Avatar (2009)

Directed by: James Cameron

Starring: Sam Worthington, Zoë Saldaña, and Sigourney Weaver

On the moon Pandora, the RDA Corporation mines a substance called unobtanium, which fetches a very high price on Earth.  In order to get the richest deposits of this substance on Pandora, the corporation must interact with the Na’vi, the indigenous blue humanoids on Pandora.  The RDA Corporation creates and uses avatars, which are bodies that are scientifically manufactured using Na’vi and human DNA.  A human being remotely controls an avatar via a mental connection to it.  Former marine Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) is recruited to use his late brother’s avatar to interact with the Na’vi.  His mission is to convince them to leave their homelands, which have some of the richest deposits of unobtanium.  If he fails this mission, the RDA Corporation will take the unobtanium by force.  He befriends Neytiri (Zoë Saldaña), a female Na’vi, and learns about their culture from her in his efforts to prevent the looming catastrophe for the Na’vi.

James Cameron is no stranger to making groundbreaking films, and Avatar is no different.  Because of Avatar, you can credit Cameron with pioneering one of the most novel film experiences to date by employing IMAX 3D.  You can also blame him for the 3D craze that has plagued movie theaters over the last several years.  Avatar is a great sci-fi film.  It has some great action scenes, and the plot is decent.  The real treat of this film is the rich world that James Cameron creates on screen. This film gets a sober rating for the innovative theatrical experience that immerses us in Pandora.  With the expert usage of IMAX 3D in Avatar,  I truly felt like I was in Pandora while watching this movie.  Like his previous films, Cameron gives us a glimpse of the future of cinema with this epic movie.  Avatar was a landmark achievement.