Avatar - James Cameron and Pandora

Avatar is destined to become a classic. The imagery rivals and at times surpasses Star Wars. Watching Avatar is like being on a roller coaster, from the first frame to the inspiring end. You will feel like you're in this beautiful world and riding the dragons with the Na'vi through the floating mountains of Pandora.

Avatar was created by the fertile mind of James Cameron, who also directed this massive epic. The special effects were years in the making and well worth the wait. The colors and depth of detail in this film will astound your senses and suspend your sense of disbelief. The story is the battle between good and evil with a Mother Earth vibe, and will cause you to become enthralled in this clash of cultures.

The back story is that a large corporation has designs to take over Pandora from the locals because this mineral is worth tons of money. This corporation has set up a bunch of scientists to work with the locals on a moon called Pandora. The locals are twelve foot tall and are blue with bones much like rubber, so they are very hardy. The scientists have developed Avatars, which are a blend of Na'vi and human dna. The Avatars can be inhabited by the scientists by a mind meld technique.

Enter Jake Sully, Sam Worthington(Terminator Salvation), a Marine vet who has lost his legs in the service. He undertakes the six year voyage to Pandora in hopes of regaining legs through the Avatar program. The head of the program is Dr. Grace Augustine, Sigourney Weaver( Alien Series) who is tough and unimpressed by Jake. The base is run by Colonel Miles Quaritch, Stephen Lang (The Men Who Stare At Goats), who is a hard core Marine who eats bullets for breakfast. The Colonel would rather just shoot the locals, The Na'vi, and be done with it. Nice guy.

Jake loves his new body and relishes not only legs but the sheer agility of his Avatar. While on a scouting mission Jake become separated from the group and is rescued by the Na'vi chief's daughter, Neytiri. The chief and his wife decide to kill Jake and order Neytiri to teach him their ways. She is not thrilled because she thinks he's a dolt. The Na'vi believe all life on the planet is connected from the beasts, bugs, to the plants etc. and the life source of their world. They live in the Hometree, which is as tall as a mountain. Neytiri teaches Jake all the mystical ways of the Na'vi and their rights of passage. Jake must pass tests from riding huge horses to capturing a Banshee, a very large dragon like creature which he then learns to ride. The visual effects will blow you away and you will feel like your in a very personal thrill ride as Jake experiences riding the Banshee.

Colonel Quaritch is using all this information in his quest to conquer the Na'vi. Jake begins to feel guilty about passing on the information as he has enchanted with the whole experience. Jake passes his rites and is taken to the Tree of Souls which is a sacred place. Jake tells Neytiri he has fallen in love with her and she in turn loves him. They declare they are married and make love.

Well, as you can guess, things take a turn for the worse, and the Colonel attacks the Hometree and Jake tries to talk the Na'vi into leaving. This does not go well, and Jake is now branded a traitor. The Colonel finds out that Jake is siding with Na'vi and literally pulls the plug on the Avatar program. Meanwhile the Na'vi are getting slaughtered and the Hometree is destroyed. Jake and DR. Augustine are now outcasts to both sides in the conflict.

Jake decides to side with the Na'vi and captures the king of the Banshee's, Toruk. He flies into the Na'vi camp and they are beyond impressed. He gives an impassioned speech and asks the Na'vi to gather all the tribes of Pandora to repel the invaders. Dr. Augustine and a few scientists as well as Trudy, Michelle Rodriguez(Fast and Furious) a gun ship pilot steal her gun ship and join the Na'vi. They take their battle to the Floating Mountains of Pandora.

Needless to say the battle is epic. The special effects are dazzling and you feel part of the battle scenes. You are there. After a long battle with many turns and plot twists the Na'vi win. The company and their troops are sent home, and of course Jake stays to be with Neytiri.

The magic of Avatar is James Cameron's creation of a compelling story and the Zen like force that is the Na'vi. The spiritual experience of the Hometree, The Tree of Souls and the Floating Mountains will enthrall you and expand your experience. As I said the unique special effects are beyond your wildest dreams and you will be there. I said Avatar is destined to become a classic, I think it already is. I predict it will make a billion worldwide due to its uniqueness. It will be the standard for special effects. Dare I say it, Avatar is a must see movie.