Movie Review: Avatar

I am a big fan of James Cameron, i have liked all his works like Abyss, Aliens, Terminator 1 & 2, True Lies except Titanic. I know people would hate me for saying this but i found Titanic to be too long and boring at times. Titanic was good but not great, and not James Cameron's best, it went to be the biggest box office success in the history is something for which i give due respect to Titanic but it will never be one of my favorite. So after a relative disappointment of Titanic as we don't expect "good" from James Cameron, comes Avatar. So how was Avatar?

Only one word: Breathtaking. This is the only word i will use for this movie. This movie is out of this world. A visual spectacle. Luckily i watched it in 3-D and the effect is amazing. The movie barring its clichéd storyline is amazing, you gotta see to believe it. The alternate world created by James Cameron is simply amazing, it looks strikingly real. The amount of thought that would have gone in designing the entire ecosystem like plants, animals etc. would have been astounding. I heard that James Cameron had scripted this movie many years ago but didn't made it because he thought that the technology to justify the script was not there, he was right as the movie special effects are groundbreaking even according to the current standards. The wait done by James Cameron is well justified. The characterization of the leading characters at times seems like a caricature. There are stereotyped characters which some people might find annoying and too old fashioned but then it was scripted many years ago so some old styles would be reflected in it.

If i say about the direction it follows the signature James Cameron style. A good beginning with introduction of various characters and their motives well set, then for some time the script just goes at a slow to normal pace with some twists and turns, sometimes some of the scenes would seem unnecessary, then the build up to the climax and in the end an elongated epic fight or battle scene which seems worth the wait. Also the unnecessary scenes comes together in the end and becomes relevant. Another signature James Cameron style is that the movie is long and to some people would seem like half an hour too long. I won't divulge much about the script but all the characters whether it be side characters are well defined and every character gets enough screen time. Even the love story is handled well. The performances from characters are decent, Sam Worthington as expected gets most of the screen time and he does well. Another thing which should be mentioned is the soundtrack, the background music enhances the impact of many scenes.

I would highly recommend this movie to be watched only in 3-D to enjoy it fully. The effort invested by the technical team becomes all the more evident as compared to 2-D. This is not James Cameron's best work but still it is good. And if you can keep your eyes off some small glitches this movie would definitely work for you.

So, go out there and book your ticket for the next 3-D show. Its going house full every show so it would be tough, but trust me it would be worth it. James Cameron is back and that too with a bang!