Avatar
wogma rating: Beg or borrow, but do watch (?)
The storyline is tad clichéd and so are some dialogues. But at its very essence, Avatar is a story about love, hope and the fight for survival. The themes of colonisation and destruction of the native paradise are universal as is the film’s take on capitalism. Perhaps written with the Oscars in mind, Avatar is a movie that holds up a mirror to current society by setting it in the future and in a world outside our own.
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Avatar is a movie about love, hope and the fight for survival. It is also a dark reminiscent of the colonial times as also an ugly reflection of the times today when nature and human life are sacrificed in the face of economic development and financial profits.
It is 2154 and a huge multi-planetary corporation is hoping to hit the jackpot by hunting for a rare mineral called unobtanium on Pandora, an earth-like moon of a planet in outer space. In the process, they threaten the very existence of the locals, the Na'vi a humanoid species that inhabits the unobtanium-rich area.
While the story itself has nothing new to offer, Cameron’s conceptualisation, vision and direction makes all the difference. Simply by turning the tables on alien movies Cameron makes a social statement about everything from capitalism to deforestation.
The director chooses to work with relatively unknown actors -- a popular trend in Hollywood that has thrown up a completely new generation of superstars in the last decade -- and narrates the tale with conviction and a passion that very few directors can claim to boast of. Indeed, it is his vision and perception that towers way over the actors’ performances but gives you your money’s worth.
Despite being almost three hours in duration, Avatar hardly feels as long as it is. A tight screenplay saves the day as to the immensely brilliant computer generated effects.
The concept of Avatar was written way back in 1994. However Cameron insisted that the technology required for executing his vision was not present then. He has waited for over a decade and a half for the scientific know-how to catch up with his imagination. Eleven years after Titanic hit the screens and swept the Oscars, Cameron returns with yet another grand project touted to recreate history. Boy it has most certainly been worth the wait.
This review is by guest reviewer Sanjeev Kumar Singh. Sanjeev Kumar Singh watches films by day and sings songs in the night. During his spare time he tells everyone willing to listen how he could not have asked for a better name.
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This page has additional observations, other than the ones noted in the main review.
Plot Summary
Jake Sully finds himself replacing his twin brother in a science experiment that involves him getting into a Matrix-like situation, stepping into the forests of an alien planet, getting to know the race and eventually leading to their destruction.
What Worked
What did not
Parental Guidance:
- Violence: It’s action sequences can get quite violent
- Language: Some parts of the film are in a language developed especially for the film. But these come with subtitles
- Nudity & Sexual content: None, unless you consider the curvy Na’avi women dressed in almost nothings as nude
- Concept: A science fantasy set on another planet and a human being’s dilemma about assimilating into the native land to going back into the world he came from
- General Look and Feel: Sci-fi, rich and colourful
Comments (2)
@Manu oops, while I haven't written the review, I certainly edited it. And I thought, this was a very basic thing about the story, that gives a vivid picture of what the movie is about.
@Sanat I'm sorry that you are disappointed. I think the review is pretty well written. Sanjeev (the reviewer) has written a short one, but has covered all bases.
@Dattaprasad Thanks for the well-meaning and good advice. A reviewer cannot take criticism 'ka tension'. I completely respect @Sanat and @Manu's point of view
@All Sanjeev will reply to your comments soon.
Well, I didnt think too much of its story either. It's a special effects film, and that's about it.
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