How good can a Sci-Fi movie about blue people that is animated for the majority of the the film be? The answer: extraordinary. And no, I’m not talking about The Smurfs. James Cameron finds a way to keep audiences entertained for the entire duration of the 162-minute-long film. The movie broke through as a leader in computer generated imagery (CGI) and created animations that other film creators would look to in the future for inspiration. The animation and execution of the set along with the script that embedded important and controversial topics such as protection of the environment, imperialism, respecting other cultures, etc. make this movie a showstopper.
Avatar is set on the moon-like planet of Pandora, which is inhabited by a host of creatures, including the indigenous Na’vi people. These tall, lanky blue creatures along with the other creatures on the planet are beautifully designed and crafted by the production team. The Na’vi people live in harmony with the planet and life on the planet is fueled through a symbiotic relationship between the creatures, plants, and the planet itself. The American government sent former military turned mercenaries to the planet to obtain a rare element that the planet is abundant in. Unfortunately, in a way that brings flashbacks to European and American imperialism, the team sent out to obtain the mineral develops little relationship with the native people and is willing to destroy anything that lay in their path. The excavation of the mineral and partial destruction of the planet is in full swing when Jake Sully, a former marine, arrives on Pandora. Sully, played by Sam Worthington, is a paraplegic with the promise that if he serves on the project in Pandora, they will pay for his very expensive surgery that will allow him to walk again. His task is to embody an avatar and interact with the Na’vi people. Originally the avatars are to be used for research purposes, but Miles Quartich (Stephen Lang), the head of the RDA on the planet, wants to use them to manipulate the Na’vi people. Sully is important to the RDA because the avatars are created based on DNA; the avatar he must use was that of his identical twin brother who was killed so Sully is the only one that can operate the avatar now.
Upon first experiencing his rejuvenated body through his avatar, Sully loves it. Running as a 12-foot-tall specimen is something he could only dream of since he became paralyzed. Sully is not quite acquainted with life on the planet and has no understanding of the Na’vi language or mannerisms, not to mention his ineptness when it comes to interacting with the many beasts that roam Pandora. As a result, he finds himself in trouble multiple times, once with his life on the line. Fortunately for him, Na’vi native Neytiti (Zoe Saldana), who also happened to be the princess of the tribe, saves Sully’s life, rather the life of the avatar Sully was embodying. This interaction eventually develops into one of the greatest and most important relationships in the whole movie. Sully and Neytiri are both placed in difficult situations throughout the movie as a result of them meeting each other; Cameron does a wonderful job of using every aspect of their relationship to address different themes and lessons.
As mentioned before, Hollywood had not seen CGI so brilliantly embedded into a movie until the release of Avatar featuring the Na’vi people. The creativity of Cameron and the other producers and directors is shown uniquely through the incorporation of CGI animation with real life acting to produce a masterpiece. Cameron originally had the idea for Avatar in the late 90’s but was adamant about waiting for the technology to catch up before creating the movie. Avatar is a great example of how advanced computer-generated imagery has positively impacted the science fiction genre of movies in the last 20 years. Although much of the movie was created using computer generated imagery the noises made by the animals were taken from real animals. Similarly, the costumes and weapons used were created through animation, but the animators needed real costumes and weapons to create their animations. The balance between live-action imagery (40%) and CGI (60%), is the perfect balance for a movie of its kind and keeps viewers entertained throughout.
The cost to create Avatar came at no small cost; production alone cost $237 million. When one accounts for the $150 million that was spent on promoting the movie, the grand total to make the movie comes out to $238 million. I think if you asked Cameron, Zoe Saldana, Sam Worthington, or anyone else involved with the movie if it was worth it, they would all respond with a resounding and emphatic, “Yes!” After all, Avatar was nominated for a total of 9 academy awards, winning 3 of them (Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, and Best Visual Effects). The fact that Avatar has made $2.802 billion since its release on December 19, 2009 helps to justify the very high production cost of the movie. The aforementioned amount the movie has grossed since its release makes it the highest grossing movie ever worldwide, surpassing the like of Avengers: Endgame, Titanic, and Star Wars at the top of the list.
The action and storyline of the movie are wonderful and keep viewers engaged throughout the entirety of the movie. What sets the movie apart from most action filled sci-fi movies is the intricate themes that Cameron and the rest of his production team weave into the plot. The main theme revolves around the relationship between Sully and Neytiri. It has an almost Romeo and Juliet aspect to it. They are not supposed to be with each other; they should be enemies throughout the movie. It is interesting to see the choices they make throughout the movie because of this. The two most important themes that Cameron includes involve the environment and the irony of imperialism that is all-to familiar when America is involved in a foreign project. The gung-ho, “destroy anything in our way” mentality of Quartich, leads to ignorance involving the importance of maintaining the aforementioned symbiotic relationship of life on the planet. Dr. Augustine understands this with her research, and eventually Sully accepts that fact as well.
Although the movie is wildly entertaining and feels nothing like an educational film it, if approached the right way it serves as a reminder to anyone watching about the importance of listening to sound scientific research and maintaining a healthy environment over maintaining a killer bottom line.
Critical Essay by John Alan Williams