A Dangerous Review: Avatar

Just saw Avatar & generally loved it, even though I thought it was a bit uneven. Okay, dangerously uneven. On the technical side, it was brilliant. The 3D & other special effects were so meticulous they drew me in to the world of the film in a way I've never experienced before. Everything felt real, every detail of the planet as well as the Na'vi themselves - they felt as solid and realistic as any human that's ever graced the screen (except Klaus Kinski, THAT guy was REAL : ). And the planet Pandora itself is as gorgeous as anything ever committed to film.

Jim Cameron has always been a gifted technician and writer, and though I liked the story, I did feel the execution was definitely NOT up to his usual standards. There were characters that are Cameron staples - the tough warrior chick, the closed-minded General, the corporate lapdog, the brash but brilliant scientist, etc. - but whereas in previous Cameron films those characters had depth, dimension and solid motivations, I felt the characters inhabiting Avatar were mere caricatures of those in his previous films.

Steven Lang and Giovanni Ribisi gave great performances with what they were given, but what they were given were the same villains we've seen hundreds of times. Unfortunately, they were one-note and very predictable in their actions and reactions. They were so run of the mill I kept waiting for them both to don black hats and start twirling mustaches. Sigourney Weaver attacked her role with her usual gusto, which was great, but again I felt her character was singing a single, predictable note. Michelle Rodriguez almost isn't worth a mention, since she played the same character type she always plays, which is basically her tough saucy self. Zoe Saldina did a terrific job, and I suspect the reason I loved her performance and character so much was she was a Na'vi from beginning to end (unlike the Jake Sully character, who did dual duty as human and Na'vi). She was a "good guy" through and through, totally innocent, which means not much dimension, but I bought it, mainly because that's how her Na'vi upbringing would have influenced her. Sam Worthington was good as Jake Sully, and I felt he had a strong enough character arc to carry the picture.

So the actors were fair to great, but again, I had big problems with the general shallow and uninspired characterizations on paper. Surface characterizations such as these serve to make a film predictable, which means no surprises for the audience. Terrible, from a writing standpoint.

Another example of sub-par writing - one which really bothers me, for some reason - was a scene between Weaver & Ribisi about why the humans are on Pandora in the first place. There is simply no reason for the scene besides delivering exposition. The clunky, stumbly, awkward, b-movie dialogue coupled with the shallow characters made this scene close to laughable. There are a few expository scenes like this, but this particular one stuck out as especially irritating.

Would it have been so difficult for Cameron to simply have a scene showing an "unobtainium" or whatever-they-call-it shipment being delivered and Sully asking "what the hell is that"? It would have given a valid reason for the exposition, and would have caused more real (instead of manufactured) tension in the scene since Sully is so clueless he doesn't even know what the hell all this is about.

Nitpicks aside, I still highly recommend everyone see Avatar, if anything for the experience of truly feeling as you've been transported to another world. On a technical level, the film was flawless. However, I can't wait for Cameron to write some more and recapture his talent for writing unique - instead of trite - characters.