Avatar (2009) Movie Review

Synopsis:

Paraplegic marine Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) uses the Avatar program to investigate an alien world known as Pandora. Jake discovers the Na'vi, a group of extraterrestrial humanoids and their civilization. He also meets Neytiri (Zoe Saldana), who teaches him her people’s ways.

Review:

Visionary filmmaker James Cameron decided to venture into unknown territory. He did this with his $200 million-plus blockbuster, Avatar (2009).

Cameron had a daunting task ahead, given his legacy with The Terminator (1984) and its sequel, Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991).

As a whole, Avatar succeeds on a technical level. Despite its technical achievements, it has a very basic storyline with underdeveloped characters.

What is now the highest-grossing film of all time, Avatar, more than earned a reputation for this alone.

Even today, Avatar’s vibrant environment alien environments stand out. Take, for example, the impressive production value on display.

Cameron’s vision for this world was clear, and he often succeeds.

These are evident in certain facial animations that The Na'vi people express. By today’s standards, they look dated.

Certain creatures appear to lack frames of animation during the action sequences.

Despite some inconsistencies, Avatar is still impressive from a visual standpoint.

As mentioned, Avatar has difficulty developing characters or having a compelling story.

As a whole, Sam Worthington’s performance is decent. Despite this, Avatar’s script doesn’t develop Jake as a character beyond a few standard traits.

These are also applicable to Jake’s love interest in the film, Neytiri (Zoe Saldana).

Again, while Zoe’s vocal performance is above average, we don't learn that much more about her. This is other than that she is a capable hunter.

This makes her interactions with Worthington’s Jake hollow. As a result, it limits the film’s avenues for potential growth beyond these qualities.

A notable addition to Avatar is Sigourney Weaver, who portrays Dr Grace Augustine.

Weaver's performance is good, even if her dialogue is standard.

Avatar’s antagonist, Stephen Lang, portrays Col. Miles Quaritch. For context, Quaritch is a ruthless military commander.

Lang has a blast here and is the movie’s most charismatic presence.

With Avatar’s action sequences, they depend more on spectacle than on personal stakes.

Beyond the film’s last 20-25 minutes, there isn’t much more action to speak of.

While this final sequence also relies on spectacle, it is at least entertaining enough to watch events unfold.

Conclusion:

Avatar is at its most consistent in quality from a visual effects standpoint. As expected, there are some memorable shots throughout.

This film's story has some good moments. Despite this, Avatar has difficulties with its standard dialogue and character approach.

For fans of James Cameron or sci-fi spectacles, it is a recommended watch.

Sam’s Action Reaction score:

Characters - 5/10

Story - 6/10

Action - 7/10

CGI and visuals - 8/10

Soundtrack - 6.5/10

Overall score: 6.5 out of 10