Friday, January 1, 2010

Avatar

Simply the best Science Fiction film of all time.


Move over George Lucas, there's a new sheriff in town. With all due respect to George Lucas who produced three wonderful Star Wars movies, the science fiction genre has just been taken to heights he never imagined possible. This was not just the very best science fiction movie I've ever seen, it was perhaps one of the finest films period I've ever seen. Okay, let's get started...

The special effects can't be ignored so I'll start with them first. There's never been 3D effects like this ever produced. I've never been pulled into a world as completely as I was Pandora. Every single aspect from the diversity of flora and fauna down to the tiniest insect was rendered with perfect attention to detail. Yes, there were a couple of, "Hey, look what I can do." moments, but they don't take over the entire movie. The special effects enhance the film without being the star of it. Unlike so many movies these days (Star Trek and Speed Racer) where storyline, plot and characterization are completely disregarded in favor of the computer generated awesomeness of the spectacular effect, Avatar tells a wonderful story.

If you truly want to get the most out of the Avatar storyline I'd suggest reading Robert Heinlein's, Stranger In a Stranger Land before seeing the movie. Stranger In a Strange Land is one of my favorite science fiction reads of all times. Avatar echos many of the ideas from Heinlein's book beginning with nesting and being an eggling all the way to grokking in fullness and being becoming one with the old ones when you pass from this plane of existence into the next. Avatar wasn't just a movie for me, it was a sharing of water and a spiritual experience. James Cameron is not just a film maker, he is a water brother. I'll be shocked if this film wasn't a foreshadowing of a film we can expect to see from him in the very near future. "Stranger In a Strange Land" a film by James Cameron...

I went to see this movie with a friend of mine named, Julie. The two of us are pretty tough birds and we're more likely to wonder why the hunter didn't use a bigger gauge gun when killing Bambi's mother than to get all mushy over the suddenly orphaned fawn. In fact, if memory serves me correctly, we were Googling for venison recipes and emailing them back and forth on our I-phones when saw the movie, Bambi. When Julie and headed out to the theater all we were interested in seeing was the 3D technology. Tears were the further things from our minds and the most unexpected when we both turned to look at each other with tear stained faces.

This movie engages the heart, mind of soul of the viewer as well as the senses. Don't get me wrong, Avatar has plenty of pule pounding action sequences, but once again, they enhance the story rather than command the focus of the movie. Pardon me while I have a movie moment here. "You're not the only one with a gun, Bitch." Yeah, this movie rocks...

This movie is for those of us not ashamed to be called, Tree Hugger. And the tree in this movie is the mother of all trees. Avatar gives balls to the Green movement and brings pride to those who've stood in the corner of the environmentalists waiting for our fighter to land the big punch. This movie changes hearts, lives and minds. It is a wake up call to the spirit and a call to action of the community of man. The message of Avatar is loud and clear, you can only take for so long before the bill comes due. We've taken a lot of energy from this world of ours, now its time to start paying the bill. There are more important decisions to be made than which pair of designer jeans are the best or which light beer best defines our character. There's nothing wrong in standing up to those who believe such things are weighty issues and saying, "Hey, you're full of shit. Sit the f**k down and shut up." Avatar is a wonderful movie with an important and legitimate message. Go see this film. Do it now. You'll thank me...

1 comment:

  1. Great blog Dirk...you have piqued my interest... I will see this! If it made you cry, well I gotta find out why!!!

    ReplyDelete

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