.jeri.

All of the hype that led up to the release of Avatar really didn't affect me much. I saw the trailers and was underwhelmed. To be honest, the idea that this movie was being released in 3D, which was intended to enhance the realistic look of the film, seemed crazy; after all, the main characters all looked like cartoons, especially their giant eyes. So I decided that even though I had to go see the movie (when there's that much hype, I have to see something just to know what everyone else is talking about), I was probably not going to enjoy it much.

For those of you who don't know the plot: I'm surprised you exist. For posterity's sake, it's about a Marine who has lost use of his legs, who is recruited to be part of a mission on another planet. The planet has valuable natural resources, most of which are located underneath an area with a dense population of inhabitants. Those inhabitants are called the Na'vi, and the soldier, Jake, is hooked up to an avatar Na'vi body. From his stationary position he is able to control the avatar with his own brain. His mission is to infiltrate the Na'vi and learn about them to see if there is a way to get them to move from their location peacefully - otherwise, the military plans to mow them down.

Speaking of which, one of the funny parts of this movie for me was the military situation. It always seems as if movie military personnel have no capabilities for patience. They make decisions that must be acted upon instantaneously. Even when presented with a reasonable plea for more time, they are depicted as having some sort of bloodlust that makes us question the ability of any member of the armed forces to simply be patient. In this case, the Marines are led by Colonel Quaritch, who just wants to get in there and kill. He is quite a caricature. In one sense, I kind of like him, because he is played so vibrantly by Stephen Lang. He may be almost one-dimensional, but he plays that dimension entertainingly. There were definitely a few lame lines of dialog from him, though, especially the most random line, "we must fight terror with terror!" I'm not sure why he thought the natives of a planet were terrorists, but whatever!

Sam Worthington, who plays Jake, is perfect for an action hero role, even one in which most of the action is animated. One interesting casting choice is Michelle Rodriguez - for one thing, who wants to see her in a movie? Thankfully, hers is the most minimal role possible, in fact, so minimal that one wonders if she did someone some special favor and got herself written into a script that didn't really need her. One person I was happy to see in the movie was Giovanni Ribisi. I haven't seen him for a while, and I actually really like him. For such a likable guy, he was able to sell the semi-evil business man personality well.

Of course, what everyone talks about regarding Avatar is how it looks. Yes, it looks good, and that is why people go to see it. I even went to see it in 3D because people were screaming that it was a must. I am usually anti-3D because of its usual imperfections and the strain they causes to my eyes, but I have to admit that this movie was an exception. The movie looked crisp, clear, and I could actually sense the depth of what I was viewing. There were definitely several little shots that existed simply to wow the audience with the view (and yes, the guys behind us had to say, "that looks sooo cooool!" every time they were wowed). But that's what Avatar is - it's a big-budget blockbuster movie that's supposed to impress us with its special effects.

Story-wise, I've heard all sorts of complaints about lack of originality. My favorite joke is the image that went around of the synopsis of Disney's Pocahontas with all of the names crossed out and changed to the names from Avatar. People have been shouting out similarities to Ferngully, Princess Mononoke, and our own country's history. It's true, but that doesn't matter. Call it mythic or archetypal, but this is a story of which we've seen many incarnations over the years. What matters is that it's told creatively enough to be considered non-cliche. I would say that Avatar qualifies, for the most part. It's a basic story told in its own visually creative manner. What isn't creative is some of its dialog and several of the supporting characters.

It's certainly not a perfect movie, and it shouldn't be winning any awards that aren't related to special effects, but Avatar does exactly what it promises to do. It shows us another world, gives us a lot of action and explosions, makes us ooh and ahh at some cool 3D effects, and keeps us well-entertained for a few hours.. and better entertained than some of the 2009 summer releases. Does it deserve some of the criticism it's receiving? Sure - I certainly think a few more discerning eyes could have taken a look at the script. It's not going to be in my top ten of the year, but I thought it was a fun time at the theater, and I even forgot about those ugly Na'vi eyes while I was there!