Avatar movie review from modmove

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Avatar
There are those very rare films that come along and change everything; Avatar is just such a film. Saying it is visually stunning is an understatement and for once a film made using a 3D process seems more than just a gimmick. It’s a testament to James Cameron’s vision that even with a weak second half, the film still scores high overall marks.

Waiting until the technology advanced to match his vision, the film had been in development for over ten years and it’s been time well spent. The film uses a lot of technology to tell its story of life on Pandora (an inhabited moon of the planet Polyphemus). The story is set in the year 2154 and pits the moon’s indigenous population against a giant corporation intent on stripping the planet bare of a substance called Unobtainium, which is highly valued back on earth.

The first half of the film is filled with wonderful imagery and we are constantly surprised with how much luminous beauty pops off the screen as we learn more about Pandora. It inhabitants are dignified and share a very close bond with the land and its wild life, which is a good thing for the fauna there can be very deadly.

It’s in the film’s second half where the story line becomes quite a bit more conventional and at times it even features some very corny dialogue. After such an awe inspiring first half, it’s a bit of a let down but no travelogue is going to pull in the big numbers at the box office no mater how beautiful it is. As the action ramps us, so does the body count as the players become more heroic in every scene. This intense action distracts from what has come before but it’s still a thrill ride and features amazing visuals even if the storyline becomes a bit by the numbers.

If it takes something substantial to get you to leave the comfort of your home cinema with its high-resolution big screen and 7.1 tracks of nail loosening sound, Avatar has more to offer than you can imagine until you see it. The film represents a new standard of movie making and anyone with any interest in the cinema at all will need to add this to their holiday list of things to do.
Rob Hudson
www.avatarmovie.com


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