AVATAR

Expectations for the much anticipated Avatar have gotten so great over the years, that many were beginning to doubt director James Cameron's ability to deliver on the hype. After all, it's a film that's been 14 years in the making. When the first trailer was released earlier this summer it looked as though those doubts might become a grim reality. Well Avatar has been out for over a week, and I can easily tell you that all of those doubts were completely unfounded. Cameron proves once again that he's a director that can deliver on the hype, and then take that hype and hump it into submission. Avatar is a stunning achievement. A visually mesmerizing piece of movie making that is the first "must-see" in years.

Set in the year 2154, Avatar tells the story of a legion of mercenary soldiers sent to a far off distant planet called Pandora. Their mission: obtain a highly sought after mineral called "unobtainium" (actually a scientific word, if you believe it). The only problem with unobtainium is that, it's (you've guessed it) very hard to obtain. The only thing standing in between humans and this mineral are the indigenous population of Pandora called Na'Vi. The Na'Vi are 10 foot tall blue humanoids with large ponytails and long tails who live in peace and harmony with their tropical habitat. They are also "very hard to kill".

Jake Sully, played by up and coming star Sam Worthington, is a paraplegic marine recruited to the distant planet to partake in their Avatar program. The atmosphere of Pandora is toxic to humans so the easiest way to travel is to essentially become a Na'Vi yourself through a process that involves linking your brain to the DNA of a homegrown alien shell. It's kind of like The Matrix where your body lies dormant in a tube while your Avatar body is allowed to go native all throughout this hostile environment.

Jake is taken under the wing of Col. Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang) and ordered to infiltrate the natives, gain their trust, and then convince them to vacate their home village so that the Military can harvest the sweet sweet unobtainium (I never tire from using that word). With the promise of having the use of his legs given back to him, Jake easily obliges. That is, until his life is saved by the Na'Vi princess Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) and everything he thought he knew and believed in now means jack shit.

Neytiri teaches Jake how to live in harmony with all of the beasties that live on Pandora. In doing this he starts to learn their customs, their beliefs, and even their language. Soon enough, a love story unfolds as Jake becomes to simultaneously fall in love with both Neytiri and the Na'Vi's way of life. The story is very familiar so as you've probably guessed by now there's a big battle between the humans and the natives that unfolds for most of the film's third act. It's a classic good vs. evil... man vs. nature kind of a tale. But the story is not what's on display here. It's the visuals.

In creating Pandora the makers have succeeded in creating a vast, beautiful, jaw dropping and unique planet with a million facets worth exploring. During the day time, the planet is loaded with animals that could have you for lunch, while at night, everything glows from some inherent bioluminescent quality. Every square inch of Pandora is truly a wonder to behold and you will find your eyes constantly scanning the screen to pick up new details along the way. It really is non-stop entertainment for your eye-balls. (I joked with a co-worker claiming that James Cameron totally Roman Polanski's your eyeballs. Think about it... Yup. I went there.)

Now as for the motion capture technology employed, its easily the best ever seen by an audience. This goes double for the emotions conveyed in the face of Jake's Avatar or in Neytiri herself. The believability in the CGI is absolutely remarkable. When I first saw, The Polar Express, I thought that they should shy away from that technology but after Avatar, I want to see others employ it with as much care as Cameron has. The Na'Vi are brought to life by this process and by the end of the movie you will wish that this world really existed, trust me.

Avatar does a great job creating characters that we care about and villains that we hate. We become absolutely invested in Jake's task to become one of the natives that we stop caring about human beings. Screw um... Na'Vi is where the real party is at. And honestly, if you don't fall in love with Neytiri, I don't even want to hear about it. Even though she's a 10 foot tall blue alien with a tail she's still an awesome character.... and sexy. (Let's face it everyone. She is.)

If none of this has yet attracted you, there's the final action sequence which is worth the price of admission itself. The final showdown between the humans and the inhabitants of Pandora is a kick in your face spectacle that ranks right up there with the final battle in Return of the Jedi. It's fantastic.

I absolutely loved this movie. There is so much to be taken in with each viewing. I loved Pandora. I loved all of the animals that inhabit it, in particularly the Banchee's. I love the relationship between Jake and Neytiri. I love the evil Stephen Lang's character exhibits. I love the Na'Vi. I love how Pandora looks at night. I love how the Na'Vi can essentially "plug in" to any form of life to create a symbiotic relationship. I love the folklore. I love... love.... love this film. Multiple viewings are definitely a must. The only way to see this movie for its true value is on the biggest screen possible. Waiting for the DVD is not acceptable in this case. Avatar will absolutely wow you. Enjoy.

Final Grade: 95/100 Fantastic

2012

Quick! Solve this equation: 2+2 = ?

If you answered correctly, you are already too smart for this movie. 2012 is an action overloaded disaster film about the ultimate disaster... the end of humankind as we know it! Although the end result is not a complete disaster in filmmaking, it will leave many theater-goers hoping for the end to have already come and gone.

If you hadn't yet heard, this film is a result of the hype surrounding the much debated end of the Mayan calendar, which runs out on Dec. 21, 2012. Some believe on that day all of earth's inhabitants will have a front row seat to the ultimate destruction show. The mythology surrounding an event of this magnitude is mildly interesting, but the science to back it up is mostly absent. Nevertheless, it's enough for disaster porn director Roland Emmerich to want to cash in his check and numb our brains.

2012 stars John Cusack as Jackson Curtis, a divorced dad and once published author. The book apparently didn't sell too well, because he has also become a limo driver. He also has to live with the fact that his wife's new boyfriend has made quite a comfortable life for himself. He's a successful plastic surgeon and has captured popularity from his inherited children. Oh yeah, when the movie calls for it, it turns out he's also a pilot.

One day, Jackson takes his two kids on a camping trip to Yellowstone. There, he meets nutty conspiracy theorist Charlie Frost, feverishly played by Woody Harrelson. Charlie, it seems, has been predicting the end of the world for a while now and is positive that the government is covering something up. At first, Jackson is quick to dismiss these allegations as pure BS, but as Charlie's predictions start to come true... well you can just assume from there.

The plot nearly chokes on itself to try and entertain an audience. There are one too many "plane takes off and just barely avoids catastrophe" moments. Just as there are way too many cheese factors, one such involving a Russian models ridiculous attempt at saving her pet pooch. When faced with near death, you won't believe what some people will do to save their animals. Also, Jackson runs into a client of his in LA... then again an airport in Vegas... then finally in China. I hardly see the same bank teller from week to week.

Ultimately, Jackson and his family make their way to China, where they have learned secret mega-boats have been built to save a fraction of earths inhabitants from going for the world record in treading water. Aboard the ships, Emmerich pulls out every cheap thrill in his arsenal. A massive wave crashes into the ship... but wait, somebody left the door open... well that's easily solved, just shut it. Oh wait... it won't shut. And hey, isn't that Mt. Everest we're about to crash in to?

Everything is just way too predictable and over the top for anyone to stay captivated by all of it. I really wanted the film to focus on a lot of things that were never addressed. Firstly, you can't feel attached to any of the characters involved, so when many of them are quickly wiped out it's like, who cares? Next! Secondly, I really think 2012 should have done more to explore the mythology and science behind this belief. We're given a brief video explanation by Woody's character but it's quickly thrown by the wayside to make way for more pointless mother nature homicide. Why is this happening? How does the alignment of the planets effect the tectonic plates causing all of these mega quakes? And why, if this is supposed to occur on Dec. 21st, doesn't it? The movie more or less dumbed down the 2012 belief as an excuse to just kill the world. No explanation needed.

Now on to some praise. This is an action film after all, so lets talk about special effects work. In a word, it's solid. Some scenes are really fun to watch, in particular the one showcasing John Cusack's limo trip to the airport. This is the first action scene to occur in the film, and it's never topped throughout the duration, which is definitely a big problem. It's also clear in this scene that the director just said "screw it. I just want to have fun killing off LA". Afterwards, there are just so many quake cracks and huge floods that one person can take. What would China look like flooded? Now how about Washington? Now New york? Emmerich just plugs in a different location every time and produces the same effects at each. Do we even care? Give us a story for crying out loud instead of a video game!

To sum it up, 2012 showcases some very impressive action scenes but suffers from a convoluted plot and a cheesy script. John Cusack and Woody Harrelson are fun to watch, and Danny Glover as the President is kind of interesting, but all other characters are dead to me. It will be interesting to see what Emmerich's next project will be. After this, there really is nothing left for him to destroy... unless it's all cinema as we know it.

Overall: 60/100 See it once and that should be enough.