Avatar

Avatar

I know you’ve all been hearing about it, but Avatar, the latest film by James Cameron, is absolutely amazing. I went to see this movie on a whim, actually. My dad asked me that morning if I wanted to go along with him and one of my brothers to see it later that afternoon. All I knew about the movie was that there are blue people and that it cost a ridiculously large amount of money to make.

This movie is a stunning example of new and innovative movie effects. Not only was the movie almost entirely done in amazing computer animation, it was filmed in 3D. Out of all the movies that I’ve seen in this new Real 3D format¹, this movie has the best use of the 3D effects I have ever seen. In the scenes in the forest, there is always something drifting in the frame – leafs, seeds, dust, ash, you name it – and even this simple inclusion completely immerses you in the world presented.

And that’s just the simplest of the effects.

The story itself is quite simple. A child could predict what happens. Especially if that child had recently watched Pocahontas because essentially, the story is exactly the same. Man with the invading force falls in love with the native girl and she teaches him the wonderful things about her world. Very simple, very easy to understand love story. With some environmental activism thrown in.

The design for this movie was amazing. When I found out Weta Workshop did the majority of the designing, I was not surprised. They have consistently done amazing and detailed design work and this movie was a prime example of that design skill.

I definitely recommend seeing this movie. Even if you think that the story is cliché and shallow, the effects and design are well worth the money.






¹Which is, admittedly, not as many as other people.