Review of Avatar (2009) by Kai82 — 04 Apr 2021

It is the case were I had given a 10/10 after watching. Over the years however I question myself if it was really that good except the phenomenal 3D effects (It is still the poster-child for 3D cinema).

Strangely this is a common response now or lets say others had the same thoughts. For those who don't believe this. Have you heard Avatar being named in the best movie lists in recent years (not to be confused with most successful)? For itself it is James Camerons most successful movie and also the highest grossing film of all times (Switched with Avengers Endgame after re-releases).

It has phenomenal 3D effects and is one of a few movies I absolutely recommend watching in a 3D cinema. The other special effects / computer animations were amazing too. They put a lot of effort in creating a world that feels genuine and believable.

We never doubted the setting, worldbuilding or scenery. Alone for this I recommend to watch it. Lets go to the story: It is set in the year 2154. Earths resources are nearly depleted and humanity will face a dire energy crisis that will destroy civilization if nothing is done.

On the moon Pandora in another solar system exists an element named Unobtanium (pun?) that can solve humanities energy problems. However there are problems as the atmosphere is poisonous to humans and it is inhabited by dangerous animal and intelligent but not technical advanced blue humanoid aliens called Na’vi.

Mining the resources is devastating to the environment. It is the story of Jake Sully a former marine who will replace his deceased brother on a mission to Pandora. The mission will change and challenge him more than he can ever imagine.

I am heavily avoiding spoilers here even why it is called Avatar. The story is excellent and engaging. However it uses familiar themes and tropes. It has themes from Princess Mononoke, Pocahontas, Daces with Wolves and the Emerald Forest to name those I knew.

Because it is immersive and engaging this is not a weakness. It takes familiar themes, tropes and stereotypes and mixes them into a strong movie experience. There is also a lot of philosophical and moral themes to discus (We had a lot of good discussion back then).

This movie is of cause also carried by the actors. We have Sam Worthington as Jake Sully and he does an amazing job He sells the emotions and inner conflicts well and shines with a great performance. This is equally true for Zoe Saldana.

She made an awesome performance and is a highlight of the movie. The rest of the cast is strong too. We have Stephen Lang as Colonel Miles Quaritch who is a deep character with understandable motives and flaws.

Sigourney Weaver as Dr. Grace Augustine is the hidden gem of the movie. She made an amazing performance and deserves full credits. I also praise Michelle Rodriguez as Trudy Chacon and Lez Alonso for their performance.

Every actor delivers and I see no missteps. I already mentioned the special effects and visuals. I can only repeat how amazing it looked. The world is fully believable and everything looks amazing (Wildlife, fauna and landscapes).

The perfect 3D cinema poster-child. They put a lot of care and thought into it I I praise the whole team. The soundtrack by James Horner rounds up the experience. The rest was movie history as Avatar broke all box office records.

It is well liked by critics and fans but will not be named as best movie of all times. Overall I am back to my beginning statement. It is a 10/10 movie when I watched it first. Later I had my doubts and think in the 8-9/10 range.

However because of the worldbuilding and good memories I will go with a 10/10 and would recommend it for everyone as it has a place in movie history.