Our hero, however, is human - for a while, at least. Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) is a former marine paralysed from the waist down in combat on Earth. Given access to a Na'vi body, which he pilots remotely from an orbiting spaceship, he is sent to Pandora by the military, 100 years in the future. What he doesn't realise is that he may be part of a covert strategy to investigate the planet's potentially lucrative natural resources (there's a global warming agenda to Avatar, no doubt). There's a moment in the footage I saw this morning, just after Jake has been rescued from a pack of baying, canine types, by a radiant, dread-locked Na'vi lady (who appears to be the flick's romantic interest) when he looks around and takes in his surroundings for the first time. And it's here that Cameron is most successful - not in the action sequences, which are admittedly remarkable and make excellent use of 3D, nor in the superb scene onboard the spaceship in which Jake's brain is first fused with his alien body. I felt completely immersed in the sublime, bizarre beauty of the Pandorian rainforest, both comforted by its warmth, and unnerved by its inherent perversity. And that, certainly, is tribute to the 3D work - the dripping fronds almost seem to lick your face, the humidity makes you feel you should be perspiring. But will it have the narrative warmth and humanity to transcend its geeky space opera roots and reach out to a wider audience? There has been much hope that the film would follow in the vein of Cameron's last fiction film, 1997's box-office megalith, Titanic, whose enormous success was partly down to appealing to both genders. Avatar, thought it does bear an uncanny resemblance in parts to the early Star Wars films - in particular Return of the Jedi, with its scenes on the forest moon of Endor - still looks to me like a film with a certain type of man in its crosshairs. "I think it was good; I didn't think it was mind-blowing," said Joanna Davison, a 28-year-old technical director from Kilburn, and one of the few women who attended this morning's screening at the BFI IMAX in London. "I think girls will probably go and see it with their boyfriends, but I'm not sure it's this big romantic epic. They don't seem to be marketing it on the story, they seem to be marketing it on the 3D. But it will definitely appeal to kids." Student Ali Jawad, 20, from Kingsbury, meanwhile, thought the footage was "very impressive', although he also thought the CGI was "a little blurry at times". He added: "It was nothing like as bad as Transformers though. You could definitively see what was going on. I'll certainly be back to see the film - I'm a big fan of James Cameron, but I'm not sure it should be judged in the shadow of Titanic. It's a completely different genre." The full version of Avatar doesn't arrive on UK screens until the winter, so there's still plenty of time for Cameron and his team to consolidate the hype required to justify the $250m plus budget. Today's screenings were a big part of that, but the jury remains out on whether Avatar will revolutionise cinema and cinema-going habits in the way Cameron has suggested. Ultimately, no matter how caught up audiences are in the 3D world of Pandora, they'll also need to feel involved in a romance between two big, blue Thundercat-type creatures, one of which is being controlled by a wounded squaddie. This could yet turn out to be Cameron's greatest challenge.Read full review
I have only watched the blu-ray disc, but worked as new. Like that there is also a dvd since we have both in the house.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
I am a little bit disappointed that any of the smurfs were not hired as extras. Kiddin'... A very good movie. Computer generated effects are brought to a whole new level and this movie showed it. For the story line, I am a person whom greatly appreciates the outdoors. The ideas which are at times associated with Native Americans, that all life is connected, is a theme which hopefully this movie helped to emphasizes.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
Excellent graphics but I believe this type of "action movie" requires a 3D theater to fully enjoy all it's meant to show. Still, it is a good movie. I would have liked more explanation at the beggining but the producers and the director went the easy route by using actors that have played the "good guys" and those who have played the "bad guys" oher sci-fi films. It also plays well with the "green" crowd because, once again, "It's not nice to fool Mother Nature!"
Jake Sully, a war veteran who gets called to the depths of space to pick up the job of his slain twin brother for the scientific arm of a megacorporation looking to mine the planet of Pandora for a valued ore. Unfortunately the biggest deposit of the prized substance lies underneath the home of the Na'vi, a ten-foot-tall, blue-skinned native tribe who have been at war with the security arm of the company, lead by Col. Miles Quaritch. Because of the planet's hostile atmosphere, humans have genetically grown half-alien/half-human bodies which they can jack their consciousnesses into and explore the world in. This movie was an epic. A must see, especially in IMAX. Great story and orchestrated like a masterpiece. Mouth dropping cinematics and great acting. The creativity put into this world is fabulous and you really do feel like you're there when you put on those dorky 3D glasses. It's got everything you need in a movie: fantasy, science, adventure, war and battle, a dash of comedy and some unexpected romance all in such a beautiful atmosphere. One to add to a collection.Read full review
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