Review (Movie) - Avatar

Recipe -
1 part Alice In Wonderland
3 parts Doom
8 parts Pocahontas
8 parts Ferngully

Directions -
Combine parts on a film reel. Add silver nitrate and 3D glasses and mix well.

Put it all together and what have you got?

Since we didn't get to go Disney for Valentine's Day, my boyfriend took me to see Avatar in IMAX 3D.

The movie had stunning special effects. The 3D was done tastefully - thankfully, James Cameron didn't feel the need to have everything pop in your face to show off. Hopefully this means we won't be missing too much when the movie comes out on DVD (or if you see a non-3D version of the movie in theaters). In movies these days it is growing increasingly difficult to determine what is CGI and what is real; this movie will not [visually] disappoint.

Rated PG-13, I didn't notice an excessive use of curse words, but according to IMDB's parents guide (I always check there before showing a movie in the library if the movie is rated anything higher than G if I haven't seen it before - and sometimes if I have) "every scene has at least 2 semi-strong swears". There is only one "mating" scene in the movie, and it is only implied, not shown. When in doubt, get permission slips signed!

If you don't like the storyline of Pocahontas, or are looking for an uplifting movie, you might want to wait until it comes out on DVD. Personally, I got slightly depressed during the movie as the slow realization washed over me that the movie was accurately portraying the evil, greed, arrogance, and disrespect for our surroundings [most] real humans show these days.

Speaking of Pocahontas, yes, she was a Native American. And I am failing to see why some people are making a huge deal about this movie being racist. It seems to me that Cameron and his producers were writing the story based on what they know from history. White men were invading someone else's planet, and the Na'vi were the ones smart enough to know how to treat their own land, yet they were getting forced out because of the human's greed. Sounds pretty historically accurate to me. Would those who are complaining of racism rather the whole movie been whitewashed so that the humans and the Na'vi were white? Because not acknowledging that other races do exist would have been so much less racist... It's not like they were portrayed as the "bad guys", they were the good smart guys.

So, I liked the story and the visuals, and I haven't heard from many who feel differently. I don't understand why it is suddenly everyone's favorite movie, but when it comes out on DVD, Avatar should still be a hit for your library (or home) for teens and adults.

My Rating: