Just like there is nothing new under the sun there is also no perfection which can be attained (though striving for it is what keeps us trying) which means there is no perfect film and nothing which can be so flawless that is beyond criticism. Having said that I liked Avatar, so with that admission it’s best to get the negative points out of the way just so we can enjoy the film.

The storyline is as old as the hills. It borrows from Native American history freely (Mother Earth spirit, living in balance with nature, worshipping nature gods), throws in a Pocahontas/Dances with Wolves twist (which makes it the perfect couples movie to go and see together) and allows it to percolate. Because of that the dialogue, sometimes grates with clichés which, however, are in keeping with the theme.

Ok. That’s it. Bad points out of the way here’s why you should go and see this film. Once every century, a film comes along which pushes cinematic boundaries to a new point and, by doing so, unfetters the mind to allow us to do what cinema does best: see our dreams come to celluloid life on screen.

In 1999 The Matrix did just that, creating a densely-woven tale which used technology to work, in tandem, at many different levels. Avatar does the same, almost, and does it well. Wrapped within the kernel of the action flick with an eco-friendly message is a far more complicated storyline which makes you question morality, betrayal, common values and the capability of love to supersede death and become the catalyst for a solution (another thread it shares with The Matrix). The fact that the central hero is a fallen hero in his world, dreaming just to stay alive, adds a degree of poignancy which, in its own way, is heart-wrenching. The change in his character is as gradual as the magic of the on-screen story on the viewer who, forgetting quibbles, willingly suspends all disbelief and surrenders to the pulse-pounding, gut-wrenching, adrenaline ride of a blockbuster that is firing on all cylinders.

The CGI is eye-popping both for the extent in which it has been used and its seamless integration with live action figures and the trills and spills, while big, are perfectly in character raising the bar to such an extent that the viewer takes them in his stride and never sees them as set pieces put on the big screen in order to provide some high-end, eye-candy.

So, is it worth your pop-corn chewing time? You betcha! Is it the kind of film you can see with your partner and then discuss animatedly together? Yep, it is! Go and see it and then go and see it again and oh, yeah, should you wish for any of those super-fit, acrobatic, feline bodies, remember I was there ahead of you.

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The main ideas and the outlines of film industry has evolved, but declined in some cases, but remain the exciting new story and well-written is the kernal of good film

khalid abed , December 22, 2009

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