Saturday, December 19, 2009

Avatar 3D

Touted as the most anticipated movie of the year. The guy behind this, James Cameron who was behind Titantic, still the world's most grossed movie. Avatar was like his baby, 12 years in the making.

With both actual persons and 3D characters in an Epic told on the planet of Pandora, the plot, scripts, the native language and 3D effects.

He used motion capture animation technology to create photo realistic computer characters, this also allow him to see both the actual actors and 3D characters in real time thus able to make any immediate adjustments.

Humans are on Pandora. Their aim is to colonize the planet where unobtainium is abundant, this mineral sells for $20 million per kilo. But there are a few problems, first humans can't breath on Pandora. The most difficult problem is the native Na'vi, an indigenous sentient humanoid race who are considered primitive by human standards, yet are more physically capable than them. Their home on a gigantic tree is the ground where the source of unobtainium is.

The Avatar program is to create genetically engineered human-Na'vi hybrid bodies, also integrated with human genes. Sigourney Weaver as Dr. Grace Augustine, is the head of the program. But she has a problem, ths cost of these Avatars is high and their main objective is to link them between the humans and the native Na'vi. But the Na'vi treated these hybrids with contempt and mistrust. Sam Worthington as Jake Sully, the main guy in the movie, a retired marine. His brother, a scientist who worked on the Avatar program as killed. Thus, he signed up as his avatar should be able to gel with similar genes. He came to Pandora with Joel David Moore as Norm Spellman, a biologist.

The humans volunteer sleep in capsules to control their Avatar. When the Avatar sleeps, the humans go back to their normal lives, sounds familiar, like Surrogates. Jake's first attempt to control his Avatar simply thrilled him as he is able to walk and run, something which he can't do now. His first field trip out with Grace wasn't something he expected, he found himself facing creatures from Pandora.


The Hammerhead Titanothere, this massive creature extremely territorial and hierarchical but is not predatorious. Jake standing still seems to appease these creatures.

But soon came the Thanator, the fiercest panther like creature in Pandora, inject fear into all creatures on Pandora. He fled upon Grace's advice and though manage to stay alive, he was lost.

Into the night, he was attacked by Viperwolves. They are swift, moved in a pack and had great sense. Though Jake seems to have the upper hand earlier, there was too many of them. Zoe Saldaña as Neytiri, the Na'vi princess came and saved him. This character as all Na'vi are computer generated. He brought him back as Eywa seems to spoken. Facing her parents and their people, Neytiri's mother, Mo'at asked Neytiri to teach Jake to be one of them, Tsu'Tey, their finest warrior strongly dislike this idea. On the other hand, Jake was asked by Colonel Miles, to gather information advantagous to them in the event an hostile attack is needed. Jake is in some sort of triple 无间道, gaining trust within the Na'vi, helping Grace and also Miles.

As his time in Na'vi grew, he fell in love with Neytiri. Eventually he passed the training and test, bonding with an Ikran, a must for all Na'vi warriors. It is dangerous as the person as to entered the Ikran territory, facing numerous of them and choose the one that he believes can bond with him. As he failed to convince the Na'vi to move and in one of the human's mining work, Jake attacked one of the machine which was captured by the cam. James, the administrater gives the order to attack the hometree, thinking Jake betrayed them. Miles lead the first hostile attack and successfully brought down the hometree, leaving the Na'vi fleeing. Grace and Jake before they could explained was taken off their Avatar and held captive in Hell's gate. Neytiri was very angry as she felt betrayed by Jake.

Trudy, a retired marine pilot who flew Grace and co frequently in their trips managed to rescue them, taking one of the mobile station and went deep into the Na'vi forest. But Grace was shot while they escaped, with the capsule in the mobile station, Jake is back to his Avatar and hopes to regain the trust of the Na'vi by taming the mother of all ikran which he did. Flying it in and he managed to convince the Na'vi whom still mourning death of Neytiri's father. Jake vowed to fight the humans along with the Na'vi. He also asked Mo'at to save Grace, transferring her life to the Na'vi body but it was too late, as her life was too frail.

Her death really pissed Jake off. As he boost the morale of the Na'vi and gathered more help here and there, preparing for the final showdown. It was a battle between the pursuits of greed through hostility and the fight for their own land and freedom. As Miles and his troops advance from air to the hanging mountains, they waited as the Na'vi prepared themselves on land and in the air. With Jake leading Tsu'Tey and Neytiri, they seems to have a upper hand as their determination to stop this invasion is strong. But as the battle continued, they are overpowered by the fire power. As Tsu'Tey scacrified to stop them from dropping the crates of bombs and Neytiri's ikran got shot down, she was faced with troops and AMPs, it seems the end of Na'vi was impending. Of course, they won't die, if not, how to do a sequel if it earns loads of $ worldwide. 8/10

No comments: