If Avatar was in Swahili, it would be worth the price of admission. Without discussing story, theme, or anything else, let me first state that the visuals make the movie worth seeing. I won’t ruin anything for you, but the first time you see the floating mountains, you will be blown away. Every frame could be on a postcard and that’s in the 2D version. 3-D is even more spectacular. One of the things to notice when you watch is the sense of scale. Note how dramatically Cameron separates the two species and then how spectacularly he combines them. I could write this entire review on the visuals but for brevity’s sake, I will stop there and let you experience them for yourself.
In terms of plot, this is the one point at which I find the film lacking. It is essentially Dances with Wolves or any similar plot and innovates very little. I won’t describe more as you’ve probably heard enough about the story. From the beginning you know where it is headed and it heads precisely there. This simplicity however adds to the enjoyment of the visuals and James Horner’s brilliant soundtrack. The movie is a piece of art, not a complex literary work.
But even then, the movie conveys a certain message and one that we in this country are not comfortable with if we examine it closely. After watching the movie, I realized that it is profoundly anti-American. It condemns both our current foreign policy of killing for resources and our historical trend of subjugating natives for our own personal gains. This point is driven home gracefully however through the relatable love story and potent visuals. Consider this a movie to see at least once if not more.
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