Avatar - Aufbruch nach Pandora

A film with the scope of James Cameron's Avatar was always going to be a risk both artistically and financially, especially in today's economic climate. Whether it will pay off monetarily is a question only time can answer, but this viewer can at the very least attest to it being an artistic triumph.

Avatar brings us as close as cinema ever has to actually visiting an alien world. The beautiful environs, the exotic creatures and incredibly lifelike natives of Pandora arrest the senses, visually, aurally and emotionally. The world in Avatar is the true star of the show. The amount of detail and work that has gone into bringing this new world alive is seriously impressive, and it will be a while before we see anything that overtakes it in scope and quality. WETA Workshop and ILM have truly outdone themselves.

Relative newcomer, Aussie Sam Worthington provides a solid human heart amongst all the science-fiction/fantasy beauty and Zoe Saldana gives an impressive performance as the 8 foot tall Na'vi, Neytiri. Even though the characters they both play are blue, giant, catlike aliens, they managed to evoke a chemistry and likability that pierces through the special effects.

That's not to say that everything is perfect. The story is basic and dare I say, clichéd and predictable. We have seen it plenty of times in all forms of media. The bad guys are cartoonishly evil, and sadly paper thin. The love story, while charming, is also clichéd despite being between man and alien. But in the face of these shortcomings, Avatar is a success because its storytelling lies in the brilliant visuals.

Avatar is a beautiful piece of film and a true event. It does exactly what cinema was always intended to - it takes us away from our problems and worries for a few hours and gives us memorable images which will undoubtedly and deservedly enter into the cultural lexicon to stay for the foreseeable future.

9.5/10

Well, I just saw Avatar this morning, one of the press premieres which are running on these days. My opinion: you've seen this story a hundred times, but never like this. Finally 3D is what it's supposed to be, an instrument at the service of the movie. You'll enjoy the visual experience, no doubt.

As for the story, some of the "inspirations" are so huge and so obvious that mentioning two or three of them would REALLY ruin the movie for you, and I'm not willing to do that. Lots of mysticism and ecology, if you like that stuff. If you're 15 or so, you'll have a great time thinking that it's the first time somebody makes something like this. If you're an experienced movie watcher, better leave your skepticism at the door, bring lots of pop corn and enjoy with the usual action-flick-with-moral-and-loads-of-clichés.

I liked it, however: "the movie that re-invents movies"??? No way.

When I think of James Cameron, I only feel excellence. After all, he has been one of the most acclaimed and diverse directors. He has surprised audiences with various genres, although science fiction has always held a special place in his heart.

When I went to see this film in theaters more than 15 years ago, I didn't know what to expect. Until then, I had never had a great experience with 3D or anything visually stunning. When I left the theater, I thought (and it's a feeling that persists to this day) that I would never have such an audiovisual experience again. And indeed, it never happened to me again, not even with its 2022 sequel. Some might say that "Avatar" is just "Pocahontas" with blue people instead of Native Americans, and that it's not an original series.

In my case, I found a heartfelt story, deeply rooted in environmentalism, because yes, the "Avatar" films are environmentally conscious!

But it also boasts a heavy dose of action, adventure, special effects, and everything else a story of this kind should have. From beginning to end, it's impactful, keeping you tense or amazed, or both, but above all, it's a part of cinematic history...it's no wonder it's the highest-grossing film of all time.

Unfortunately, I think Cameron, after this, fell so deeply in love with this franchise that it resulted in a sequel with a dreadful script and only decent special effects.

Will this third installment, set to premiere in a few weeks, return to its roots, or will it just be another soulless copy? We'll have to wait and see...

I saw this epic last night at the Empire Leicester Sq in London, which is a superb venue in which to view this film. Huge screen, excellent sound and an extraordinary Dolby, 3 dimensional image. The whole effect is mind blowing.

This is a 'Must see' movie, innovative, and extraordinary. I think it will be regarded by most cinema goers as another milestone in the history of the art. The level of realism achieved is remarkable, and although the film is relatively long in real time, it retains it's excitement and holds the audience's attention to the end.

Performances are good, but this is not the sort of film that dwells on big star value for the actors, although Sigorney Weaver does shine and delivers a very convincing performance, as do the rest of the cast. But as there is so much entertainment and action value on screen the human element does not dominate in the usual way.

As Writer/Director, James Cameron deserves high praise for this creation and in my opinion it will break box office records. I thoroughly enjoyed this film.

You know the feeling when you start watching a movie, realizing it's almost 3 hours, and saying to yourself - "Well this is probably gonna be mostly boring", well, the creators of this movie didn't let that happen, rest assures.

From the beginning up until the ending, every scene is perfected, with amazing acting, stunning directing, great visual effects, and astounding sound effects.

The story building is just great , characters are well-developed , and the concept is brilliant.

The only thing that's missing to me, is a fitting-soundtrack which could've give some scenes a great boost.

I avoided watching this movie for a long time, because it just seemed a little ridiculous to me (Come on there are blue people) but I'm so glad I finally decides to give it a chance, and boy did it serve.

Loved it. 9.5/10.