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From Shadowfax

Eye candy

There is no doubt whatsoever, Jame's Cameron's latest movie is visually stunning. From the opening sequences of the approaching spaceship to the rich flora and fauna of the planet Pandora everything is beautiful rendered in loving detail. This movie is definitely worth seeing for the eye candy alone.

In Avatar the computer game Command and Conquer meets the story of Pocahontas in the landscape of a 1970's progressive rock album cover by Roger Dean. As an aside, I hope Dean got some credit for his influence on the art design, because it is obvious in so many shots from the floating rock islands through the curving rock pillars and even in the colour patterns on the flying animals.

Stereotypes and archetypes

Against such a fantastic backdrop the story is almost too simple. Most of the characters are stereotypes and the plot markers are so heavy-handed that the story holds few surprises. Despite that I loved this movie. It is a classic battle of good and evil, but it is well done.

What I loved most about Avatar, however, was the way that technology has allowed Cameron to break free of some of Science Fiction's most ridiculous archetypes. There was no artificial gravity on the spaceships. The atmosphere of Pandora was not breathable by humans. Low gravity meant that life on Pandora was on a larger scale; huge trees, and huge animals. I loved the fact that the animals nostrils were not on their faces. I loved the fact that they had four eyes and six limbs. I loved the fact that the humanoid Na'vi were so much bigger than their human counterparts and had three fingers not four. Despite this I wondered why Cameron had chosen to make them humanoid at all. Given the six limbed, four-eyed, neck-breathing model of much of the fauna it would have been refreshing to have the Na'vi follow the same form - but I guess had this been the case the central romance might have been less believable.

Return to Pandora

The second half of the movie is a fast-paced action film as the battle unfolds. However, it is the slower, more explorative first half which will pull me back again and again. I'd love to wander through the phosphorescent glades of Pandora, scale the floating mountains or hunt with the Na'vi on my own ikran (the flying mountain banshee). It is the envisaging and population of Pandora which is the movie's greatest accomplishment. And for that it is worth seeing again...