Avatar

I had the opportunity to see Avatar yesterday afternoon in Imax 3D. The movie it most reminded me of was The Wizard of Oz. I say that because James Cameron's Avatar is a category changer.

Just as 70 years ago, audiences were mesmorized by MGM's vivid technicolor, Cameron's first foray into 3D and the other new technologies that he spent $250 million to bring to the screen means that, from this point on, every new sci-fi/fantasy flick will be held to a higher standard.

As a result of its innovations and enormous attention to detail, the movie is a visual stunner. There were points in the movie where my jaw literally dropped. A multiplicity of new fauna and flora are introduced, with some of the latter being simply transfixing in their resplendent luminosity. The beauty alone makes the movie worth seeing.

But Cameron's first movie as director since 1997's Titanic isn't just an empty vehicle for special effects. Avatar offers a compelling plot and interesting characterization as well.

Pandora is a moon light years away from Earth, so far away that those traveling there must be put into cryogenic sleep. The natives of the planet are called the Na'vi. They are a very strong people, intensely connected to their planet spiritually, who stand feet taller than the humans with whom they share Pandora.

The humans on Pandora are with the Resources Development Administration (RDA). The organization primarily views the Na'vi as an impediment to their desire to extract as much Unobtainium (the naming of which is the silliest thing about the movie), which is worth $20 million per kilogram, as they possibly can from the satellite.

Enter Jake Sully (Sam Worthington). The ex-Marine is a paraplegic who's sent to Pandora to replace his deceased twin brother on a mission to either reach agreement with the Na'vi to cooperate with RDA or to find out enough inside information on them to facilitate their military defeat. He does that by having his mind transferred into an Avatar, which is described as a 'Human/Na'vi hybrid." He essentially is turned physically into a Na'vi.

As Jake learns more about the Na'vi people, he finds himself becoming more empathetic to their ways. This tension sets up the final conflict that concludes the movie.

Highly recommended.