Avatar is a perfect amalgamation of virtual visual splendour and close-to-the-human-heart sentiments. It’s a hardcore Hollywood masala that treats you to ’shock-n-awe’ of the extra terrestrial kinds. Top Gun fire fighting atop friendly flying dinosours and a cute romance between strong willed ET Princess and his saviour American warrior. Amusing. Visual effects through 3d glasses transports you to an amazing land blessed with a delectable celestial charisma. Fantasy come true.
The best thing about Avatar is the dedicated behind-the-scenes team. Actors just happen to deliver the goods. But it’s the magnificence of the vivid imagination that director James Cameron and his team are imbued with that transforms this film into a successful experiment of fusing the real with the imaginary. Mauro Fiore’s breathtakingly crafty cinematography, James Horner’s Pied-Piper effect like background music score, Rick Carter and Robert Stromberg’s incredible production design, Kim Sinclair’s masterful set decoration, the long list of team members involved in God-like visual effects, spot-on make up department, magic-clarity given by the sound department, flying-fists-in-the-air stunts....it’s a long list of never ending behind the scenes brilliance that has nurtured this spectacle.
Where writer-director James Cameron scores brownie points is the way he has interwoven the testosterone-powered visual effects with an age old story that strikes a chord with the viewers instantly. Jack (Sam Worthington) is an ex-marine who was wounded in a combat and paralysed from waist-below. He is a part of the Avatar program which will gift him the ability to walk again. He is virtually transported to Pandora, an extra terrestrial moon blessed with wondrous life forms and beastly animals.
Pandora is inhabited by Navi, a sentient humanoid race. Americans want to capture this land because of its rich minerals. But humans can’t breathe in Pandora, hence Jack is transformed into the Avatar of a genetically-bred Human-Navi hybrid. After facing resistence, he learns to be like them and also falls in love with their ferocious-yet-virtuous princess Neytiri (Zoe Saldana).
The sensitivity with which the underpriviledged are showcased is fascinating. It’s as if Americans are taking a potshot at many of their policies. When the main villain Colonel Miles (Stephen Lang) screams about destroying ’terror with terror’ or the ’shock-n-awe’ treatment one is reminded of the Big-Bush statements that earned a lot of hatred for Americans all over the world. By supporting the downtrodden and establishing the rule of the meek over the powerful (supposedly called civilised but are worse than beastly), Hollywood has taken the step in a more humane direction.
On the flip side, Avatar tends to be a bit slow at times and you feel that let’s-get-going guys. And yes, the story follows the graph of any Hindi potboiler with all the trappings of action, romance, the chance-pe-dance survival moments and a poetic ending. The attitude of the actors is kick-ass laced with Rambo-glares for the pilots and their wry sense of humour that cracks you up. The visual effects artistry has to be seen to be believed. It’s unbelievable. I am not saying much about the actors as anyone would have played the part since it is so well written and is backed by an astoundng script and a grand production design.
Avatar is a must watch film. Feast on this treat. Today.