Avatar (2009)

Our rating: 3 out of 5

Rated: PG13

reviewed by Shannon H.
 

One of the definitions of the word “avatar” comes from the Hindu religion meaning an incarnation of a god or goddess into human form. While none of the characters in the film are divine, there is a great deal of incarnation going on for the sake of science and greed. James Cameron’s new film Avatar is an epic of “titanic” proportions.
 
In the year 2154, humans discover an alternate world in outer space known as Pandora. A mining company known as RDA has discovered a valuable mineral deep within Pandora and are dead set on invading this world and the blue-skinned people that live on it, known as the Na’vi. The project is spearheaded by RDA’s corporate head Parker Selfridge (Giovanni Ribisi) and RDA security head Colonel Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang). After his twin brother is killed, Cpl. Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), a parapalegic ex-marine is selected to take his place as a genetically-engineered Na’vi for security and scientific purposes. He then teams up with scientist Dr. Grace Augustine (Sigourney Weaver) and Norm Spellman (Joel David Moore), an anthropologist. 
 
Dr. Augustine, Norm, and Jake are given the task of “moving” the Na’vi people out of the way so that RDA can go in and mine their homeland for the precious mineral. They are put in a special device (that closely resembles a tanning bed) that transforms them from human to Na’vi form and go on a mission in Pandora to do some fact-finding as well as try to peacefully talk to the native people. During this mission, Jake gets separated from his group and meets Neytiri (Zoë Saldana) a native Na’vi who at first, is repulsed by this strange Na’vi-human hybrid but is told by her parents to teach him the ways of their culture, religion, and lifestyle. This helps Jake gain valuable information as he reports back to RDA’s Pandora headquarters. Col. Quaritch then tells Jake that if he infiltrates the Na’vi, he will help him with an expensive medical procedure to fix his legs. As Jake learns the ways of Pandora’s native people, he grows attached to them, especially Neytiri. When he becomes more immersed in the Na’vi culture, he starts to question his “mission” with the RDA.
 
The film is rated PG-13 and it does have its share of profanity, violence, and sensuality. There are scattered profanities and harsh abuses of deity but they don’t permeate the script or dialogue. Violence is standard PG-13 fare; there is nothing graphic. As far as sensuality is concerned, the native Pandoran people wear very little clothing. Two Na’vi are seen passionately kissing under the shade of a sacred tree and in the next scene, it is implied that they have made love. There is talk of “mating” after two Na’vi are paired up for life. The Na’vi worship a goddess named Eywa, which may offend some Christian viewers.
 
Avatar is a great film, cinematically speaking. The CGI and special effects are fantastic and the acting is quite good. It’s not the best film of 2009 by any means but it is much better than James Cameron’s 1996 box office hit, Titanic. The dialogue could use some work, though. The Na’vi race and culture reminded me of native African tribes because of the similarities between names and tribal clothing worn by the elders. What I didn’t like about the film was the sensuality, even though it was brief and not graphic. As far as the religious aspect of the movie is concerned, I doubt there is an anti-Christian agenda behind it and it really doesn’t propagate goddess worship, but as mentioned earlier, some Christians might take offense (I admit that I also did, albeit slightly).  It’s a great film for sci-fi buffs and those who are fans of James Cameron’s work.