Everyone already knows about Avatar at this point. Everyone knows the fact that it is still the highest grossing film of all time, even now. Everyone knows that its new sequel, The Way of Water, is on it’s way to the top too, currently sitting at #3 on the list. What more is there to say, really? Clearly, everyone and their dog has seen it. But guess who hadn’t? Yep.
Just in case, I’ll slap together a brief plot anyway. Set in the future, a paraplegic army veteran is sent on a unique mission to Pandora, a moon which possesses a valuable mineral that humans are determined to get their hands on. When he falls in love with one of the Na’vi and learns their way of life however, he quickly reassesses what his priorities should be on this moon, deciding to help protect them instead of following his orders from Earth.
Yes, I was part of that 1% of the population that didn’t see Avatar when it originally came out in 2009. I was not interested then and I’m only interested now because there’s a new sequel that’s nominated for several Oscars. Not sorry.
So is this really worthy of the #1 highest grossing movie of all time title? Honestly, I’d rather rewatch Avengers: Endgame (currently #2), but I did enjoy it much more than I thought I would. No matter your stance on Avatar and its legacy, you can’t deny the extensive spectacle of its world building and CGI landscapes. The way they colour the sky alone is enough to praise its visuals; it’s quite obvious why it won the award for Best Art Direction back in the day.
Conversely, it’s absolutely not perfect aesthetically either. One particular sequence that stands out to me still after watching is the image of Signourney Weaver’s little face poking through her mask as they attempted to heal her. If you don’t remember it, watch it back. In comparison to some of these outstanding visual effects, it looks so amateurish and unfinished that it’s embarrassing.
In terms of script and storyline, my wife warned me before we watched the movie that the plot is basically the plot of Pocahontas… and she was not wrong. I saw someone else here say that it’s time to admit that James Cameron is a great director but not a great writer, and I have to say that I agree. Not only is Avatar’s story one that we’ve all heard before (albeit being presented in a more original way), but there’s not a single line of dialogue that I can recall aside from Weaver exclaiming “oh, shit!” at the perfect moment. It’s true: story-wise, it’s subpar at best.
Although I was initially put off by the run time, I will say that it flew by for the most part. It’s a decent movie, don’t get me wrong, it just seems over-hyped for what it really is. And what is it, exactly? A good, visually interesting science fiction movie, but nothing more.
Avatar is currently available to stream on Disney+ in the UK.
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Overall Enjoyability Rating: ½
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