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Film Review: Avatar

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Director: James Cameron
Year: 2009
Grade: B+

If you are thinking of seeing this in any other venue then IMAX, then you need your head examined and then chopped off and kicked down the street like a soccer ball a la George Bush Sr. for you Bill Hicks fans :) But, seriously, it’s worth shelling out the extra smackers to experience this 3D Sci Fi mega blockbuster in an IMAX theater. The sound is simply exquiste. Of course your 3D glasses make the film all the more epic and exciting i.e. people running past you, objects thrown in your direction, and my personal favorite, being chased by an enormous, ferocious animal about to tear you to shreds as you pathetically attempt to foil his monstruous ability to jostle you to and fro. Now, I must admit, I am biased here, in the sense that I am not the biggest fan of Sci Fi, War, Action, or any sort of “epic” film, for the most part. Perhaps if this was an off colour comedy with some young, chic, unconventionally beautiful actress and her hipster, male co star with a soundtrack dominated by my low fi favorites I would probably rate it higher than this even if it was of lesser quality. So, keep that in mind while I disect the film for the remainder of the review. To begin, of course it was visually goregous and the action was entertaining. The story was sound and actually unexpected, at least for me. Briefly, the plot concerns a young jarhead marine named Jake Sully, who is sent on a mission in which he becomes part of an entirely foreign world called Pandora, literally becoming like this new species: blue, tail, etc. As his tenure on the planet continues he questions the military’s motives for his mission and their future plans with the planet. Soon, he finds himself at home and decides to follow a new path. SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS!

I must say that I really dig the way Jake joins his new blue comrades and does the right thing by helping them fight off their oppressors/occupiers: the American Military. Kinda subversive for such a mainstream film! It would be like an American soldier in Vitenam, who is sent on a mission to be a Viet Cong informant and then he “betrays” the yankies for his new KONG brothers. That would be cool sorta ahah.

Overall: Once again, I don’t typically get boners over these kinds of films, but it was a decent flick, certainly worth seeing at least once. All in all, overrated, with that being said, the story was solid, the acting was nothing special, but worked just fine, and well you know in terms of visual/special effects and what have you, it was top notch.

P.S. Jay Reatard- Turning Blue should have appeared on the soundtrack. What did they expcect Disco? Boring fucks…

Chris

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My Top Five Favorite Sequels

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Shot of young Vito Corleone (Robert De Niro) gaining his first taste with murder as he is about to shoot public enemy Don Fanucci in the Godfather Part II

1) Terminator 2: Judgment Day (James Cameron, 1991)- Perhaps the greatest action flick of all time and certainly a milestone for special effects. An overall fun time by all!

2) The Dark Knight (Christopher Nolan, 2008)- One of the greatest (summer) blockbusters of modern times. You couldn’t turn your head without hearing a patron poorly imitating the Joker’s, “why so serious?” Action was entertaining, characters were well developed, dialogue was memorable, and the story closely followed the original comics. All in all, far more enjoyable than it’s predecessor. RIP Heath Ledger

3) Clerks II (Kevin Smith, 2006)- Quite frankly, I was shocked this film was so marvelous! Being a huge fan of the original Clerks (1994) (# 3 on my list of all time favorites), I honestly did not anticipate Smith’s sequel to the live up to the first film’s greatness, but I was dead wrong. The unlikely duo of Dante (Brian O’ Halloran) and Randal (Jeff Anderson) are just as funny and pathetic (perhaps more pathetic!) in their 30s as they were in their 20s. Smith maintains the witty raunchiness we love in our View Askew joints and simultaneous creates a heartfelt masterpiece.

4) The Godfather Part II (Francis Ford Coppola, 1974)- How do you top The Godfather (1972) arguably the greatest film in cinematic history? Well, you can’t! On the other hand, audiences fell in love with this sequel and many fans favor it over numero uno. In fact, it was awarded Best Picture at the Academy Awards, I believe the only sequel to do such a thing. Anyway, this picture continues the disturbing story of Michael Corleone and follows him into his darkest hour. By the end of the film, Michael is truly all alone with his sinister self.

5) Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (Irvin Kirshner, 1980)- The darkest and for many the greatest of the original Star Wars Trilogy. There are no victories, no happy endings and no cuddily ewoks. This time the good guys don’t win, but it leaves we, the viewers lingering for more, like any good story should. With the introduction of the incredibly small, but sagacious Jedi Master, Yoda, the shocking revelation that Darth Vader is actually Luke Skywalker’s papa, and the badassness of Boba Fett, Empire is Fantasy Drama at it’s finest.

Note: Technically, Kill Bill Volume 2 (Quentin Tarantino, 2004) should be number one, but I do not think of it as a sequel, rather I view both Volume 1 and 2 as an entire, epic masterpiece.

Chris