Avatar
Whilst the technological aspect is well-documented, Avatar is so much more than showcase of innovation. Placed together with a good, albeit familiar plot, and this really is a true form of escapism.

It is possibly one of the most hyped films of all time. When James Cameron announced years ago that Avatar and the technology it would present would change the direction of cinema, some groaned, Zemeckis, Spielberg, Lucas et al got a sneak peek inside and many waited with bated breath.

The technology in question is led by a head-rig camera that can film even the smallest nuances of the actors faces and a virtual camera that allowed Cameron to essentially shoot scenes in the fantasy world of Pandora. It is also shot in stereoscopic 3D. Although, the making of the film was revolutionary, the narrative structure is a familiar one.

The film takes place in 2154. For 30 years scientists, corporate businessmen representing the mining industry and the military have been closely observing the moon of Pandora, an eden-like world inhabited by a species called the Na’vi. The scientists are studying it, while the businessmen are trying to get to the lucrative mineral, and unsubtly named, Unobtainium that sits below a sacred part of Pandora. The military are there to facilitate this.

This presence has caused tension between the humans and the Na’vi. As the Pandoran atmosphere is toxic to humans, the scientists, led by Grace (Sigourney Weaver), have created an ‘avatar’ program in which humans can telepathically navigate another body – in this case, specially-created Na’vi bodies.

Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) is a former marine confined to a wheelchair sent to replace his twin brother, who had trained to be an avatar driver before his untimely death. Reborn in his avatar form, Jake has the ability to walk again but his lack of training is quickly apparent and he soon gets lost in Pandora where a series of ferocious creatures confront him. His life is saved by Neytiri (Zoe Saldana), a beautiful Na’vi female, and he is taken in by the Na’vi people because of an apparent connection he has with Pandora. Jake inevitably begins to sympathise with the Na’vi and what begins as an army mission to infiltrate the tribe and find out what they want, turns into something much more serious for Jake as he falls in love with Neytiri.

As the bulldozers roll in to destroy the Na’vi world, Jake has a decision to make; to fight with the humans or to fight against them.

Conceptually and visually, Pandora is a captivating world. Plants, animals and the Na’vi are all connected (through nerve endings as it happens). At night, Pandora takes on a UV aesthetic; skin, plants, animals are luminous in the darkness. There are creatures; some that are ferociously ugly (and dangerous) and others that are so utterly fascinating you want David Attenborough to immediately get in there, set-up a camera and go.

At the heart of this world are the Na’vi, tall blue creatures with big eyes and ears, three fingers and a tail – all of which are ultra-realistic in the CG animation. This is where the head-rig camera really pays dividends. For the first time in motion capture, you can actually see the emotion in the characters’ eyes and not just a blank empty stare. The 3D element enhances not only the viewer’s experience but their involvement in the film. With the Pandoran insects flitting around you and the grass seemingly hitting you in the face, you become part of the dash for survival, you become part of the battle, you become part of Pandora.

When Jake first navigates his body and comes to the realisation that he has feet and working legs, there is a sequence so visually superb that you feel his ecstasy, hope and escape which would be lost with lesser technology. Similarly it is the fast-paced sequences that really show the technology at its best. The screen was so optically intense that your eyes were tested to their full extent as you attempt to see everything going on in a single shot.

There is a certain self-righteous element to Cameron films that always seems to come to the fore beacuse, of course, Cameron always has a message. This time he’s been touting the film as poignant warning of climate change and the plight of human destruction of the natural world. If that was the message that Cameron was really attempting to put across, then the film ultimately fails. Much more intriguing is the message of ‘science versus faith’ that the film highlights or the positioning of the American military as the bad guys, too trigger happy and on orders of the mining corporations rather than the preservation of a society. Sound familiar? The borrowed line “we will fight terror with terror” certainly adds to this parallel.

Whilst the technological aspect is well-documented, Avatar is so much more than a showcase of innovation. Placed together with a safe, familiar plot, and this really is a true form of escapism. A visually incredible and unreservedly compelling film.