic marine who takes the place of his recently deceased scientist brother on a mission to the planet. His role is to befriend the local population through his Avatar. Avatars are living, breathing bodies, fashioned on the local people. They are controlled by a human ‘driver’ through technology that links the driver's mind to the Avatar body.

At first Jake’s mission is to befriend the Na’vi population with hopes of convincing them to relocate to another part of the planet so that his bosses can begin mining. Eventually his relationship with the local population, and in particular warrior princess Neytiri, has him questioning what right he or his employers have to be on Pandora.

Avatar is the most expensive film ever made and is arguably the year’s most anticipated movie. It is the brain child of director James Cameron (Titanic, Aliens, The Terminator) who has waited 15 years for technology to be advanced enough to fulfil his initial vision. With so much hype and with plenty of costs to recoup (around 240 million dollars), does the film live up to expectations?

The answer is a resounding, absolute, definite yes. It has style, it has substance and it has our own Sam Worthington in the lead role. Without any one of these three elements it would have still been a wonderful film. But with all three combining as they do; it can easily be described as a masterpiece and the year’s best film.

The look of the film is sensational and unlike anything we have ever seen before. Cameron has created a truly unique 3D world with tropical-like rainforests, huge waterfalls, enormous trees and unique plants. Roaming the vivid landscape is a plethora of dangerous creatures. The planet of Pandora is enough to keep you entertained, everywhere you look you are blown away.

With such an amazing playground/battlefield for the action to place in, Cameron could have been forgiven for letting the story to take a back seat to the visuals. Instead, he has created a film with enough to keep scientists, environmental activists and anti-war campaigners talking about and debating for years to come. Despite the film’s 160 minute running time, there is so much happening the film flies by.

Sam Worthington is perfect as Jake Scully, the paraplegic come freedom fighter. He is equally convincing as the paraplegic marine as he is as the exuberant new trainee on Pandora. His performance is subtle but strong and he truly makes the role his own. It is hard to imagine anyone more suited to the character. He is very ably supported by Zoe Saldana (Star Trek) who is unrecognisable, but wonderful as Neytiri.

Avatar is a visual and philosophical treat that should be the blockbuster of the summer. Some will feel James Cameron may be preaching a little too much with some of the film’s themes, but nevertheless there is enough visual distractions to ignore his not so subtle political suggestions. Avatar has lived up to its considerable hype and is easily this year’s most enjoyable film.

Five out of Five Stars!