Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Avatar



Rating : 7/10
Release Date : 18th Dec, 2009
Time : 162 minutes
Director & Writer : James Cameron;
Starring : Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Michelle Rodriguez, Giovanni Ribsi


If I strip away the mind-blowing special effects, the sheer awe of being transported to an almost magical world / planet which makes us feel like Alice in Wonderland then I’m left with a story that I found clichéd and highly predictable. I could take any story where settlers send one of their own to blend in with the natives (Tarzan or I remember having seen a film involving settlers and Red Indians) and this one moves along similar lines…that for me was disappointing, despite the movie still being enthralling just for its visual grandeur.



I’m not going to reveal anymore about the story than what I’ve described above, as the way it unfolds enhances the pleasure. You feel like an explorer, uncovering a new world, pretty much like the lead character, Sam Worthington, taking an almost child-like delight in the pleasures of a place and people very unlike ours.


There are implausibillities in the story line, and it does fall prey to the ‘hero’ complex, where it builds up a couple of characters so big that you know nothing can happen to them. But as I said before, the story isn’t the strength of the film.



I liked the way James Cameron hasn’t used any big stars for a project of this size. I liked the core idea of the film, the scale with which it was imagined, the merchandising possibilities, the options it leaves open for sequels / prequels et all. I yearn for the day we are able to do this in Indian cinema. Think outside the box, thing big, not be bound by the star system.


This is a film inspired by Star Wars – it reminded me of the time I saw that movie for the first time, the magic, the awe, the stars in my eyes. This one is good but not as good, or maybe I’m just too old for fables now….

6 comments:

Bala Girisaballa said...

Well said about the "good but not that good". The first love gets undue (and often unfair) benefit of doubt. There is something special about it and its hard to unsettle.

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Vikas said...

7/10 is harsh ! .. there is so much one can take back from this film..
although yes was a bit cliched, but come on Pandora ! Wow !

rishi anand said...

I wonder how can you rate it 7?It was perfect 10.

Apurv Nagpal said...

Freak writing : i missed a great story to go with the great visuals...thought i'd explained it in the review ?

Sumit Surai said...

Nice and short review. With trillions of words being written on Avatar, its best to keep it short. I liked it more because I too think what you expressed here. Avatar is visually awesome, but a film cannot be rated 10/10 just because of that. I can see it again and again for the visuals but without the FX its a very normal and ordinary movie. After all a review should be on the film and not any specific dept. only