Avatar (2009)
Director - James Cameron
Starring - Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana & Sigourney Weaver
4.5 stars
22/12/2009: I walked out of the Cinema Europa at Knox admitting that I had a just seen the best film of the year. Not a bad feat considering that the year only had about two weeks left in it. This small film ended up rocketing into the public eye before cleaning up at the Oscars. To this day, Slumdog Millionaire is still my favourite film.
Fast forward one year and two days and I'm feeling a sense of deja vu. Removing the classy 3D glasses off my nose with a smile abroad my face thinking, "wow this is familiar". I turned across to my colleague and repeated a line that I had used just 367 days earlier, "that's the best film I've seen all year", and I meant it.
So I went to see Avatar because I had to, didn't I? The most expensive made film in history combined with countless glowing reviews and sprinkled with an element of technology that was new to the cinematic world. Add in a side of 3D mixed with James Cameron and you have an un-missable dish of movie yummyness that was a must try for any film lover. With that said, I was always keen to check out this blockbuster from the day they released the 20 second trailer teaser.
Historically speaking I'm not a sci-fi guy (yeah, I know it rhymes) but for some reason, the magical world of Pandora and the ability for humans to become natives never really caused an issue for me. In fact, I never even questioned the legitimacy of it until someone brought it up at a later date and I thought, "oh yeah". So pretty much it's easy to say that I was lost in the movie's aura from ball one.
Ok, so here we are, five paragraphs in and you're thinking, "righto MJ, you've given this baby 4 and a half clicks and you're yet to really tell us why", and this is where I'm likely to let you down. The best movie I've seen in 2009 deserves the 4 and a half stars because I am yet to really find a problem with it. I mean, it's been two days since I've seen it and I still can't get it out of my head. The thought of reviewing it has kept me up at nights because I'm not too sure how I can possibly give it justice.
James Cameron is a genius. Creating this whole universe, world, creatures and way of life is an applaudable, imaginative effort but to combine it with such a powerful storyline and captivating plot is simply magical. Then to add the visual spectacle that has been so well documented, it really is an aesthetic pleasure, is something to marvel at. The magnitude of this movie is simply enormous and for all these reasons it is a genuine must-see.
Everything else I'm going to mention is so petty that you probably won't even care but it deserves the right to get a gig in my review. Sam Worthington is magnificent. I've been a big fan of this Aussie for some time but he has taken his status to a new level and will be knocking on the door of the A-list long room in no time. The running time of 2 hrs and 40 minutes is a genuine non-issue, in fact, anything shorter wouldn't have given it justice. Not once did I think it was dragging and as I said, I was entranced from the very beginning.
As I said, there's nothing I can really say to genuinely illustrate what I feel. I loved this movie, plain and simple. All I can add is that if you are going to see it (which you are) that you do it in style. Don't wait for DVD, and don't be stingy and go without the 3D experience. This requires the cinema atmosphere and as for 3D, well if you're going to do it, do it properly.
As for me, well I've kept my 3D glasses (apparently if you bring them with you then you pay less to watch it again - chick din for me) because I'd be more than happy to go another sesh. Mainly for the treat, but also to see whether this love for Zoe Saldana's Neytiri is genuine or just a sneaky crush on a seven foot blue alien. Time will tell.
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