Avatar (2009)

Director:

James Cameron

Writer (WGA):

James Cameron (written by)

Release Date:

18 December 2009 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Plot:

A paraplegic marine dispatched to the planet Pandora on a unique mission becomes torn between following his orders and protecting the world he feels is his home.

Plot Keywords:

Epic | Alien | Military | Power Suit | Mushroom

Awards:

Nominated for 4 Golden Globes. Another 9 nominations

Cast

Sam Worthington	...	Jake Sully
Zoe Saldana	...	Neytiri
Sigourney Weaver	...	Dr. Grace Augustine
Stephen Lang	...	Colonel Miles Quaritch
Michelle Rodriguez	...	Trudy Chacon
Giovanni Ribisi	...	Parker Selfridge
Joel Moore	...	Norm Spellman (as Joel David Moore)
CCH Pounder	...	Moat
Wes Studi	...	Eytukan
Laz Alonso	...	Tsu'tey
Dileep Rao	...	Dr. Max Patel
Matt Gerald	...	Corporal Lyle Wainfleet
Sean Anthony Moran	...	Private Fike
Jason Whyte	...	Cryo Vault Med Tech
Scott Lawrence	...	Venture Star Crew Chief

Also Known As:

Avatar: An IMAX 3D Experience (USA) (IMAX version)
James Cameron's Avatar (International: English title) (promotional title)
Project 880 (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for intense epic battle sequences and warfare, sensuality, language and some smoking.

Runtime:

162 min

Country:

USA | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:PG-13 (certificate #45663) | South Korea:12 | UK:12A | Norway:11 | Ireland:12A | Sweden:11 | Singapore:PG | Denmark:11 | Brazil:12 | Finland:K-13 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud)

Filming Locations:

Hamakua Coast, Hawai'i, Hawaii, USA

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

First James Cameron feature film (i.e. not a documentary nor TV movie nor TV episode) since Titanic (1997), a gap of twelve years.

Quotes:

[from trailer]
[to Jake, before he becomes an Avatar]
Dr. Grace Augustine: Just relax and let your mind go blank. That shouldn't be too hard for you.

Movie Connections:

Edited into "Live from Studio Five: (#1.64)" (2009)

Soundtrack:

I See You

Cameron Returns

Nobody directs like James Cameron. Ten years in the works, and every minute was worth it. For months the rumours flew about Avatar, how it would be a revolution in cinema, actually it will be. It is the Star Wars of the 21st century. Though the plot is derivative and bears some pretty close resemblance to Dances with Wolves and a little bit of The Last Samurai, it does not ruin a mind-blowing experience. Avatar has a great future ahead of it and, possibly another Oscar for the mighty James Cameron.

Jake Sully, is an ex-marine, bound to a wheel chair. He seeks to make a fresh start on the moon Pandora where his brother worked. The moon has a military run mining colony. The business has brought humans into contact with the local natives, tall blue dudes, called Na'vi. The Na'vi inhabit a part of the moon under which lies a large deposit of valuable minerals, and the humans are trying to get them to relocate. Colonel Quarich who runs the operation, ask Sully to go under cover as a Na'vi, to learn the secrets, to give the humans an advantage. If successful, Sully will get his legs back. The magic of future science and 3-D effects give Sully a handsome genetically engineered Avatar body, and he embarks on his mission. Once on the inside however, his loyalties to the humans start to turn when his heart gets lost to the Na'vi princess Neytiri. Is he willing to fight on the blue side now?

I guess the only noticeable problem with Avatar, is a lack of original story. What you see on the screen will blow you away, but all the tough critics, may come down a bit on the fact that despite being the latest in film technology, Cameron uses a very old archetypal formula, perhaps just a bit too schematic. Personally I was not bothered too badly. This is the post- modern era, and originality is rare, but if there is any technical progress to be made in the world of movies and entertainment, there is one name that dwarfs all JAMES CAMERON, and after ten years hiding from the Hollywood mainstream, he is back.