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‘avatar’: film review.

A dozen years later, James Cameron has proven his point: He is king of the world.

By Kirk Honeycutt

Kirk Honeycutt

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As commander-in-chief of an army of visual-effects technicians, creature designers, motion-capture mavens, stunt performers, dancers, actors and music and sound magicians, he brings science-fiction movies into the 21st century with the jaw-dropping wonder that is “ Avatar .” And he did it almost from scratch. The Bottom Line A titanic entertainment -- movie magic is back!

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Tv/streaming, collections, great movies, chaz's journal, contributors, avatar: the way of water.

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James Cameron wants you to believe. He wants you to believe that aliens are killing machines, humanity can defeat time-traveling cyborgs, and a film can transport you to a significant historical disaster. In many ways, the planet of Pandora in " Avatar " has become his most ambitious manner of sharing this belief in the power of cinema. Can you leave everything in your life behind and experience a film in a way that's become increasingly difficult in an era of so much distraction? As technology has advanced, Cameron has pushed the limits of his power of belief even further, playing with 3D, High Frame Rate, and other toys that weren't available when he started his career. But one of the many things that is so fascinating about "Avatar: The Way of Water" is how that belief manifests itself in themes he's explored so often before. This wildly entertaining film isn't a retread of "Avatar," but a film in which fans can pick out thematic and even visual elements of " Titanic ," " Aliens ," "The Abyss," and "The Terminator" films. It's as if Cameron has moved to Pandora forever and brought everything he cares about. (He's also clearly never leaving.) Cameron invites viewers into this fully realized world with so many striking images and phenomenally rendered action scenes that everything else fades away.

Maybe not right away. "Avatar: The Way of Water" struggles to find its footing at first, throwing viewers back into the world of Pandora in a narratively clunky way. One can tell that Cameron really cares most about the world-building mid-section of this film, which is one of his greatest accomplishments, so he rushes through some of the set-ups to get to the good stuff. Before then, we catch up with Jake Sully ( Sam Worthington ), a human who is now a full-time Na'vi and partners with Neytiri ( Zoe Saldana ), with whom he has started a family. They have two sons—Neteyam ( Jamie Flatters ) and Lo'ak ( Britain Dalton )—and a daughter named Tuk (Trinity Jo-Li Bliss), and they are guardians of Kiri ( Sigourney Weaver ), the offspring of Weaver's character from the first film.

Family bliss is fractured when the 'sky people' return, including an avatar Na'vi version of one Colonel Miles Quaritch ( Stephen Lang ), who has come to finish what he started, including vengeance on Jake for the death of his human form. He comes back with a group of former-human-now-Na'vi soldiers who are the film's main antagonists, but not the only ones. "Avatar: The Way of Water" once again casts the military, planet-destroying humans of this universe as its truest villains, but the villains' motives are sometimes a bit hazy. Around halfway through, I realized it's not very clear why Quaritch is so intent on hunting Jake and his family, other than the plot needs it, and Lang is good at playing mad.

The bulk of "Avatar: The Way of Water" hinges on the same question Sarah Connor asks in the "Terminator" movies—fight or flight for family? Do you run and hide from the powerful enemy to try and stay safe or turn and fight the oppressive evil? At first, Jake takes the former option, leading them to another part of Pandora, where the film opens up via one of Cameron's longtime obsessions: H2O. The aerial acrobatics of the first film are supplanted by underwater ones in a region run by Tonowari ( Cliff Curtis ), the leader of a clan called the Metkayina. Himself a family man—his wife is played by Kate Winslet —Tonowari is worried about the danger the new Na'vi visitors could bring but can't turn them away. Again, Cameron plays with moral questions about responsibility in the face of a powerful evil, something that recurs in a group of commercial poachers from Earth. They dare to hunt sacred water animals in stunning sequences during which you have to remind yourself that none of what you're watching is real.

The film's midsection shifts its focus away from Sully/Quaritch to the region's children as Jake's boys learn the ways of the water clan. Finally, the world of "Avatar" feels like it's expanding in ways the first film didn't. Whereas that film was more focused on a single story, Cameron ties together multiple ones here in a far more ambitious and ultimately rewarding fashion. While some of the ideas and plot developments—like the connection of Kiri to Pandora or the arc of a new character named Spider ( Jack Champion )—are mostly table-setting for future films, the entire project is made richer by creating a larger canvas for its storytelling. While one could argue that there needs to be a stronger protagonist/antagonist line through a film that discards both Jake & Quaritch for long periods, I would counter that those terms are intentionally vague here. The protagonist is the entire family and even the planet on which they live, and the antagonist is everything trying to destroy the natural world and the beings that are so connected to it.

Viewers should be warned that Cameron's ear for dialogue hasn't improved—there are a few lines that will earn unintentional laughter—but there's almost something charming about his approach to character, one that weds old-fashioned storytelling to breakthrough technology. Massive blockbusters often clutter their worlds with unnecessary mythologies or backstories, whereas Cameron does just enough to ensure this impossible world stays relatable. His deeper themes of environmentalism and colonization could be understandably too shallow for some viewers—and the way he co-opts elements of Indigenous culture could be considered problematic—and I wouldn't argue against that. But if a family uses this as a starting point for conversations about those themes then it's more of a net positive than most blockbusters that provide no food for thought.

There has been so much conversation about the cultural impact of "Avatar" recently, as superheroes dominated the last decade of pop culture in a way that allowed people to forget the Na'vi. Watching "Avatar: The Way of Water," I was reminded of how impersonal the Hollywood machine has become over the last few decades and how often the blockbusters that truly make an impact on the form have displayed the personal touch of their creator. Think of how the biggest and best films of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg couldn't have been made by anyone else. "Avatar: The Way of Water" is a James Cameron blockbuster, through and through. And I still believe in him.

Available only in theaters on December 16th.

Brian Tallerico

Brian Tallerico is the Managing Editor of RogerEbert.com, and also covers television, film, Blu-ray, and video games. He is also a writer for Vulture, The Playlist, The New York Times, and GQ, and the President of the Chicago Film Critics Association.

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Film credits.

Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)

Rated PG-13 for sequences of strong violence and intense action, partial nudity and some strong language.

192 minutes

Sam Worthington as Jake Sully

Zoe Saldaña as Neytiri

Sigourney Weaver as Kiri

Stephen Lang as Colonel Miles Quaritch

Kate Winslet as Ronal

Cliff Curtis as Tonowari

Joel David Moore as Norm Spellman

CCH Pounder as Mo'at

Edie Falco as General Frances Ardmore

Brendan Cowell as Mick Scoresby

Jemaine Clement as Dr. Ian Garvin

Jamie Flatters as Neteyam

Britain Dalton as Lo'ak

Trinity Bliss as Tuktirey

Jack Champion as Javier 'Spider' Socorro

Bailey Bass as Tsireya

Filip Geljo as Aonung

Duane Evans Jr. as Rotxo

Giovanni Ribisi as Parker Selfridge

Dileep Rao as Dr. Max Patel

James Cameron

Writer (story by)

Amanda Silver
Josh Friedman
Shane Salerno

Cinematographer

Russell Carpenter
Stephen E. Rivkin
David Brenner
John Refoua
Simon Franglen

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A fter a run-up lasting 12 years, James Cameron has taken an almighty flying leap into the third dimension. His first new film for over a decade is in super-sleek new-tech 3D, and it is breathlessly reported to have taken the medium of cinema to the next level. And who knows? When Michelangelo completed his sculpture of David in 1504, he probably thought it made flat paintings look ever so slightly Betamax. Maybe he put a consoling arm round the shoulder of Sandro Botticelli as the two men looked ruefully at Primavera, and murmured caustically: "Little bit eight-track, isn't it darling? A touch Sinclair C5, a smidgen video top-loader – compared to, you know, sculpture?" That extra dimension makes the difference, and a recent village fete in Ilfracombe offered an absolute game-changer of a hoopla-stall in hi-def first-person interactive 3D – or 4D, come to think of it, if you count the time dimension.

After the extremes of hype and backlash attending Cameron's solemn "unveiling" of a taster-trailer earlier this year, the film itself emerges as a watchable and entertaining if uncompromisingly ridiculous sci-fi spectacular, unable to decide if it wants to kick the ass of every alien in sight or get all eco-touchy-feely with them. It's a Dubya movie trying its darnedest to get with the new Obama programme.

One hundred years or so hence, planet Earth is attempting to solve its energy issues by mining a rare new mineral cutely called "Unobtainium". This mineral is only to be found on a distant planet, in the very centre of a lush tropical forest, packed with quirky-scary CGI animals, under a giant Edenic tree which is the spiritual home of the planet's aboriginal inhabitants: 12-ft blue quasi-humanoids called the Na'vi, who have pointy ears, flat noses, ethnic dreadlocks, beads, and who all look like Angelina Jolie's ugly sister, especially the men. An American mining corporation has established a private army base there, getting ready to drive the natives off their land, led by the psychotically gung-ho Col Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang) – a mixture of Robert Duvall in Apocalypse Now and Slim Pickens in Dr Strangelove. There is talk of fighting "terror with terror" and unleashing a "shock and awe" campaign.

But as part of a PR-led hearts-and-minds programme, it also has a scientific unit led by Dr Grace Augustine, played by Sigourney Weaver , which plans to study the inhabitants, get to know them, and crucially create remote-controllable Na'vi bodies or "Avatars", which individual humans can pilot from afar into the jungle, to parley with the natives in their own exotic, subtitled language and ask what it might take to get them to withdraw voluntarily. And one such pilot is Jake Sully, played by Sam Worthington, a badass former soldier now injured and permanently in a wheelchair.

He is thrilled at the glorious virtual-reality of his new 12-ft Avatar alien body; he exults in the jungle adventure, and at first wants only to spy on the Na'vi to facilitate the upcoming invasion. But then he meets the beautiful female Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña) and goes native. Sully sees a chance for something that, as a disabled war veteran, he thought might be forever denied him: a chance to have non-disabled sex – and fall in love. When the big battle comes, Jake finds himself fighting for the Na'vi, on the side of the colonial oppressed.

The digitally created world meshes pretty much seamlessly with ordinary reality in an undoubtedly impressive way. But Cameron has always been a technical pioneer. Schwarzenegger's T1 robot chassis was a marvel of special effects, and in Titanic, it wasn't simply a matter of creating the great sinking itself. An extraordinary number of quite ordinary-looking locations and scenes were fabricated in front of a green-screen in way we didn't quite grasp at the time. The effects of Avatar are certainly something to see, especially on an Imax screen the size of an upended football field. But it's difficult to tell if the game has really been changed or not. How we all goggled at the detail and definition of the images in Shrek in 2001 – a film now admired for the quality of the script and characterisation. And I remember being in the audience for Jurassic Park in 1993, and hearing someone in the auditorium almost hyper-ventilate with astonishment at those ultra-realistic dinosaurs. And now … well … Jurassic Park … it's something you glimpse on ITV4 while switching over to watch Dave.

But perhaps we're all looking in the wrong direction, frantically inspecting Avatar for evidence of James Cameron's hi-tech machismo and undiminished box office clout. Strip away from this movie the director's massive reputation, and you have a truly weird story about an aggressive futureworld corporation bankrolling avatar-technology so that human beings can insinuate themselves into the lives of aliens to seduce them. What an indie-freaky idea it is – and that is what makes it an experience.

James Cameron

Sigourney Weaver
Action and adventure films
Science fiction and fantasy films

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Movie Review | 'Avatar'

A New Eden, Both Cosmic and Cinematic

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By Manohla Dargis

Dec. 17, 2009

With “Avatar” James Cameron has turned one man’s dream of the movies into a trippy joy ride about the end of life our moviegoing life included as we know it. Several decades in the dreaming and more than four years in the actual making, the movie is a song to the natural world that was largely produced with software, an Emersonian exploration of the invisible world of the spirit filled with Cameronian rock ’em, sock ’em pulpy action. Created to conquer hearts, minds, history books and box-office records, the movie one of the most expensive in history, the jungle drums thump is glorious and goofy and blissfully deranged.

The story behind the story, including a production budget estimated to top $230 million, and Mr. Cameron’s future-shock ambitions for the medium have already begun to settle into myth (a process partly driven by the publicity, certainly). Every filmmaker is something of a visionary, just by virtue of the medium. But Mr. Cameron, who directed the megamelodrama “Titanic” and, more notably, several of the most influential science-fiction films of the past few decades (“The Terminator,” “Aliens” and “The Abyss”), is a filmmaker whose ambitions transcend a single movie or mere stories to embrace cinema as an art, as a social experience and a shamanistic ritual, one still capable of producing the big WOW.

The scale of his new movie, which brings you into a meticulous and brilliantly colored alien world for a fast 2 hours 46 minutes, factors into that wow. Its scope is evident in an early scene on a spaceship (the year is 2154), where the passengers, including a paraplegic ex-Marine, Jake (Sam Worthington, a gruffly sensitive heartthrob), are being roused from a yearslong sleep before landing on a distant inhabited moon, Pandora. Jake is woken by an attendant floating in zero gravity, one of many such aides. As Jake himself glides through the bright cavernous space, you know you’re not in Kansas anymore, as someone soon quips (a nod to “The Wizard of Oz,” Mr. Cameron’s favorite film). You also know you’re not in the gloom of “The Matrix.”

Though it’s easy to pigeonhole Mr. Cameron as a gear head who’s more interested in cool tools (which here include 3-D), he is, with “Avatar,” also making a credible attempt to create a paradigm shift in science-fiction cinema. Since it was first released in 1999, “The Matrix,” which owes a large debt to Mr. Cameron’s own science-fiction films as well as the literary subgenre of cyberpunk, has hung heavily over both SF and action filmmaking. Most films that crib from “The Matrix” tend to borrow only its slo-mo death waltzes and leather fetishism, keeping its nihilism while ditching the intellectual inquiries. Although “Avatar” delivers a late kick to the gut that might be seen as nihilistic (and how!), it is strangely utopian.

It doesn’t take Jake long to feel the good vibes. Like Neo, the savior-hero of the “Matrix” series played by Keanu Reeves, Jake is himself an avatar because he’s both a special being and an embodiment of an idea, namely that of the hero’s journey. What initially makes Jake unusual is that he has been tapped to inhabit a part-alien, part-human body that he controls, like a puppeteer, from its head to its prehensile tail. Like the rest of the human visitors who’ve made camp on Pandora, he has signed on with a corporation that’s intent on extracting a valuable if mysterious substance from the moon called unobtainium, a great whatsit that is an emblem of humanity’s greed and folly. With his avatar, Jake will look just like one of the natives, the Na’vi, a new identity that gives the movie its plot turns and politics.

The first part of Jake’s voyage for this is, above all, a boy’s rocking adventure, if one populated by the usual tough Cameron chicks takes him from a wheelchair into a 10-foot, blue-skinned Na’vi body. At once familiar and pleasingly exotic, the humanoid Na’vi come with supermodel dimensions (slender hips, a miniature-apple rear); long articulated digits, the better to grip with; and the slanted eyes and twitchy ears of a cat. (The gently curved stripes that line their blue skin, the color of twilight, bring to mind the markings on mackerel tabby cats.) For Jake his avatar, which he hooks into through sensors while lying in a remote pod in a semiconscious state, is at first a giddy novelty and then a means to liberation.

Plugging into the avatar gives Jake an instant high, allowing him to run, leap and sift dirt through his toes, and freeing him from the constraints of his body. Although physically emancipated, he remains bound, contractually and existentially, to the base camp, where he works for the corporation’s top scientist, Dr. Grace Augustine (Sigourney Weaver, amused and amusing), even while taking orders from its head of security, Col. Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang), a military man turned warrior for hire. A cartoon of masculinity, Quaritch strides around barking orders like some intransigent representation of American military might (or a bossy movie director). It’s a favorite Cameron type, and Mr. Lang, who until this year had long been grievously underemployed, tears into the role like a starved man gorging on steak.

Mr. Cameron lays out the fundamentals of the narrative efficiently, grabbing you at once with one eye-popping detail after another and on occasion almost losing you with some of the comically broad dialogue. He’s a masterly storyteller if a rather less nimble prose writer. (He has sole script credit: this is personal filmmaking on an industrial scale.) Some of the clunkier lines (“Yeah, who’s bad,” Jake taunts a rhinolike creature he encounters) seem to have been written to placate those members of the Michael Bay demographic who might find themselves squirming at the story’s touchier, feelier elements, its ardent environmentalism and sincere love story, all of which kick in once Jake meets Neytiri, a female Na’vi (Zoë Saldana, seen only in slinky Na’vi form).

Mr. Cameron has said that he started thinking about the alien universe that became Pandora and its galactic environs in “Avatar” back in the 1970s. He wrote a treatment in 1996, but the technologies he needed to turn his ideas into images didn’t exist until recently. New digital technologies gave him the necessary tools, including performance capture, which translates an actor’s physical movements into a computer-generated image (CGI). Until now, by far the most plausible character created in this manner has been slithery Gollum from Peter Jackson’s “Lord of the Rings” cycle. The exotic creatures in “Avatar,” which include an astonishment of undulating, flying, twitching and galloping organisms, don’t just crawl through the underbrush; they thunder and shriek, yip and hiss, pointy teeth gleaming.

The most important of these are the Na’vi, and while their movements can bring to mind old-fashioned stop-motion animation, their faces are a triumph of tech innovation, with tremors and twitches that make them immediately appealing and empathetic. By the time Neytiri ushers Jake into her world of wonders a lush dreamscape filled with kaleidoscopic and bioluminescent flora and fauna, with pink jellyfishlike creatures that hang in the air and pleated orange flowers that snap shut like parasols you are deep in the Na’vi-land. It’s a world that looks as if it had been created by someone who’s watched a lot of Jacques Cousteau television or, like Mr. Cameron, done a lot of diving. It’s also familiar because, like John Smith in “The New World,” Terrence Malick’s retelling of the Pocahontas story, Jake has discovered Eden.

An Eden in three dimensions, that is. In keeping with his maximalist tendencies, Mr. Cameron has shot “Avatar” in 3-D (because many theaters are not equipped to show 3-D, the movie will also be shown in the usual 2), an experiment that serves his material beautifully. This isn’t the 3-D of the 1950s or even contemporary films, those flicks that try to give you a virtual poke in the eye with flying spears. Rather Mr. Cameron uses 3-D to amplify the immersive experience of spectacle cinema. Instead of bringing you into the movie with the customary tricks, with a widescreen or even Imax image filled with sweeping landscapes and big action, he uses 3-D seemingly to close the space between the audience and the screen. He brings the movie to you.

After a few minutes the novelty of people and objects hovering above the row in front of you wears off, and you tend not to notice the 3-D, which speaks to the subtlety of its use and potential future applications. Mr. Cameron might like to play with high-tech gadgets, but he’s an old-fashioned filmmaker at heart, and he wants us to get as lost in his fictional paradise as Jake eventually does. On the face of it there might seem something absurd about a movie that asks you to thrill to a natural world made almost entirely out of zeroes and ones (and that feeds you an anticorporate line in a corporately financed entertainment). But one of the pleasures of the movies is that they transport us, as Neytiri does with Jake, into imaginary realms, into Eden and over the rainbow to Oz.

If the story of a paradise found and potentially lost feels resonant, it’s because “Avatar” is as much about our Earth as the universe that Mr. Cameron has invented. But the movie’s truer meaning is in the audacity of its filmmaking.

Few films return us to the lost world of our first cinematic experiences, to that magical moment when movies really were bigger than life (instead of iPhone size), if only because we were children. Movies rarely carry us away, few even try. They entertain and instruct and sometimes enlighten. Some attempt to overwhelm us, but their efforts are usually a matter of volume. What’s often missing is awe, something Mr. Cameron has, after an absence from Hollywood, returned to the screen with a vengeance. He hasn’t changed cinema, but with blue people and pink blooms he has confirmed its wonder.

“Avatar” is rated PG-13 (Parents strongly cautioned). Gun and explosive violence, death and despair.

Opens on Friday nationwide.

Written and directed by James Cameron; director of photography, Mauro Fiore; edited by Mr. Cameron, John Refoua and Stephen Rivkin; music by James Horner; visual effects supervisor, Joe Letteri; production designers, Rick Carter and Robert Stromberg; produced by Mr. Cameron and Jon Landau; released by 20th Century Fox. Running time: 2 hours 46 minutes.

WITH: Sam Worthington (Jake Sully), Zoë Saldana (Neytiri), Sigourney Weaver (Dr. Grace Augustine), Stephen Lang (Col. Miles Quaritch), Michelle Rodriguez (Trudy Chacon), Giovanni Ribisi (Parker Selfridge), Joel David Moore (Norm), C C H Pounder (Mo’at), Wes Studi (Eytukan) and Laz Alonso (Tsu’Tey).

A listing of credits on Dec. 18 with a film review of “Avatar” misstated the given name of the character portrayed by Giovanni Ribisi. He is Parker Selfridge, not Carter.

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Avatar Reviews

“Avatar” remains a transporting experience – an entertaining blend of old-fashioned adventure and technological wonder.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Feb 8, 2024

'Avatar' is not just a visual display. It contains heart, humor, and all the aspects needed to make it a well-rounded story. Sure, the script could have been punched up with something more poetic and less obvious. Still, it’s not a bad egg.

Full Review | Original Score: B+ | Jan 9, 2024

To be sure, this is an engaging experience in every sense, from the dramatic to the visual to the visceral. This is how blockbusters should be.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/4 | Aug 28, 2023

STUNNING epic. Zoe Saldana performance… A fantastic one

Full Review | Jul 25, 2023

It’s the world of Pandora married to the groundbreaking technology used to bring it to life that makes "Avatar" impressive, but it otherwise comes across as hollow, spectacle for the sake of it with little else to offer.

Full Review | Jul 6, 2023

Cameron is a master filmmaker whose movies will endure long after he stops making movies.

Full Review | Original Score: 4.5/5 | Jun 23, 2023

While the visuals might rate four stars, the screenplay guarantees this falls well below more compatible marriages of substance and style found in such ground-breakers as the original King Kong, 2001: A Space Odyssey, and Cameron’s own Terminator films.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Apr 16, 2023

A groundbreaking technical achievement in filmmaking. The impressive visual effects and amazing world building more than make up for one of Cameron's weaker stories. [Full review in Spanish]

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Jan 8, 2023

Combining cutting-edge technology with classic, earnest storytelling is firmly the hallmark of this series, and it honestly gave me almost everything I wanted from it.

Full Review | Dec 16, 2022

Three hours breeze into deep relationships, action-packed sequences, and a tale that deserves to be repeatedly seen in cinema. #diandrareviews

Full Review | Original Score: 4/4 | Dec 14, 2022

It’s not just that we’ve seen the tale before… it’s that every aspect of the screenplay is terrible.

Full Review | Original Score: 1.5/5 | Dec 7, 2022

Cameron’s epic can still thrill the audience with breathtaking set pieces, bring them to tears with moving moments, and amaze people willing to explore a fantasy land like no other.

Full Review | Original Score: A | Oct 12, 2022

Avatar still elicits much of the same wide-eyed wonderment.

Full Review | Oct 5, 2022

The emotional stakes presented in the final battle make it so powerful, going beyond the physical scale of the sequence and what the visual effects artists achieved to create a stunning, rousing piece of filmmaking.

Full Review | Original Score: 9/10 | Sep 30, 2022

Thirteen years after its release, 'Avatar' still proves to be an exceptional blockbuster that makes the most of a simple and predictable story, to develop a visually awesome and emotional experience that must be had in the cinema. Full review in Spanish.

Full Review | Original Score: 4.5/5 | Sep 28, 2022

The standard in modern blockbuster filmmaking. I don’t make the rules.

Full Review | Sep 26, 2022

A meaningful blockbuster that fails to play ignorant to craft or soul, it is no wonder that so many have fallen in love with the world of Pandora and the drama that takes place on it.

[W]atching Avatar‘s 4K HDR format on IMAX 3D looks more incredible and visually stunning than the original 3D version in 2009.

Full Review | Original Score: 4.5/5 | Sep 25, 2022

...still a gorgeous sci-fi epic, but the characters are nowhere near as detailed.

Full Review | Sep 24, 2022

Cameron and his artists have so lovingly imagined the moon of Pandora that every shot of the film contains new wonders.

Full Review | Sep 23, 2022

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In Theaters

December 18, 2009
Sam Worthington as Jake Sully; Zoe Saldana as Neytiri; Sigourney Weaver as Dr. Grace Augustine; Michelle Rodriguez as Trudy Chacon; Stephen Lang as Col. Miles Quatrich; Giovanni Ribisi as Parker Selfridge; Joel David Moore as Norm Spellman; CCH Pounder as Mo’at; Wes Studi as Eytucan; Laz Alonso as Tus’Tey

Home Release Date

April 22, 2010
James Cameron

Distributor

20th Century Fox

Movie Review

Jake Sully has been asleep for six years.

More accurately, he’s been in cryogenic stasis five years, nine months and 22 days—the time needed to shuttle him and a crew of scientists and ex-Marine mercenaries from a decaying, resource-depleted Earth to the distant, forest-covered moon Pandora in the year 2154.

The job of the heavies? Protect miners, botanists and engineers from the perils of Pandora. Jake’s task, though he’s ex-military himself, is altogether different. His career was cut short by injuries that left him a paraplegic. Then he got tapped to take the place of his twin brother (a researcher who died unexpectedly) in the Avatar project, led by Dr. Grace Augustine.

Dr. Augustine has pioneered a way to make contact with the moon’s primary population, an intelligent, 10-foot-tall, blue-skinned, wide-eyed humanoid race known as the Na’vi. Blending human and Na’vi DNA, Augustine and her compatriots have bioengineered Na’vi-like bodies that can be linked through immersive virtual reality with “drivers,” of which Jake is one.

And all of that is just the setup before things really get rolling in James Cameron’s hyper-animated technology experiment.

Positive Elements

On the brink of being devoured by predators, Jake is rescued by a fierce female Na’vi warrior named Neytiri. Do Jake and Neytiri fall in love? Of course. But in the process, Jake begins to see the humans’ despoiling presence through the cat-like eyes of Pandora’s indigenous people.

Scowling from the face of the other side of the coin, Avatar’ s villains exhibit a caricatured kind of hyper-colonial wickedness. Parker Selfridge, the humans’ corporate overseer on Pandora, looks upon the Na’vi as animals that must be annihilated. Likewise, Col. Miles Quatrich is a battle-scarred attack dog who’s all too ready to commit genocide.

It’s clear who is heads and who is tails here. And, naturally, it’s only a matter of time before conflict erupts. When it does, Jake, Dr. Augustine and several other humans sacrificially fight on behalf of the oppressed, outgunned population.

The sermon is delivered in stark tones. Yet it’s undeniably true that unprovoked attacks and the taking of others’ land for personal gain is, um, wrong . The film also rightfully elevates the Na’vi’s harmonious relationship with their environment—because while the debate can rage over what it should look like exactly, living peaceably with our surroundings is still a good thing. (On its face, that is. The spiritual components wrapped into this issue are another matter.)

The Na’vi again serve as a counterpoint to the humans who have wrecked their own world and are intent upon doing it to another. Yes, we earthlings take quite a beating in Avatar . But in some ways we deserve to, especially if we identify at all with generally rapacious materialists who have only one thing on their minds—digging out the precious, energy-rich ore known as unobtanium.

Spiritual Elements

Just as the storyline involving the decimation of an indigenous population parallels early American history, so too the Na’vi’s spiritual beliefs often parallel those of Native American religions. The Na’vi worship a goddess known as Eywa, the Great Mother, a deity that seems both personal (the Na’vi pray to her) as well as encompassing the collective energy of Pandora’s living things.

Thus, the Na’vi exhibit high reverence for all plants and animals. And, as mentioned, the film’s environmental message is set against this spiritual backdrop. The trees, the forests and everything in them are not merely part of a natural ecology, but a spiritual one. And the violence perpetrated against Pandora’s creatures is not merely a physical violation, but a spiritual affront too.

The Na’vi’s holiest place is the Tree of Souls. Its airborne seeds are referred to as “pure spirits.” Its branches—more luminous tendrils than bark-covered limbs—are used in prayer rituals. Twice the Na’vi gather before this tree in what could be described as services of corporate healing and worship. In the first, they petition Eywa to save the wounded Dr. Augustine by transferring her soul from her human body into her avatar. The tribe’s spiritual leader, a female shaman (and Neytiri’s mother), says, “The Great Mother may choose to save all that she is in this body,” then prays, “Hear us please, All Mother. … Let her walk among us as one of the people.” Amid those prayers, Augustine tells Jake, “I’m with her [Eywa]. She’s real.” A similar service later involves Jake’ s attempt to become fully Na’vi. Both times, the tribe is seated, undulating and chanting ecstatically.

The Na’vi at times listen to the whispering voices of deceased ancestors. And they psychically bond with flying, almost dragon-like creatures known as banshees. During a funeral service, Neytiri tells Jake, “All energy is only borrowed. … You have to give it back.” Neytiri says of the Na’vi’s initiation ceremony, “Every person is born twice. The second time is when you earn your place among the people forever.”

Jake eventually prays to Eywa, telling her that the humans are about to destroy the Tree of Souls. Neytiri responds, “Our Great Mother does not take sides, Jake. She protects only the balance of life.” [ Spoiler Warning ] But when the planet’s creatures come to the Na’vi’s rescue in the final battle, Neytiri exults that Eywa has answered Jake’s prayers.

A Na’vi leader calls Jake’s avatar “a demon in a false body.” Col. Quatrich says of Pandora’s vicious environment, “If there is a hell, you might want to go there for some R and R.”

Sexual Content

The Na’vi may be aliens, and they may be computer generated, but their physiology still resembles that of humans. And we see quite a bit of it. Their garb is something you might see in a National Geographic pictorial of isolated jungle tribes. Which is to say, there isn’t much there. Both men and women wear little more than loincloths, and the race’s catlike tails don’t fully obscure their backsides. Neytiri and other Na’vi females wear ornamental coverings that don’t really conceal their breasts.

As for the humans, a female pilot wears a tight, cleavage-revealing tank top. And Dr. Augustine is seen unclothed (strategically wrapped in vines). Later, Jake’s nakedness is similarly “wrapped.”

Jake and Neytiri consummate their relationship in a sensuous scene that shows them kissing and intertwined. They sleep together afterward and are said to be “mated for life.”

Augustine alludes to an old masturbation cliché. Quatrich spits out a mocking double entendre about Jake having found “some local tail.”

Violent Content

The humans’ brutal attack begins with gas canisters. And it’s not long before copters unleash missiles that bring the Na’vi’s massive “home tree” down in a scene reminiscent of the World Trade Center’s collapse. Many Na’vi are crushed, impaled or wounded, and we see survivors departing in a line, weeping and wailing. These images recall the Cherokee’s forced migration to Oklahoma along the Trail of Tears.

Aerial clashes involve banshees vs. the humans’ aircraft. And while the Na’vi get mowed down by missiles and gunfire, many of their arrows somehow penetrate cockpits, taking out pilots and gunners.

The situation is similar on the ground. Scores of humans and Na’vi alike fall in a scene that’s similar in intensity to the final battle in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King . Also severe are several of Jake’s close encounters with Pandora’s fearsome beasties.

Specific violent moments worth noting include Neytiri’s taking out a viperwolf with an arrow and later killing a human with two well-placed shots. She also engages in a vicious melee with Col. Quatrich: She’s riding a huge jungle beast while Quatrich controls a mech (a walking, armored vehicle). He repeatedly stabs the animal and kills it, pinning Neytiri beneath it in the process. Elsewhere, an unfortunate human’s head and shoulders end up in a banshee’s mouth. Explosions consume man, alien and beast alike. On fire, a horse-like creature runs for its life. Jake’s avatar nearly knocks the head off one human and hurls others to their deaths.

Crude or Profane Language

About a dozen s-words. Also, 10 misuses of God’s name (including six or seven pairings with “d‑‑n”) and three abuses of Jesus’ name. We hear roughly 20 other profanities (“h‑‑‑,” “a‑‑,” “b‑‑ch,” “b‑‑tard,” “p‑‑‑”) and three crude references to the male anatomy (“d‑‑k” among them).

Drug and Alcohol Content

Dr. Augustine smokes often and drinks a glass of alcohol.

Other Negative Elements

Political barbs cluster among the positive messages about peace, humanitarianism and environmentalism. As if to denigrate current American foreign policy, the film includes the lines, “Our security lies in preemptive attack. We will fight terror with terror.” Somebody references the upcoming “shock and awe” campaign.

Go epic or go home.

That’s James Cameron’s way. His last feature film, 1997’s Titanic , became the highest grossing of all time (without inflation being factored in). And his other résumé entries include such well-known bombasts as Aliens, The Terminator and its sequel, True Lies and The Abyss .

Big, every one. And Avatar is bigger and bolder than them all.

Cameron began working on Avatar in 1994. Fifteen years later we have what some are saying is the most expensive film ever made—one that tops $300 million. And it’s not hard to see where he spent the money. Visually, Avatar is a feast. Lush colors and spectacular creatures dance and splash (and fight). Cameron has arguably out-Lucased Star Wars creator George Lucas when it comes to imagining and rendering a stunning world in a galaxy far, far way. And Cameron’s proprietary 3-D technology will likely enhance the experience for movie “experience” fans. (It gave me a headache.)

But we have to do more here than deliver an artistic critique. Extended scenes of near nudity (blue though it may be), intense violence and more than a little profanity pop out as much as the immersive 3-D imagery does.

Cameron’s message in Avatar is something like this: Genocidal plunderers are devoid of spiritual enlightenment and driven by their compulsive lust for another people’s resources. Time reviewer Richard Corliss wrote of the motif, “This is not only the most elaborate public-service commercial for those of the tree-hugger persuasion; it’s also a call to save what we’ve got, environmentally, and leave indigenous people as they are—an argument applicable to the attempt of any nation (say, the U.S.) to colonize another land (say, Iraq or Afghanistan).”

Says Cameron, “[In] the 16th and 17th centuries … the Europeans pretty much took over South and Central America and displaced and marginalized the indigenous peoples there. There’s just this long, wonderful history of the human race written in blood going back as far as we can remember, where we have this tendency to just take what we want without asking.”

His insurgent solution? Get in touch with your world and its spirituality and stop consuming so much stuff.

Those are great, deep thoughts—to a point. But what kind of spirituality are we talking about here? Reminding me a great deal of Kevin Costner’s Dances With Wolves , Cameron’s depiction of the Na’vi not only elevates tribal customs and rituals, it blurs the boundaries between God and the environment. Here the creator and her creation are indistinguishable.

A postscript: Nine minutes were added to Avatar in a Special Edition theatrical re-release about nine months after it first premiered. According to Cameron, in an interview with the Washington Post , “There are short, sort of, 10- and 15- and 20-second bits that have been added back. And there are a couple of larger chunks in the one-and-a-half to two-minute range.” One of the short adds involves Jake and Neytiri’s marriage/mating scene, prolonging their sensual foreplay just a bit, but actually not adding anything more explicit to the mix. One of the longer adds is a death scene in which Jake ceremonially takes tribal chief Tsu’tey’s life as the leadership of the tribe passes to Jake. Tsu’tey has been critically injured during the fight, and he asks Jake to finish him off. Jake does so with a dagger of sorts. We see the movement but not the contact.

A second video release, the Extended Collector’s Edition set, hit shelves on Nov. 16, 2010. In it are 16 additional minutes of new footage and 45 minutes of deleted, never-before-seen scenes. To the untrained eye—and perhaps even to the trained one—the scenes are barely noticeable and of little or no consequence to the story. Most viewers will be unable to tell the difference—apart from the already long film’s additional length. Most worthy of mention is the alternate beginning in which Jake is in a futuristic city on Earth before he is chosen to succeed his late twin brother, Tommy. We see Jake drinking a shot and trying to protect a woman who is slapped by her abusive boyfriend in a bar. A brawl results, and he’s violently thrown out of the establishment. On the other side of the content coin, a family-friendly audio track (for the original version of the film) is included that’s designed to eliminate profanities. Missed in the filtering process, however, is at least one use each of God’s name and “a‑‑.” Subtitles still contain curse words.

Adam R. Holz

After serving as an associate editor at NavPress’ Discipleship Journal and consulting editor for Current Thoughts and Trends, Adam now oversees the editing and publishing of Plugged In’s reviews as the site’s director. He and his wife, Jennifer, have three children. In their free time, the Holzes enjoy playing games, a variety of musical instruments, swimming and … watching movies.

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Avatar: The Way of Water First Reviews: A Magical, Visually Sublime Cinematic Experience Well Worth the Wait

Early reviews of james cameron's long-in-the-making sequel say it feels like an immersive theme park thrill ride with interesting characters, breathtaking action, and a better story than the first..

TAGGED AS: First Reviews , movies , news

The first of Avatar’ s sequels is finally here, 13 years after the release of the record-breaking original. For those who’ve been anxiously looking forward to Avatar: The Way of Water and those who have been doubting its necessity, the good news is that the movie is worth the wait and another work of essential theatrical entertainment from James Cameron. The first reviews of the follow-up celebrate its expected visual spectacle as well as its slightly improved script and new cast members. You’re going to want to return to Pandora after reading these excerpts.

Here’s what critics are saying about Avatar: The Way of Water :

Does it live up to expectations?

The Way of the Water is a transformative movie experience that energizes and captivates the senses through its visual storytelling, making the return to Pandora well worth the wait. – Mae Abdulbaki, Screen Rant

Spending more than a decade pining for Pandora was worth it. Cameron has delivered the grandest movie since, well, Avatar . – Johnny Oleksinski, New York Post

This latest and most ambitious picture will stun most of his naysayers into silence. – Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times

Is it better than the original?

Like all great sequels, The Way of Water retrospectively deepens the original. – David Ehrlich, IndieWire

Avatar: The Way of Water is as visually exhilarating and sweepingly told as its predecessor; the plot is more emotionally vigorous. – Johnny Oleksinski, New York Post

(Photo by ©Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)

So it’s not just more of the same?

Any “been here, actually do remember this” déjà vu washes all the way off the minute the action finally plunges under the surface. – David Ehrlich, IndieWire

[It is] meticulous world-building as astonishing and enveloping as anything we’ve ever seen on screen. – Leah Greenblatt, Entertainment Weekly

The brand-extension imperatives that typically govern sequels are happily nowhere in evidence. – Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times

Does it have a better script?

The sequel’s story is spread a bit thin, though there is certainly more depth than the first film. – Mae Abdulbaki, Screen Rant

In terms of narrative sophistication and even more so dialogue, this $350 million sequel is almost as basic as its predecessor, even feeble at times. – David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter

The story is still just okay. – Owen Gleiberman, Variety

Will we care enough about the story and characters regardless?

Avatar: The Way of Water is such a staggering improvement over the original because its spectacle doesn’t have to compensate for its story; in vintage Cameron fashion, the movie’s spectacle is what allows its story to be told so well. – David Ehrlich, IndieWire

The movie’s overt themes of familial love and loss, its impassioned indictments of military colonialism and climate destruction, are like a meaty hand grabbing your collar; it works because they work it. – Leah Greenblatt, Entertainment Weekly

Watching The Way of Water , one rolls their eyes only to realize they’re welling with tears. – Richard Lawson, Vanity Fair

I’m sorry, but as I watched The Way of Water the only part of me that was moved was my eyeballs. – Owen Gleiberman, Variety

Are there any standout performances?

Saldaña and Winslet have poignant moments…and Dalton and Champion are standouts among the young newcomers. – David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter

The most dynamic portrayal probably belongs to Lang, whose Quaritch is so relentless in his pursuit of Jake that he becomes a force of nature. – Tim Grierson, Screen International

How is the action?

The open-water clash that dominates the final hour is a commandingly sustained feat of action filmmaking. – David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter

Any hack can make stuff blow up real good; Cameron makes stuff glow up real good. – Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times

Are the visuals as spectacular as they’re supposed to be?

One can’t say enough good things about the film’s visuals — each frame is more breathtaking and magical than the last. – Mae Abdulbaki, Screen Rant

The world both above and below the waterline is a thing to behold, a sensory overload of sound and color so richly tactile that it feels psychedelically, almost spiritually sublime. – Leah Greenblatt, Entertainment Weekly

What’s most astonishing about The Way of Water is the persuasive case it makes for CGI. – David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter

(Photo by Mark Fellman/©Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)

But how is that high frame rate?

It’s a rather soulless feel, as it was in Peter Jackson’s Hobbit films. But it can make you feel like you’re sharing the same space with the characters. – Owen Gleiberman, Variety

While the approach can sometimes prove distracting, the film is far more persuasive than Ang Lee’s recent experiments in the form. – Tim Grierson, Screen International

The use of high frame rate (a sped-up 48 frames per second) tends to work better underwater than on dry land, where the overly frictionless, motion-smoothed look might put you briefly in mind of a Na’vi soap opera. – Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times

Does it feel like more than just your average movie?

At times you don’t feel like you’re watching a movie so much as floating in one. – Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times

There are times when it can seem as if there isn’t a screen at all, and that the action is unfolding right in front of you. – David Ehrlich, IndieWire

It’s truly a movie crossed with a virtual-reality theme-park ride. – Owen Gleiberman, Variety

Do we need to see it in a theater?

It’s the most rapturous, awe-inducing, only in theaters return to the cinema of attractions since Godard experimented with double exposure 3D in Goodbye to Language . – David Ehrlich, IndieWire

Will it leave us excited for Avatar 3 ?

Where it will flow next is a mystery, and it’d be disingenuous of me to suggest I’m not eager to find out. – Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times

Avatar: The Way of Water opens everywhere on December 16, 2022.

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Common sense media reviewers.

Action-heavy epic has dazzling effects, familiar story.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Overall, movie's message is that we could all stan

Several characters make difficult but moral choice

Although humans on the base are racially diverse,

Characters (supporting and extras) die due to expl

Many longing looks between Jake's avatar and Neyti

The word "s--t" is used several times. Language al

No product placement in the movie, but dozens of t

Sigourney Weaver's character, Grace, smokes cigare

Positive Messages

Overall, movie's message is that we could all stand to learn something from a population that's different from our own. Strong environmental and pro-peace themes. Some viewers may see the message of occupying a foreign land to usurp their cultural riches as a commentary on Western imperialism or United States' involvement in global politics.

Positive Role Models

Several characters make difficult but moral choices. Jake chooses to support the Na'vi even though it's against orders to do so and means he must fight (and kill) fellow human soldiers. Neytiri, Grace, and Trudy all make personal sacrifices to help the clan; they're strong, courageous, assertive characters. (In both human and Na'vi populations, female characters are brave and important -- even the Na'vi mating ritual requires that both partners equally accept/choose each other.) On the flip side, the Colonel and corporate boss Parker are portrayed as bloodthirsty and greedy.

Diverse Representations

Although humans on the base are racially diverse, majority of main characters are White. They use offensive terms and stereotypes when talking about the Indigenous population of Pandora, and the military engages in imperialist violence. These scenes, intended to encourage racial/ethnic equality and show value of treating other groups with respect, only partially succeed because, while the Na'vi ultimately triumph, they do so only by following the guidance of outsiders. Violent human colonizers are ultimately ejected from Pandora, but film glosses over how the Na'vi environment and population have been permanently damaged by even well-meaning human scientists and allies. Main character Jake has a visible disability: He uses a wheelchair and is initially teased and treated as an inconvenience. But he easily moves around the base in his wheelchair and asserts control over himself when others try to touch or move him without his consent. Women and female Na'vi characters are important in the story, hold prominent social roles such as scientists and spiritual leaders. No body size diversity. All romantic relationships are between male and female Na'vi.

Did we miss something on diversity? Suggest an update.

Violence & Scariness

Characters (supporting and extras) die due to explosions, bullet wounds, arrows (some treated with toxins), precipitous falls, asphyxiation. Several intense scenes involving frightening Pandoran animals and plants, as well as tension between Jake's rogue group of pro-Na'vi humans and the rest of the humans sent to Pandora.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Many longing looks between Jake's avatar and Neytiri, which eventually leads to kissing and a marital "mating" ritual (kissing and touching are seen on screen). Na'vi clothing makes parts of their humanoid bodies visible. Jake and Neytir's relationship is briefly referred to as "getting tail."

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

The word "s--t" is used several times. Language also includes "bulls--t," "bitch," "goddamn," "piss," limp-d--ked," "hell," "oh my God," "ass," and insults like "stupid," "ignorant," etc. Degrading language is used to describe disabled people, such as "cripple." Slurs such as "savages," "roaches," and "blue monkeys" are used to describe the Na'vi.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

No product placement in the movie, but dozens of tie-in merchandising deals tied to the title -- including toys and books aimed at young kids.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Sigourney Weaver's character, Grace, smokes cigarettes and somewhat glamorizes the activity.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that James Cameron 's sci-fi epic Avatar is about humans colonizing the planet Pandora, home to the Na'vi. The movie is long (at 161 minutes) and intense, with several effects-heavy battle and hunting sequences that show the devastation of imperialist violence and the right that Indigenous groups have to protect themselves and their land. These scenes include missile-launching military aircraft, neurotoxin-laced arrows, scary Pandora-dwelling fauna and flora, and lots of explosions. Salty wartime language includes many uses of "s--t," "bitch," and more. As in his previous films, Cameron infuses the action-driven story with strong female characters who are important to the plot, and crafts a morality tale about treating others with respect centered in a romantic relationship. Main character Jake uses a wheelchair in his daily life and a Na'vi "avatar" body to interact with local populations, and the human-Na'vi relationship in question gets a bit complicated because the human is actually using his Na'vi avatar. Na'vi clothing makes parts of their bodies visible from time to time. The romantic leads have chemistry that's sometimes sensual. (Note: Fans of the animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender should know that this movie is in no way connected to that show or the movie based on it.) To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

Where to Watch

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Community Reviews

Parents say (252)
Kids say (642)

Based on 252 parent reviews

Very well done. Make sure you are not only an older teen, but a mature one too. Watch the family edition.

What's the story.

In the 22nd century, Marine Jake Scully ( Sam Worthington ), who uses a wheelchair, embarks on a corporate-run, military-backed experiment in which he and a select group of academics -- led by Dr. Grace Augustine ( Sigourney Weaver ) -- can fully control avatars that look exactly like the Na'vi: the lean, blue-skinned native population of a distant world called Pandora. On his first outing as his AVATAR, Jake is saved by Na'vi Neytiri ( Zoe Saldana ) and then captured by her clan. They decide to spare Jake's life as long as he agrees to learn the Na'vi ways from Neytiri. He does, but then he's told by villainous Colonel Quaritch ( Stephen Lang ) that he'll be spying on the Na'vi to make it easier to remove them from their home, an ancestral tree that's rooted above a deposit of an unbelievably valuable substance called "Unobtainium" (pun intended). As Jake becomes more and more involved with Neytiri and her people, he's forced to choose between following orders and respecting the Na'vi's wishes.

Is It Any Good?

James Cameron , director of the highest-grossing movie ever made ( Titanic ), risked a rumored $500 million on a spectacular futuristic sci-fi epic whose main characters are blue aliens and settings are mostly CGI. The good news for epic movie lovers everywhere is that Avatar was a massive success. It's more like the story of Dances with Wolves crossed with the breathtaking visual effects of Lord of the Rings and the love story of Titanic , with a splash of the assimilation to a native culture aspect of Apocalypse Now thrown in. Even though Cameron seems to have gone to the same hammy dialogue school of screenwriting as George Lucas , he can certainly immerse viewers in a thoroughly enjoyable spectacle. Every shot of Pandora is amazingly detailed, from floating mountains to flying beasts to the feline-featured Na'vi, who are inspired by several Indigenous cultures. The movie's scale is undeniably impressive.

Cameron owes a huge debt to his movie's female characters, all of whom are much more interesting than the stereotypical men -- especially the outlandishly evil Quaritch and Giovanni Ribisi 's greedy corporate overseer. Weaver and Michelle Rodriguez (as soldier Trudy Chacon), like Aliens ' Ripley or Terminator 's Sarah Connor, could take on anything or anyone, and Saldana follows up a memorable turn as Uhura in Star Trek with another strong performance as Neytiri. It's quite a feat to create romantic electricity between fictional alien creatures, but Saldana and Worthington manage it surprisingly well. If you allow yourself to get lost in Cameron's Pandora, it's impossible not to root for the Na'vi (or Neytiri and Jake). Part sci-fi, part romance, all James Cameron, this is the sci-fi epic that will suck everyone in.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about Avatar 's revolutionary special effects. Do they overwhelm or support the movie's story? How does the portrayal of the Na'vi affect the movie's emotional impact?

What themes does Cameron consistently work into his films? Compare the strong female characters in Avatar , Terminator , and Titanic . Any similarities?

What political messages is Cameron exploring in the movie? How are its themes relevant to what's going on in today's world? Do you think these messages will stand the test of time?

Why is it important to respect different cultural groups and treat their traditions and practices as valid and important?

How do the Na'vi and human allies use teamwork to achieve their goals? Why is that an important character strength ?

Movie Details

In theaters : December 18, 2009
On DVD or streaming : April 22, 2010
Cast : Michelle Rodriguez , Sam Worthington , Sigourney Weaver , Zoe Saldana
Director : James Cameron
Inclusion Information : Female actors, Latino actors, Black actors
Studio : Twentieth Century Fox
Genre : Science Fiction
Topics : Activism , Magic and Fantasy , Science and Nature , Space and Aliens
Character Strengths : Teamwork
Run time : 161 minutes
MPAA rating : PG-13
MPAA explanation : intense epic battle sequences and warfare, sensuality, language and some smoking
Last updated : February 9, 2024

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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Avatar (2009)

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Avatar Review

Hey there guys. Last night I had a chance to finally see “Avatar”. Does it live up to all the unrealistic hype it had been getting? Well… in some ways no… but… in some ways YES.

Check out my review here:

So did you see Avatar yet? What did you think of it?

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160 thoughts on “ avatar review ”.

I heard that they were making a part 2 of Avatar. Can’t wait to see this one in the theaters. I really enjoyed part 1, hopefully they would be able to make a wonderful part 2.

I watched this one with my sister and I really love this movie. This is one of the movies that I consider “The Best”. I like its visual effects especially when they were on the tree. And when there body glowed when they tried to revived the main character.

The movie is fantastic.If I have to be honest when I saw the trailer I was very sceptical about it but when I have watched it I loved it!

I understand that there might be a few similarities with “Dances With Wolves” and “Avatar” but the plot is *not* the same at all. Also, I think people should be glad that “Avatar” is an actual great, original film with lots of meaning behind it. Lately all of I’ve been seeing in the theater is -remakes of old movies and -movies into books. I’m glad that James Cameron has made a new interesting movie that does not relate to those above. About the animation: Whether you think it’s supposed to distract people about how it ‘dazzles them and makes them already a great movie’ or not, you all must agree that it’s like a step foreword for future movies(and maybe even games) to be even better.

The companion book should be, “Not In His Image” by John Lamb Lash

I think people are talking about the Dances with Wolves similarity.

I think you are right when you say that you cannot take out the visuals of this movie to call it a “good” movie. The whole experience of this movie is integrated into the visual effects. The storyline, albeit overused, is integral as well. The storyline is classic and that’s what makes this movie work. It is also what allowed the visual effects to have such a seamless presence. You take good solid ingredients, mix em’ together and you’re bound to have a good batch of cookies.

Thanks for the honest review. Goolphipp loved Avatar too.

“Dances With Avatars”:First of all I agree with many of you in saying the film is beautiful. I even mentioned to my wife that it was like watching a moving work of art. However, while sitting through this 2 plus hour epic one thing was bothering me. I’ve seen this story before. Instantly I was flashed back to the plot of Kevin Costner’s Acadamy Award Winning film “Dances with Wolves”. Suddenly the comparisons came flying back and it was staggering! Maybe it’s been too long since anyone had seen “Dances” or maybe many of you weren’t even born when that film was released but believe me somewhere Kevin Costner is mad.

I doubt Kev is angry, as they say “Imitation is the best form of flattery”.

The spiritual aspects of Avatar reminded me a little of Final Fantasy which if you remember had all the Gaia reference’s.

As it’s been mentioned by others the story isn’t unique by any stretch of the imagination, however if you look past that it’s still an enjoyable film.

Kevin Costner might be angry if he wrote Dances. Or if he was the only one to come up with a story where a person turns against his own kind.

Costner Directed Dances with Wolves, and while there are a lot of comparisons in Avatar, there are also comparisons in Pocahontas, Last Samurai and Ferngully too.

Either way, Costner doesn’t care. It doesn’t take away or diminish his accomplishments.

Liked your review John, haven’t seen any of your previous one’s. I certainly like to hear other people’s opinions but ultimately I form my own opinion of whether I’m going to see a film or not.

However Dance’s with Wolves immediately came to mind while watching Avatar, despite that I think that this type of idea/story, regarding more advanced cultures simply taking what they like, can’t be told often enough.

But I agree, visually this film doesn’t really have anything to compare to it, it’s a feast for the eyes. This is eye candy of the best kind and I intend seeing it again this week in 3D, hopefully it’s as good, if not better, in that format.

BTW, I loved Dances with Wolves, especially the extended version, deserved all the awards it got.

Happy viewing folks.

And jeez I’ve been gone for a while…you’re leaving, John?

Great visuals, meh story. It’s Ferngully with better animation.

Wait so will you be doing reviews now for AMC, or will you just stop doing reviews all together?

I have no idea who the people were who funded this movie (maybe entirely the elitist James Cameron himself with his own money. One thing it does show is how utterly confused, hypocritical and contradictory Cameron’s world view truly is). All the way through the story and acting it frothed and mockingly pushed a long typical list of totally pathetic, elitist, hypocritical pacifist, new age/earth worship cliches.

Then add to that this overall frothing hatred that portrays all American Military and mankind itself as being all demented psychotic murders who glee in genocide and destruction of all living things, who need to be destroyed or change their ways so they can become like hypocritical new age globalist aliens.

The story line and cliches was such pathetic hypocritical, contradictory, reverse psychology, globalist, Marxist new age propaganda it was unreal. It really is prophetic as to how far American society has fallen for this filth to be made and paid for.

Don’t go to pay to see this movie unless you enjoy funding hypocritical, nihilistic, globalist earth worship propaganda indoctrination, and story lines which shamelessly mock everything good and honorable about all the military and mankind itself. It is pure animalistic, anarchistic, Marxist propaganda meant to indoctrinate ignorant simple minds into changing the world into the traditional Marxist, nihilistic, antichrist, earth worshiping, genocidal world view which all true Marxists live, kill and die for and always will until they control all.

I found the whole inter-species theme quite amusing. James is a furry? lol.

My review: More than a decade after his record breaking blockbuster Titanic, James Cameroon is back with Avatar! When I first saw the trailer, the name “James Cameroon”[after all he directed my favourite movie ever – Terminator 2] was enough for me to get excited and though the trailer was decent I was a bit skeptical regarding the acting of Zoe Saldana [she looked a little cocky in the trailer and the dialogue delivery seemed poor] but I’m glad the film turned out to be very good and most of the actors did a good job.

Avatar is not a film but a breath taking visual experience. The creative imagination of James Cameroon is so spectacular that it can’t be described in words and would me more appropriate if you yourself experience the astonishing forests of Pandora. I expected to visualize a new world with extraordinary creatures [creatures of Pandora were truly amazing, some of them are etched in my memory], new language and decent script. I got what I expected. The background music/sound effects are also pretty solid. 3D just adds to the viewing pleasure.

People may complain there was no character development, stereotyped characters, cliched story, plot holes, weak dialogue[I agree with this upto a certain extent] etc. BUT I say just sit back, relax and let the director take you on an unforgettable journey.

Will it revolutionize cinema? Can’t say,it probably won’t but that doesn’t take anything away from this masterpiece. Are the special effects worth the hype? You betcha, CGI is flat-out AMAZING. Is it worth the time and money? Yes, its worth every penny.

I saw this in 3D at Imax but 3D or 2D this film should not be missed.

Some people keep saying 3D is a gimmick. In certain movies, maybe. But in Avatar the 3D gives the scenes so much more depth and not only FX-heavy scenes but “normal” scenes with humans talking to each other.

I was totally blown away by Avatar. And all my friends that have seen it were too. Most of us will go see the film again and maybe a third time as well!

Avatar will definitely break 1 billion at the box office. It won’t reach Titanic figures but maybe top LOTR 3.

ok you are right ..better go to cinema first and then critizise….bye

just only a thing: why a man without control of his legs can he control an alien creature ? (sorry for my english)that’s is crazy!!!! monnezza

Because his brain is controlling the body of the alien. His brain still works… its his human spine that are broken.

Its all explained in the movie. Maybe you should see it.

yes it’s true: I haven’t yet seen the movie,(out in Italy on jenuary 15th) but : why don’t the scientists fix the spines of humans (they are in 2154)before(they are working for it now)and then manupulate all kind of alien dna mixed with all they want ? that’s crazy!!(don’t forget : cryosleep,interstellar lightspeed starships etc.) monnezza

They promise him they will fix his legs if he completes the mission.

To repair a human spine costs a lot of money in the future, too much for a Marine like him to afford.

Dont worry Ermonezza, theyll explain all of this in the movie =p

I mean look at us now, we can go to the moon, send robots to Mars, we have Tanks that transform into boats, invisible airplanes…. yet no antidote for the common cold.

I absolutely LOVED it, but every now and then my brain would tell me “That is what it would look like if a Thundercat fucked a Smurf”. Dances with Thundersmurfs!

Completely agree with this review. Despite those small flaws, I wanted to watch the movie again right away after seeing it to be honest.

the acting (probably) and the storyline (definitely) both belong in a trash bin, but the cgi and special effects are absolutely amazing. it’s truly remarkable what cgi is capable of these days.

This was the best movie I have ever seen in theatres.

also, congrats on the new endeavor. at first, i was thinking you’d be crazy to just give up the readership and popularity of this blog. that’s worth a lot of money! but then i remembered that you sold it already. so if you want to cash in your chips and start something new, i say good on ya!

hey john – i completely agree with you on the review. just saw avatar last night. the visuals alone were worth the price of admission. i’ll see it again in 3D IMAX. the plot was thin and the dialog was painful at times, but like you said, i knew i could still enjoy the movie with no sound at all.

Zoe Saldana was fantastic – i definitely look forward to anything she’s going to be in!

i’m going to be in the LA area jan 12-15th to get headshots and talk to casting agencies. if i can buy you a beer, let me know!

Good review John! Avatar was a spectacle of beauty. I also agree with you about Dances with Wolves. However I was reminded more of a little film that came out not too long ago called Battle For Terra…

Wow, can’t wait to see this movie. Great review John. I have been a casual reader for a couple years but almost never comment. Just wanted to say that the site is not going to be the same without you. I always seem to agree with your review, the best example being how pissed i was at the ending to the incredible hulk. hearing you bitch about it gave validation to my anger that no one else seemed to understand. lol. good luck on your next step.

yes, i realize that review was by doug, but you both discussed it in the podcast. regardless thanks for the great reading and procrastinating you’ve contributed to over the years. lol.

NO Christian should spend the money to see this movie on that basis alone. ——————————–

Oh let me guess, you are another one of these “Neo-conservatives” from the United states of Jesu..err America, worried about a few words used in a movie.

Speaking as a European, it’s people like you we fear the most in Europe. It’s people who set aside all rational thought, because of their own religious beliefs.

You live in america, a nation which we europeans view as an Emotional MESS and the most gun-loving nation on the face of this planet.

If you were what you claim you are, a good christian, why not start spending some of your time on supporting anti-guy organisations instead of worring about who said what about christ in which movie.

You’ve had a moron of a president (Bush), destroy your country’s reputation, economy, credibility, for the last 8 years, he brought you scandals as Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo Bay,…. 50-100.000 people dead in Irak, Afghanistan, 4000 dead US soldiers

and you are worried about how christ is used in this movie…

JESUS H CHRIST!! People like you just make me want to….. (sighs)

I gotta say this loud and clear. Many will disagree, but in my opinion, this is one of the greatest film achievements since Lord of the Rings. There I said it.

no man I completely agree. I will even step that up a notch t5o say it’s not one of the greatest, but THE greatest achievement in film since LOTR

This movie uses the names of Jesus Christ and God as curse words, NOT in the reverence they deserve. Coming at the Christmas time, when we celebrate the birth of Jesus, Christians should be forewarned that their Savior and Lord’s names will be dragged through the mud and used as fodder in the name of a movie. Shameful and disgusting. NO Christian should spend the money to see this movie on that basis alone.

Really? I’m a Christian and I loved the film. Don’t let some worldly word make you hate an awesome film. It’s ridiculous.

That is a very narrow and ultra conservative review to reject things because they infringe on your very fragile faith.

Jesus hung out with tax collectors and hookers and didnt concern himself with damning the sinners straight to hell.

Dont sweat the petty things. Jesus didn’t and you claim to be his follower.

Consider your own faith’s writings: “God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.” Romans 2:24

So while you over react, cast judgment on your peers and make broad generalizations condemning any Christian who watches this, all you are doing is making the Christian faith look petty and flimsy.

My Favorite part of Rodneys post is “Don’t Pet the Sweaty Things” LOL I mean “Don’t Sweat the Petty things”. I agree though if the worst thing this movie has done to yer faith is to say Jesus Christ or God Damn then you should count yourself lucky or just stop watching hollywood all todether because it gets alot worse against your faith from there. My best suggestion to you Lou is watch a Rob Zombie movie then come back and complain about what you saw in Avatar.

I found the Navi religion can connect to all religions, whether Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddha, etc. But that’s just me.

Iou…strangest post ever.

Iou-stop being so fragile in religious beliefs!

I’m not here to start a religious argument, but I’m an Ex-Christian and thought the worship thing in the film was incredibly interesting and gave the Na’vi a sense of brotherhood.

What’s the heck is an Ex-Christian?

Usually an atheist, but not in this case

Anyway, what’d you think of the worship ritual in Avatar? That was awesome.

I loved it. I think that it connects with all religions and it was great in the end with Jake Sully.

While we’re on discussion of religions, didn’t John used to be a minister?

I believe he was yes.

Hey I teared up in the ritual in avatar i’m serious

I just wonder why Jim Cameron is so exclusive to 20th Century Fox. Are other studios scared of his budget demands for each movie that he creates? lol

the film rips off every outsider in a strange land film ever made. its is a terrible terrible film and all it has going for it is the effects and the 3D. the dialog is awful, every performance laughable. this is the worst film I have seen this year.

oh yeah and once again a white man joins an indigenous tribe and lo behold is practically leading them within a couple of months. ridiculous.

you are an idiot.

agreed … the only thing going for the movie is the cgi (it’s amazing), but that’s all a big film need these days since a majority of peoples are naive and love the pretty displays. good acting and story lines are very few these days.

To those who do not care about 3D in the light of the recent films that have used it, I can totally understand you having those feelings but I implore you to give this film a try. If you still think 3D sucks after you’ve seen ‘Avatar’ then fair enough but I’ve seen my fair share of these movies and this is the first time it totally 100% worked. It became so immersive that I really did forget I was wearing the damn glasses at times.

I was actually thinking about you John coming out of the film yesterday. I’m really curious as to what people with a background in special effects think of the film. I’m just a regular dork and I do think it’s a big leap forward. We don’t have to put with actors being scanned onto computers only for the finished CGI double to look like a freaky rubber doll. The intricacies of the human face have finally been conquered. The Na’Vi were completely real and, in the scenes where used, seamless integrated with human actors and live environments.

It’s definately on the lower rung of Cameron’s films so far as compelling characters and good dialogue but I really cared about the Na’Vi during the film’s glorious finale.

And even if I hadn’t, what a finale.

I must have ate something wrong before the movie. It seemed to me JC weren’t all that enviro-preachy as people say. Am i the only one who thought the Navi were kinda, i don’t know, ignorant assholes. Seeing them getting their asses kicked by the “sky people” were pretty fun. I really enjoyed seeing their oversize tree house shot down. I feel Cameron had too much fun with those scenes as well. Maybe deep down he really isn’t that eco-friendly after all. Either way, hate them or love them, the movie is a hell of a ride. IMAX 3D is awesome. John’s review is always pretty spot on. 8.5 out of 10.

Will Avatar make a profit ? I read in Wikipedia that this flick cost 237 million dollars plus another 200 million for marketing and promo stuff costs. What do you think John or Rodney?

Most of his budget was actually spent developing the technology. I don’t think this movie is going to make $500m, and the story is pretty contained not hinting at a sequel at all.

If he does make one, I hope there is a good story to it and a reason to have one. Its got a “Happily Ever After” vibe to the ending that might make a sequel forced.

That being said, if it does make scads of money it will likely see a sequel, but wont have as big of a budget (wont need quite as much to make)

Well actually when Jake was trying to warn the Na’vi to leave the first time he said that the humans would never stop sending ships and they left Giovani Ribissi’s character alive so that charachter could return home and plan his return to pandora with bigger ships and more soldiers. Look at Star wars, if you had just seen that movie and had never heard aything about a sequel to that movie you could say they tied thing up nicely. The rebels blew up the death star and all, seemed like a sealed win to me but then they made empire. I think they have room for a sequel.

I really hope Bill Paxton plays Giovani Ribissi’s boss in the second one.

well, it looks like it DID make scads of money. ONE BILLION so far, worldwide, so even if the total cost was 500mil, everything from here on out is gravy. GOOD FOR THEM!! this movie deserves every penny and WTG, CAMERON!! you showed all the naysayers AGAIN!!! he is on track to have the two top grossing movies of all time! hilarious. i find it interesting that there seems to be a faction out there that actually seems to want this movie/cameron to fail. oh well. guess they will have to keep doubting, and doing nothing in their lives, and cameron will keep pumping out blockbusters….. when will they learn?

James Cameron has said that if Avatar does well at the box office, he’ll make two sequels to it. If so, will Avatar be his own “Lord of the Rings” trilogy? Can Fox afford his monster budget?

The thing is is that a Boatload of tech was developed to make this movie, with the tech already have been developed would sequel Budgets be as much?

avatar is nice and excelent movie, the effect is vere awesome

Forgot to touch on the story…IT IS THERE. There is a good plot line and great acting (even if it is SFX). The story will pull you in. Dont want to give spoilers…but trust me…this movie is the REAL DEAL!!!

I watched a review for this movie this morning on Fox. A blonde was doing the review and said something to the effect of “…the graphics were amazing but the story was bad…but i dont like these kind of movies anyways…science fiction.” She then went on to majorly praise morgan something or other and another movie i can’t remember. I thought…ARE YOU FUCKING STUPID! I went and watched the movie last night after watching John’s review. I looked for the DwW steal the whole time and didnt see it. It was more Last of the Mohicans for me. But the point is this…if the story was lame to you because you kept comparing it to DwW then you are fool.

This movie is AMAZING!!! I have never seen anything so beautiful cinematically in my entire life. I was not interested in it before hand except seeing if it could live up to the hype. But I was pulled in and on edge the entire time. WOW, WOW, WOW! It sucks that this movie is not getting the credit it deserves because fucking fools are reviewing it. One thing i hate more than anything is someone who gives a movie a mediocre to bad review because they are not interested in the genre or are so fucking shallow minded that they compare it to a previous made story/movie/book/etc. No movie will ever come out that some anal retentive person cant compare it to something else.

SEE THIS MOVIE…IT WILL BLOW YOU AWAY!!! This is the coolest and most visually stunning film i have ever seen in my life!!!

To me its more of a commentary on the Iraqi war. It all makes more sense.

So what the story was similar to Dances with Wolves….It’s also similar to The Last Samurai. Down the road, there will be another great movie with the same story premise. Avatar went further than Dances or Samurai because it dealt with the connection the people had to their land. It wasn’t simply a forceful removing. It would have…well…those who haven’t seen the movie just need to. It’s amazing..

Wow…just watched John’s review. Some aspects of this story, and what the film was saying went right past him.

Dances with Wolves rip off? Eh…only superficially. There’s a whole kind if spiritual/connection/consciousness thread running through this film that many (including John apparently) will not get.

The film’s effects were flawless, gorgeous, but it gave up NOTHING with regard to story.

Yes Jim… i got it, and I did pick up the undertones. But to deny the blatant plagiarism in some aspects of “Avatar” is just willful ignorance.

NAME THIS MOVIE:

“A soldier for a stranger culture goes to observe a primitive culture. The stronger culture has plans for the primative cultures land.

While there, the soldier falls in love with the daughter of the leader of the primative culture.

The girl is already sort of betrothed to a strong warrior… and that strong warrior doesn’t like the soldier… but eventually comes around to liking him.

The soldier eventually changes sides and decides to fight along side of the more primative culture against his own people because he feels it’s the right thing to do”

So is the movie I just described “Dances With Wolves” or “Avatar”. If you say “both”, then you’ve just proved my point.

Fair enough John, but I don’t think you have it enough credit in your actual review. You didn’t mention in your review the undertones I mentioned, and what the film was trying to say with respect to them…yet you make a point to say “Dances with Wolves rip off” multiple times.

With respect, I just don’t think you gave the story enough credit. The aspects that you mention, the similarities to Dances with Wolves are framework, granted. But to characterize the story as a whole as a rip off is in my humble opinion an unfair characterization and minimizes the real message here.

Apologies if I mischaracterized your own understanding of the story and it’s apparent intent, but your review as posted didn’t really indicate to me that you appreciated these things…things that as far as I’m concerned are HUGE in this film. Things that Dances with Wolves barely touched on.

In the end I think you have a good point, but I think in the scheme of things it pales compared to what was actually put forth on a deeper level, above and beyond effects.

Thanks for all your time here John, best to you.

I see what you’re saying… I really do. But other films have been labeled rips offs for much much less.

Are there differences between the films? Absolutely there are. But the story structure was far too similar for my liking. So yes, I thought the story was a bit weak… even the unique parts.

But over all I loved the movie very much.

If we didn’t have different opinions… what fun would talking about movies be? ;)

Almost forgot…I think more importantly than relating this story to Dances with Wolves, is relating it to actual, tragic events that took place in our own history. We actually did this to Native Americans, this kind of thing has actually happened. This is what Dances with Wolves dealt with really, and it shouldn’t be the only movie that gets to…you know?

And Harry Potter can be generalized down to have the same plot as Star Wars: A New Hope.

Yes, there is a strong paralell to Dances, but it doesn’t matter. It was still a great film.

Well I can name a few other movies that came pretty damn close to that description. Just to name 2 off the top of my head are “Pocahontas” and “The Last Samurai”. Movies barrow from other movies. I’m not disagreeing with you but, it’s been a culteral thing in movies for decades. Doesn’t make it not good.

The similarity people are finding is an archetypal structure used long long before Dances with Wolves. I see where you can name movies and say Avatar is barrowing from them. but its not barrowing from movies its barrowing from classic story telling elements. I Totally agree with you Rodney on your Harry Potter/New Hope comment. The Wrester and Crazy Heart is another example. they arent ripping off these movies, they’re just simply using archetypes to structure a unique narrative around.

Dances with Wolves was crap compared to AVATAR. This movie will change the film industry.

EVERYONE – Be on the lookout for BATTLE ANGEL

It seems that more and more of these “event-type” movies like Avatar are copying other flicks for inspiration. At some instances in this movie , it looked a bit like “Surrogates” to me, you know, having Sam Worthington’s character “piloting” his Navi avatar equivalent, same with Sigourney Weaver’s Grace character. It’s a combo of “Surrogates” meets “Dances with Wolves” with a bit of “Aliens”. Perhaps James Cameron has milked his imagination dry at this point.

who cares if avatar is dancing with wolves. Benjamin button was forrest gump pretty much and even the whole story about the solider who lost his legs but gets them back on a new planet is from some book from the 1950’s? am i wrong? john is right when he says people should put that issue to the side because nothing is 100% original it seems anymore.

Good Review. I’ve decided to wait for the Blu-Ray to check this film out. I know people pay more for tickets, but $8.50 is more than I’m willing to pay ANY(unless its the Evangelion 2.0 or a new Godzilla movie) movie.

$8.50? I’ve been paying $12 for a few years now. Imax 3D is $16.50.

This is begged to be watched in 3D. There hasn’t been a precedent for this movie before. Forget what you know about 3D and do yourself a favor and don’t let it leave the theaters before you see it!

I don’t waste time with 3-D to me its nothing more than a gimmick.

It’s a cinch for James Cameron to get Oscar nominations for Best Director and Best Picture for “Avatar”. But I doubt whether this movie will win those trophies, come Oscar night. Avatar didn’t have the gravitas and the oomph that Titanic had 12 years ago. and it won’t rule the number 1 spot for 3 months for sure. Don’t you agree , John?

Avatar was incredible, I agree with John this is quite possibly the most amazing movie going experience I have ever had, and the 3-D was surprisingly not a gimmick, it just further added to the experience. I liked it more than he did, and would give it a 10 out of 10, because it was such an experience, I actually felt drained coming out of the movie…

As far as money goes, I think this movie will hang around through most of winter, as word of mouth carries it, because like Titanic, all 3 women I saw it with loved to the point where they declared it one of their favorite movies ever.

is it gonna make back its costs? cuz i don’t see people lining up to see this movie like twilight or harry potter or dark knight

It WILL make a profit. It only needs to gross around 750M worldwide (estimate) to recoup it’s production budget. If you add in toys, merchandising, video games, books, comic books and more, then it’s probably already making money.

John Thanks for the years you have given us with TMB. You inspired me to do my own blog, which unfortunately has not been active for some time as life unfortunately interfered, but I will be returning to it full force this week. It’s been a pleasure having you around and reading and listening to your opinions. Good luck in all future endeavors to you.

The last time I was blown away with movie graphics was when i saw The matrix….its amazing 10 years later i had the same feeling after watching this..

I hadn’t seen a 3D movie at the cinema since ‘Freddy’s Dead : The Final Nightmare’ back in 1991, and wasn’t impressed back then, which put me off seeing anything in 3D since. Also, I was never really a big James Cameron fan (Aliens excepted), and the pics I had seen of the film’s setting to me kinda looked like something out of a PS3 game, so I wasn’t really too keen to go see this film.

However, thanks to my girlfriend having the hots for Sam Worthington, when we were at the cinema the other day, and trying to decide which film to go see, I was swayed by her carefully balanced argument of, ‘Sam Worthington? In 3D? Wow, this we have GOT to see!!!!’, and so off we went…

…and how pleased was I that I went along with it? Truly amazing effects, totally blown away by the advances in the technology. Seeing the planet Pandora on the big screen made me change my mind about what I’d thought of it before, as well. I totally forgot I was seeing a computer generated world, as the detailing was so rich, everything seemed to be alive on the screen.

Yeah, the storyline was totally unoriginal to the point that I was half-expecting John Dunbar to pop up any second, but that to me was forgivable slightly, seeing as how 99.9% of films these days aren’t original anyways, but aren’t done half as good as this one.

Saw movie last night – truely stunning – best film I’ve seen in years. I’ve waited over 30 years to see the art of such geniuses as Roger Dean and Rodney Matthews to come to life – just a tragedy they didn’t participate in this film as the creatures and floating lands etc. are identical. They must feel totally usurped. Still, nothing can take away the fact that this is a totally breathtaking masterpiece.

Dances With Autobots

Summer 2014

“Avatar” The Movie- Don’t Worry!!!! I won’t tell you anything that the advertisements don’t already tell!!! OK, just went to see it in an amazing 3-D Imax!!!! That was the most amazing, creative, stimulating, and adventurous piece of propaganda that has ever been made!!!!! An amazing ride and especially fun to watch…special effects were out of this world!!! The message in Avatar however, was very clear… a predominantly white military “American soldier-esk” group going into a foreign area to mine and take a high dollar resource at ANY COST …even it means killing the earth conscience natives that live there. How convenient and original… …I just wish a movie can be made of this calibur without turning it into a political machine. I think it’s a shame to utilize such influence and power that film has, to indocterinate viewers with the ideaology that the essence of evil lies in the hands of patriotism, military, capitalism, democracy, psuedo-christianity or mono-theistic belief, and especially just being American. Don’t get me wrong…I absolutely feel it is important to make the most healthy and environmental decision possible. I also believe that there have been poor choices politically made in the past. Not to mention the bad apples in office and in the military…BUT, I also have many friends and some family in the military that have served and are still serving overseas that many times express a completely different view than much of mainstream media. There is not a country in the world that treats criminals or enemy combatants as well as we do…even at our worst! The U.S.A. has given more lives and money charitably to the entire world than any other country. Remember, we have an EPA, high tech recycling systems, catalitic converters, responsible logging, conservations in every state, courts by jury, military tribunals, an ELECTED President and Officials, Citizenship opportunities for immigrants, bankruptcies to start over, FDA, FAA, FCC, Freedom of press, and on and on and on…other countries LARGE and small do NOT have the compilation of these things that we have CHOSEN to implement. WE HAVE DONE OUR PART! IT’S TIME FOR THE REST OF THE WORLD TO DO THIERS! I resent the notion that this movie portrays MOST (not all) serviceman and capitalists as a bunch of ‘unscientific,’ blood thirty, ignorant, thoughtless, heartless, inconsiderate, trigger happy morons. Other than that…this movie was AWESOME!! STIMULATE THE ECONOMY AND GO SEE IT IN 3-D!!!!

Actually GW Bush was NOT elected. He won the Electoral College.

Cameron touches on some deep issues here, the story is amazing. Not all will appreciate that aspect, as many are just oblivious to certain concepts presented here.

Spectacular film in all ways – period.

This was one hell of a movie.

Hey John, I absolutely love your reviews and podcasts. This is more related to this being your last review on the movie blog, but Will you continue to do video reviews or podcasts on your new AMC gig, or personal blog? If not, I’d be not only a sad panda but a grateful one if you listed some trusted sources that you know of who you consider as “movie critics.” As always great review and best of luck!

One word folks…..killer

I didn’t care about the Hype. To me, I went with what I saw. And the Dances with Wolves thing, I didn’t care about either. It was a comparison, true, and maybe they were similar storywise. I just didn’t let it get to me. So when I saw the movie today, I was just blown away by what I saw. It was truly an amazing thing. And I saw it in a regular theatre btw. It just looked so beautiful, and the story didn’t feel too long at all. Just right for me.

I’ve never liked 3d movies. always thought they were gimmicky and mediocre at best, but this one has totally earned my respect. that the storyline per se is somewhat unoriginal, predictable and playing second fiddle to the gorgeous visuals of the movie is something that i found VERY forgivable. That the movie was two and a half hours long and was still keeping me interested and wowing me with the effects and the complexity of its world (i’m easily distracted and bored, so this is a considerable feat)is a testament to what a good movie-going experience should be. And yes i know my sentences today are running long, but it’s been a while since i’ve enjoyed a movie as much as i did this one.

BTW thanks for the review John. it’ll be a sad day when you leave this blog. your opinions have always been very honest and, though i haven’t always agreed with your reviews, at least they’ve kept me entertained. hope you don’t become a stranger

Avatar Kiched ass, Compare it to say Transformers 2 and it’s visual effects and TF2 look like ametuer work. If avatar don’t beat TF2’s numbers at the box office I’ll call for a boycott of the next TF movie….

Hey Cinema Phreak.

Dude… that doesn’t make any sense my man. If the FANS don’t go to watch Avatar… you’ll boycott Transformers?

Isn’t a boycott meant to punish something for doing something wrong? If fans choose to see T2 more than Avatar, shouldn’t you boycott the fans? T2 didn’t make people not see Avatar. The fans choose that.

And Avatar unfortunately will NOT make Transformer numbers. It just won’t happen

LOL your right I know,. Sometimes I completely talk outta my ass. My true meaning trying to compare the two is that they are both big effect movies that was released this year and if you compare the effects and the wow transformers just looks bad comparatively. I mean Avatar now set the bar and I don’t think anyything that Michael Bay decides to put in a TF3 movie will come close to looking this good.

Hey Phreak.

Dude, I’ve got to disagree with you about T2’s effects. It was a bad movie… but the effects were completely perfect. To me… never once did the stuff in T2 not look totally real.

The effects in Avatar are a whole new kind of effects, and certainly more impressive… but to say they made T2’s effects look bad… you’re entitled to your opinion my friend, but I have to passionately disagree with you on that.

I guess in all fairness, avatar was released afterwards and I can’t fault TF2 for not living up to that bar when it hadn’t been set yet. In all fairness I guess we should see where this puts bay when TF3 is released. And I’m cool with the debate over the movies, I know some people get upset over the debate sometimes but they don’t really get the point of this being a community where ideas are shared.

Something out of the box here, Cinema Phreak keeps refering Tranformers 2 as TF2 while John refers the same as T2…Come on John a little more respect for the legendary Terminator 2. Terminator 2 completely deserves the right to the abbreviation T2 over Transformers!

Just saying.

I will miss your reviews! Rodney is a nice guy too, but he always deletes my comments. :P

The system removes and moderates many comments, especially with links in them.

And we only remove comments that violate the commenting rules.

oh I am sure I have violated some commenting rules, so no hard feelings… will you do some video reviews or podcasts Rodney?? would be nice!

Reviews and Podcasts are coming from me, yes.

niccccccccce

This is real close to how I explained it to customers at theater I work for. Dances with Wolves, Special effects, the experience. I also said it had a strong element of Ferngully too, with the “Save the Forests” vibe.

This is definitely a movie to see in theaters because it will not feel the same on a small screen

Hey John, thanks a lot for the load of really good reviews and insights on movies you have given us…it was always a pleasure to read your thoughts… am from India and have been one of thousands of your “International friends” and fellow Star Wars fan who hit The Movie Blog every single day to check out on the stuff you’ve posted… sad to see you go… but we always have good ol’ Rodney to clue us in, right? May the Force be with you always, and hope to see you around pretty soon.

Having not seen this yet, I had an important question I thought would have great significance on whether or not I’ll be able to enjoy it…you mention in your review that Avatar has a weak narrative and story…I was curious if that got in the way of being totally immersed and emotionally connected with the story and its characters…for me the most important element in a movie is the story and the characters..if those are poorly excuted, I often have trouble “getting sucked in” to the movie, thus not enjoying it.

OMG I asked for this in rodneys post to have john post one last review of avatar none the less….. I pretty much begged for it. I love it. I was hoping for one last review from john. Going out with a Bang is soo much better than a post saying yer leaving. I’ll be watching for future stuff over at AMC..

Thanks for the review John. I wasn’t originally going to go see this, but based on your review I will. I’ve noticed over the past year that we seem to have similar taste and opinions in general about film, which is one of the reasons I was drawn to TMB. Will be sorry to see you go, but will continue to follow Rodney, and look for you in your new gig. Best of luck.

The visual effects and 3D are amazing! Possibly not revolutionary, however, Cameron has set the bar very high. The story is formulaic, but it’s isn’t bad at all. I had a great time and walked out of the theater all giddy like a school girl. If anyone is interested in seeing this movie, or if John swayed them into giving a shit, then I highly recommend seeing this beast on the big screen…and in 3D!

Yes, 3D is the ONLY way to properly watch it.

I disagree about 3D being the only way to see it. It’s a neat novelty… but I found myself wishing I could just take the glasses off and watch the movie without them.

No, no, 3D is the ONLY way to proper watch it period. The real depth created here, not the “cardboard cutout” 3D effects of some past 3D films I’ve seen, are bar none the best visual experience of our lifetimes.

I’m going to see it tonight, but something on an unrelated note. Whats up with the anniversary movie? Will I get to see it in the states soon?

I saw this last night at the midnight show. I loved it. I havent seen dances with wolves, so I cant compare it, haha, but from what I know, it defintally seems like a rip off. I still really liked this movie, though.

i can’t decide if i want to see this movie, since the 3D is such a big part of the movie and i can’t see 3D

I saw it in 3D, but my buddy went out of his way to see it not in 3D, and he loved it the same as I did. You should have fun.

I’m gonna go see it tomorrow if it doesn’t snow alot in my area.

This film looks awesome.

Fuck, it DID snow.

The whole “Dances with Wolves” thing is age old story though. its pretty much archetypal. The New World, The Jungle Book, Tarzan, Fern Gully to name a few. an outsider in a new world torn between his world and the new one. At least its not a sequel, reboot, based on a novel or comic book.

I first thought, Pocahontas, myself. lol

Avatar refers to the fact that the person is being put into a body which is not his own. That’s why.

Well, like many others i was very esceptic about the film, because i don´t belive in all the media merchandising and all that stuff, but so far i heard 9 of 10 good critics, and i was just waiting the opinion on The Movie Blog to buy a ticket and spend the valuable time of my life sitting on a cinema, but now, i can even buy a giant bucket of popcorn end enough drink for the night.

Thank You John, Good Riddance !.

FELIZ NAVIDAD A TODOS EN EL MOVIE BLOG DESDE MÉXICO !!!

I’m going to see it tomorrow, i hope its half as good as people are saying.

It was a nice surprise to seee another review from John. I must say this is a great blog and it’s my number 1 for movies for a long time. I really enjoyed your reviews and its a shame to see you leave TMB.

This is my first post here, but i had to say something before you leave, cause i watched a lot of nice movies cause of your reviews, and for that i’m thankfull.

Totally my pleasure Mikey. Thanks for the kind words.

Rodney will continue to do great stuff with the blog once I’m gone, and I encourage you to keep coming around here! Thanks for commenting.

Does anyone out here know why James selected a Hindi word – Avatar as the title?

An “Avatar” is also an online representation of yourself. The picture you use to represent you. In games that have virtual worlds you often have Avatars. This makes perfect sense for the movie, because they are controlling versions of themselves.

1- Avatar means a God in a humans body (as far as im concerned)

2- The other definition is a graphic image in a computer that represents a person.

Im guessing that an Avatar in this movie belongs to the 2nd deffinition, as in its a na’vi body (instead of a graphic image) that represents a body (the human Jake played by sam worthington)

Although it might mean the first definition (a god in a humans body) maybe in some plot twist at the end it shows that this is the actual meaning of the word Avatar. But im guessing its the 2nd deffinition

Ok John answered it before I did. Sorry =P

Yes, what John said =O

Avatar has Hindi origins, but it is in no way exclusive to that faith.

You are right Rodney, Avatar has Hindi origins, but its no way exclusive to that faith and it simply means another version of a person.

But as John said, it makes perfect sense…it seems James put a good thought behind the title. Kudos to him! These days many titles don’t seem to fit the movie but this one surely does.

I agree UP was the best movie of the year. By a mile.

But do you guys think, that they can make the argument of “There was no real acting in UP for it to even be considered”?

By the way, thank you John for the review. Did you see it on IMAX? I need to see a review from people that saw it on IMAX and regular theaters (im watching it on both)

Yeah, I saw it in 3D IMAX and it was pretty breath taking. I don’t even like 3D. I think I’m going to go watch it again in a regular AMC Theater (Shameless plug). :)

I did see Avatar in IMAX 3D. Funny thing – it did not use up the whole IMAX screen. The film was presented in 35mm with 3d effects so I dont think it would make a difference seeing Avatar in Imax or not.

correction: it probably did not take up the entire screen due to being in scope, assuming the auditorium in question used lateral masking rather than horizontal. It couldn’t have been in 35mm format AND had 3D effects, as this isn’t possible with current theater configurations. IMAX uses 70mm film, so it’s highly likely the film was presented this way.

Great review John. I’ll just be happy if the visuals are as good as you say. Sad that his is your last review. Thanks for all the entertainment over the years. BTW – Will your last podcast have Doug, Darren and Bruxie back for one last time ?

We’ll miss your reviews John. No way you could be talked in to doing occasional reviews or podcasts?

Hey John, great to see you.

Whats with the new look? btw the monkey cap looks great on you. If according to you Up in the air is the best not animated movie, how much will you rate it out of 10?

You are correct. UP was the best film of the year by far.

Great review. I’ve been thinking Dances with Wolves for awhile now. Nice to hear someone else say it.

James Cameron said it a long time ago, the Dance with Wolves thing.

Star Trek was the best film of the year by far. If by best you mean best entertainment.

Thanks for a well balanced review. I’m looking forward to this movie, but I have been turned off by some of the hype when all a reviewer goes on and on about is how great the effects are. I’m sure they are, but a movie is more about looks, so thanks for being one of the few people who could be honest and not get caught up in the fanboy hype. :)

I’ll miss your presence here, but good luck with your new job. I hope it’s long lasting and opens many opportunities. :)

I have zero interest in this movie but now I want to see it just for the effects you speak of.

If it said Pixar made this movie John would be rallying for this to be nominated and win for best picture. ;)

Just a little joke.

I enjoyed the movie too and it did feel like it took a bit to much from Dances With Wolves.

Well… if Pixar had made it, they would have focused on the STORY first. :)

WOW. I heard none of the hype and had no preconceived notions. I do not like 3D but just watched this movie in REAL D. You wear different glasses and the effect appears not to be so intense; my eyes were comfortable. Again, I was blown away by this movie. Yea, the horse like creatures and native theme evoked several comparisons with Dances… but, as someone says above, it is a recurring theme in ‘new world’ narratives. I feel this movie has raised the bar on bringing the audience INTO the story. It is a first rate production of an epic story with cutting edge graphic effects. Wow. Faith, community, and the fact that our Judeo-Christian, consumer oriented, world produced the antagonist make this somewhat controversial. The pagan Pandoreans were fighting for their ‘connectedness’ with all living things. Sitting in the audience, in a community that considers evolution controversial, made me smile and feel uncomfortable at the same time; I was looking to see if anyone walked out when the natives were chanting around the Tree of Souls. One of my top 3 favorite movies of all time. Princess Bride, Pulp Fiction and Avatar in Real D.

what do you think SHOULD win best picture?

Well.. “UP” should be best picture… but since the Hollywood Foreign was too stupid and short sighted to even nominate it… I’d say:

DRAMA – Up In The Air Musical Or Comedy – Julie And Julia

Since when is the Hollywood Foreign Press ever that sharp? The Golden Globes are practically meaningless.

Not that I’m telling you anything news breaking or anything.

I think avatar is going to win oscar

The Hurt Locker and maybe not for best picture…but male performance should go to rockwell in Moon.

it was good long movie 3 hours I saw it in 3d had a heck of a time it surpised me

Glad to see you are back for even if only for a bit John, your reviews area always balanced. Looking forward to you upcoming best and worst list too.

Cheers, Price

Hey Hamiwill,

Well… to be fair, I’m not really “back”. In my departure announcement I did say I’d be around until the end of December. But at the end of this month, I hand things over permanently into Rodney’s capable hands.

Thanks for the kind words about my review!

Wow, quite an epic last review.

I mean, I personally don’t like Avatar but theirs no denying how epic it is as a movie!

Btw, it dosen’t have to be your last. Theres no reason you can’t contribute an article/review a few times a year in your down time :) Your input would always be welcomed!

Dance with volves plus dinotopia : avatar :D still, I did enjoy it….

I thought I was the only one to see the similarity to Dances with Wolves.

by James Cameron

Avatar study guide.

Avatar is a science-fiction movie directed and produced by James Cameron , and distributed by 20th Century Fox. It was released on December 10, 2009. The film is set in the middle of the 22nd century, and follows the colonization of Pandora, a moon planet, after the depletion of Earth’s resources. It follows the struggle for resources between the human colonists and the native Na’vi population.

Creator James Cameron began developing the concept of the film in 1994. However, he did not write the screenplay until 2006. It premiered in 2009 to high praise from critics, who marveled at the innovative and impressive visual effects. The film stars Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Michelle Rodriguez, and Sigourney Weaver. The film remains the highest grossing film of all time, and was nominated for nine Academy Awards, of which it won three.

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Jake Sully is a paraplegic. Once a Marine, he enlists as a part of the Avatar Program after his twin brother is killed.

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Home » Review » Avatara Purusha Part 1 movie review: Suni presents a cracker of an entertainer with this Sharan starrer »

Avatara Purusha Part 1 movie review: Suni presents a cracker of an entertainer with this Sharan starrer

Blending magic and comedy, the filmmaker ensures there’s never a dull moment in the film

Prathibha Joy

Last Updated: 08.16 AM, May 06, 2022

Story: Ayurveda exponent Rama Jois (Saikumar) and his wife Susheela (Bhavya), lose their only son Karna, when he goes missing while on a trip to a temple festival with his aunt Yashoda (Sudharani). The guilt of having lost her nephew has been eating away at Yashoda, so when she finally opens up to her daughter Siri (Ashika Ranganath) about the circumstances that brought about a split between her and her brother, the latter decides that she will mend the brother-sister relationship by giving them Karna. Her plan is to get someone to pretend to not only be the couple’s long-lost son, but also convincingly so.

Enter Anila (Sharan), a junior cine artiste that Siri finds suitable for the task. Seeing Anila is all that Susheela needs to be convinced her son is back, but Rama Jois isn’t on board the idea and that forms the backdrop of the twist in the tale.

Review: There’s an interesting mix of story-telling at play in director Suni’s Avatara Purusha – part 1. There’s the drama surrounding the elderly couple Rama Jois and Susheela, who are still pining for their son Karna and clinging on to hope that he will return to them some day. But more important is the Jois family’s connection to the world of magic and witchcraft from the time of Rama Jois’ father, Brahma Jois (Ayyappa P Sharma).

The Jois family is the key to attaining the powerful Trishanku stone/bead, which has been a bone of contention between two wizard factions for years. This is actually the main plot of Avatara Purusha – part 1, with Suni using the other arcs to introduce all the players who will eventually be involved in the battle for Trishanku, like, for instance, Dharka (Ashutosh Rana), Hinnudi (Balaji Manohar), Kumara (Srinagara Kitty), among others.

Suni’s writing has always been the backbone of his films and he delivers yet again with Avatara Purusha, weaving together a thriller story about black magic within the comedy genre. Prior to watching the film, I had asked leading man Sharan about the film’s dark and heavy subject - black magic – and presenting it with humour, without making a mockery of it. The actor had vouched for Suni’s brilliant writing in ensuring the magic elements do not come across like a spoof and I admit, Sharan was right.

The twist at the end of part 1 will make way for more magic and witchcraft to play out in part 2, so it remains to be seen how Suni maintains this balance. The filmmaker has, apparently shot most of the second instalment and if it is anything like the first, he has another winner in hand. The good story apart, Suni’s victory is also in his choice of star cast. Sharan is, undoubtedly, the star of the film, but actors like Saikumar, Balaji Manohar, Ashutosh Rana and Srinagara Kitty lend immense gravitas to the narrative. And most of them, especially Saikumar and Kitty, will have extended roles in part 2 apparently, so that will be interesting.

Ashika Ranganath’s pairing with Sharan is just right for this film and the actors are totally in sync with each other. Sudharani and Bhavya have limited screen time, but make sure those scenes remain with audiences. Writing a few words of praise for DOP William David’s camera work would be disservice to the man. You’ve got to see and experience it. Same is the case with Arjun Janya’s music and background score, which absolutely elevate the cinematic experience. Kudos also to Bhushan master for the choreography putting Sharan through his paces.

Avatara Purusha part 1 is only 128 minutes long and packs in a lot of story-telling and four songs too, and yet there are a couple of sequences involving Sadhu Kokila that don’t appear to have any bearing on the main plot – or does it? Guess we’ll know when part 2 releases.

Verdict: It’s always a pleasure when a film entertains you from start to end. Thank you, team Avatara Purusha (part 1). Keep up the good work. Can’t wait for part 2!

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Streaming Ratings: ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender' Premieres at No. 1

The live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender had a big premiere week.

The remake of the beloved Nickelodeon animated series opened at No. 1 overall on Nielsen's streaming charts for Feb. 19-25. Avatar had 2.56 billion minutes of viewing in the United States over its first four days (it premiered Feb. 22), the second biggest week for any streaming title in 2024 so far (behind the 3.04 billion for Fool Me Once in early January).

Love Is Blind also had a big week for Netflix. The dating show more than doubled its total viewing time from the previous week, growing to 2.41 billion minutes as Netflix released the second batch of episodes from season six.

HBO's True Detective had its best showing of the year to date the week after its fourth season finale, growing by 15 percent to 889 million minutes of viewing on Max (that tally doesn't include any linear viewing on HBO's cable channels). Warrior became the latest recipient of the Netflix bump, as the canceled Max series finished fourth overall with 948 million minutes on Max (where it continues to stream) and Netflix.

Behind Avatar and Love Is Blind , there was a steep dropoff in time viewed for original series. Netflix's One Day finished third, but its 454 million minutes of viewing was less than a fifth of Love Is Blind ‘s total. It's one of the biggest gaps between second and third place on Nielsen's original streaming series chart in its 3 1/2-year history. Masters of the Air (271 million minutes) improved by 11.5 percent week to week for Apple TV+.

Nielsen's streaming ratings cover viewing on TV sets only and don't include minutes watched on computers or mobile devices. The ratings only measure U.S. audiences, not those in other countries. The top streaming titles for Feb. 19-25, 2024, are below.

1. Avatar: The Last Airbender (Netflix), 2.56 billion minutes viewed

2. Love Is Blind (Netflix), 2.41 billion

3. Bluey (Disney+), 1.08 billion

4. Warrior (Max/Netflix), 948 million

5. Young Sheldon (Max/Netflix), 936 million

6. Grey's Anatomy (Netflix), 901 million

7. True Detective (Max), 889 million

8. NCIS (Netflix/Paramount+), 737 million

9. Monk (Netflix/Peacock/Prime Video), 705 million

10. Suits (Netflix/Peacock), 702 million

Original Series

1. Avatar: The Last Airbender, 2.56 billion minutes

2. Love Is Blind, 2.41 billion

3. One Day (Netflix), 454 million

4. The Tourist (Netflix), 338 million

4 (tie). Halo (Paramount+), 338 million

6. Formula 1: Drive to Survive (Netflix), 337 million

7. Mr. and Mrs. Smith (Prime Video), 310 million

8. House of Ninjas (Netflix), 287 million

9. Masters of the Air (Apple TV+), 271 million

10. Griselda (Netflix), 253 million

Acquired Series

1. Bluey, 1.08 billion minutes

2. Warrior, 948 million

3. Young Sheldon, 936 million

4. Grey's Anatomy, 901 million

5. True Detective, 889 million

6. NCIS, 737 million

7. Monk, 705 million

8. Suits, 702 million

9. The Big Bang Theory (Max), 658 million

10. The Blacklist (Netflix), 593 million

1. Mea Culpa (2024) (Netflix), 693 million minutes

2. Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken (Netflix), 598 million

3. The Abyss (2023) (Netflix), 529 million

4. Oppenheimer (Peacock), 487 million

5. Dune (2021) (Hulu/Max/Netflix), 452 million

6. Moana (Disney+), 384 million

7. The Super Mario Bros. Movie (Netflix), 374 million

8. Thanksgiving (2023) (Netflix), 348 million

9. Players (2024) (Netflix), 222 million

10. Encanto (Disney+), 221 million

‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ Review: A Live-Action Adaptation that Brings Hope to the Franchise

The Avatar has returned. Released on Thursday, Feb. 22, Netflix’s new live-action adaptation of “Avatar: The Last Airbender” strikes a perfect balance between paying homage to the 2005 Nickelodeon animated series and reimagining the storylines in a compact eight-episode series accessible for new viewers and die-hard fans alike. Full of visually striking fight scenes and a more mature tone than its cartoon predecessor, the complexity of the series’ fantasy world truly shines in this adaptation. Yet, the biggest triumph of the new series is the fidelity to beloved characters, brought to life by a superbly cast ensemble of actors.

From the first scenes of episode one, viewers are thrust into the political intrigue of a war waged by Fire Lord Sozin (Hiro Kanagawa) — the power-hungry tyrant at the helm of the Fire Nation — against the Earth Kingdom, Water Tribes, and Air Nomads. Unlike its animated predecessor, the new series fleshes out Aang’s (Gordon Cormier) experience as a young airbender learning that he is the next Avatar, the only person who can master all four elements. However, Aang disappears soon after, frozen in an iceberg with his loyal — and thanks to CGI — incredibly fluffy sky bison named Appa.

One hundred years later, Aang emerges from the ice to two unsuspecting Water Tribe teens, fledgling waterbender Katara (Kiawentiio) and her older brother Sokka (Ian Ousley). The three set out on a journey across the four nations to ultimately bring Aang to the Northern Water Tribe where he must warn its leaders of an impending Fire Nation attack, and hopefully hone his water bending skills.

As these newfound friends set out on their quest, the banished heir to the Fire Nation Throne, Prince Zuko (Dallas Liu), and his unwaveringly jovial Uncle Iroh (Paul Sun-Hyung Lee) follow in hot pursuit. While many of the beloved “filler” episodes of the original show fall to the wayside in this new adaptation, the new 45-60 minute episodes contain far more exposition. Among the most riveting scenes are flashbacks for Liu’s emotionally scarred portrayal of Zuko.

Despite the sudden departure of original creators Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino due to creative differences after two years of development for Netflix, the remaining showrunner Albert Kim succeeded in capturing much of the original magic of the animated series. Notably, Konietzko and DiMartino are now working together to create new animated sequel movies under their newly created Avatar Studios.

Admittedly, the pacing of Kim’s series feels slightly disjointed as a result of several different groups of characters accomplishing entirely separate plot points. For instance, much of the middle of the season follows the main trio’s journey in Omashu, which absorbs adventures that originally took place over the course of many episodes and separated by journeys to different locations throughout the Earth Kingdom.

This decision is jarring for fans familiar with the original series, and potentially bewildering for those without background knowledge of the show’s world, minor characters, and original plot. The merging of storylines contributes to the new series’ darker, more mature tone, evoking a sense of intrigue that raises the stakes for each of the main characters. In the series’ defense, collapsing many storylines to occur simultaneously is truly the only feasible strategy to make time for consistent call-backs to the original series over the course of fewer episodes.

Many fan-favorite moments are given new life with special effects, and the live actors bring the scenes further to life. The perfectly goofy yet decidedly less useless rendition of season one’s Sokka still falls for the intense and witty Kyoshi warrior Suki (Maria Zhang). Katara’s epic duel with sexist water bending Master Pakku (A Martinez) is recreated almost shot-for-shot, completing her early character development from timid and apprehensive to confident in her new-found power. Even the cabbage merchant (James Sie) makes his comedic return in the Omashu episode. Much to fans’ relief, there is still a band of roving musicians to serenade Sokka and Katara upon entering the famed “Secret Tunnel.”

On a more serious note, Uncle Iroh’s backstory is also fleshed out in more detail. Several scenes, including his past as a Fire Nation General and the loss of his son, Lu Ten, bring an added and much-appreciated humanity to a character who without special narrative attention would be in danger of appearing as a bumbling old man.

Yet another triumph is in the series’ costumes , designed by Farnaz Khaki-Sadign whose work was informed by real forms of cultural dress to make the fantasy world feel all the more believable. The attention to detail in the show not only accurately recreates the original animation, but also brings the cultural influences and inspirations of the world to the forefront of the series’ striking visuals and elaborate sets.

With promise of a second and hopefully third season to finish out the story progression, this revival of a cult-classic series rises to the monumental task at hand — appeasing existing fans with easter egg references and true-to-character depictions, while also generating excitement from new fans who will be left wanting more after the cliff-hanger at the end of season one.

—Staff writer Katy E. Nairn can be reached at [email protected] .

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Screen Rant

Outlander season 7 part 2 release window revealed.

The release window for Outlander season 7 part 2 has now been revealed as the popular Starz series gears up to continue the story of Jamie and Claire.

Outlander season 7 part 2 is set to release in November 2024, continuing the love story between Claire and Jamie.
The popular Starz drama, based on Diana Gabaldon's novel series, has captivated audiences since first airing in 2014.
Outlander is confirmed to return for season 8, and a prequel series is also in production.

Outlander season 7 part 2, the continuation of the popular Starz drama, now has an official release window. First airing in 2014, Outlander is based on the novel series of the same name by author Diana Gabaldon. The series chronicles the love story of Claire (Caitríona Balfe) and Jamie (Sam Heughan), the former a World War II nurse who is transported back in time to 18th century Scotland. The historical romance drama returned for season 7 in June 2023, with the season having been split into two parts.

The official Outlander Instagram account now confirms that Outlander season 7 part 2 will release in November 2024 . The post accompanies a handful of behind-the-scenes images from the new batch of episodes, providing a first look at Claire and Jamie's return. Check out the post below:

The images feature Balfe and Heughan back as Claire and Jamie, in addition to supporting characters played by Sophie Skelton, Richard Rankink, David Berry, and John Hunter Bell.

Is Outlander Season 7 Part 2 The End?

The world of the popular starz series is set to further expand.

Outlander has been fairly consistently popular over the course of its 7 seasons, and reviews, as seen in the chart below, remain positive. When season 7 part 2 does eventually air on Starz, it will have been well over a year since part 1, but audiences can rest assured that it won't serve as the end for Claire and Jamie. Outlander was officially renewed for season 8 in January 2023 , though this final outing for the series is likely still quite a ways off, considering the end of season 7 is still about eight months away.

While Claire and Jamie's story may indeed by coming to an end, the world of Gabaldon's novels is set to live on. In was confirmed in early 2023 that Starz has greenlit a prequel series called Outlander: Blood of My Blood . This prequel, which is now in production, is set to chronicle the love stories of Jamie's parents and Claire's parents with a dual-timeline approach. The love story of Jamie's parents will unfold in early 18th century Scotland, while that of Jamie's parents will happen amid the backdrop of World War I in England.

It remains to be seen how long Outlander: Blood of My Blood will run for, but the mainline series evidently proved popular enough to warrant 8 seasons. The story of Claire and Jamie has been filled with ups and downs, and the season 7 part 1 ending certainly makes the long wait for part 2 all the more frustrating. Although the wait may be long, Outlander season 7 part 2 will hopefully set up an exciting storyline to come in season 8, which will serve as a farewell to two beloved characters.

Source: Outlander

Based on the novel series, Outlander follows combat nurse Claire Randall from the year 1945, who is mysteriously transported back to 1743, where she is immediately thrown into an unknown world and sees her life threatened. However, when Claire is forced to marry Jamie Fraser, a genuine and passionate relationship is ignited that tears Claire's heart between two different men from two clashing lives.

New York University's independent student newspaper, established in 1973.

Washington Square News

Three security guards in blue uniforms congregate in front of the Grand Staircase in the Kimmel Center for University Life. A barrier is placed both on the top and bottom of the staircase.

Review: Netflix’s ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ is rough, buddy

Warning: This review contains spoilers for “Avatar: The Last Airbender.”

Two of your favorite WSN staffers offer their thoughts on one of the most anticipated shows of the year. While we both had different takes on Netflix’s live-action interpretation of “Avatar: The Last Airbender,” we could agree on one thing: That was rough, buddy.

Avatar: The last live-action adaptation please for the love of god

— Carmo Moniz, Managing Editor

When I first watched the original “Avatar: The Last Airbender” animated series, I remember some of the most impactful moments being those when the viewer discovered something at the same time as the characters. The original sequence of events brings us through Aang’s grief when he discovers the Fire Nation killed his people, Sokka and Katara’s excitement and relief when they learn the Avatar is alive and Aang’s disbelief at learning that during his absence, the world has been at war.

However, the new series hits the viewer with exposition right off the bat. We immediately know Aang (Gordon Cormier) is the Avatar, what happened to the Air Nomads and the power of Sozin’s Comet. Aang is even told about the war before his disappearance. Since the new show’s audience was expected to include many longtime fans who already know the plot of the original series, it makes some sense that the showrunners would opt to include some of this information earlier on. But this approach robs viewers — especially those who are discovering the story for the first time — of the opportunity to empathize with the characters at some of their darkest and most life-altering moments.

The new series also portrays Aang as more mature and open to his responsibilities as the Avatar than the animated show. In the live-action version, Aang never tries to run away from home to escape his role, he only plans to leave for a short while. Aang doesn’t travel to Kyoshi Island to ride the elephant koi, he goes there to look for ways to train and end the war. While there are moments where Aang’s internal conflict about his role as the Avatar is revealed, they take a tell, not show approach. We can often hear what Aang is thinking inside his head, something that seldom happened in the original, and we know that he feels pressure to end the war and guilt for his absence. But it was much more powerful to see this conflict, which is a crucial part of Aang’s character and a driving force of the original story, through his actions.

There are plenty of flaws in the series to pick at, but there were also strong moments and decisions that, while straying away from the source material, added to the story. I especially enjoyed Dallas Liu’s performance as Zuko; the actor did a great job of getting across the young prince’s insecurities and humanity behind his more obvious qualities of anger and impatience.

Despite Aang being more mature in the Netflix adaptation than he is in the original, Cormier embodies the character’s adventurous spirit and easygoing personality perfectly. Suki’s (Maria Zhang) character — deepened in the new series by her relationship with her mother and a desire to see more of the world — struck a good balance between playfulness and powerful strength. Katara’s (Kiawentiio Tarbell) fight against Paku during Team Avatar’s stay with the Northern Water Tribe was particularly satisfying to watch, since it perfectly replicated many shots from the original animated sequence. I also thought Sokka (Ian Ousley) was pretty funny.

As a shot-by-shot remake, the live-action successor of “Avatar: The Last Airbender” falls flat, especially for longtime fans looking to recapture the character and magic of the original. But if you can get past the significant deviations from the animated show’s plot and world, you might find more depth and nuance in some of your favorite characters, along with a storyline that — despite being unfaithful to its source material — continues to be engaging.

Yet another soulless remake

— Yezen Saadah, Deputy Managing Editor

As someone who has rewatched the original cartoon over a billion times at this point, I think this new adaptation is not good. In fact, it’s quite bad.

A lot of the arguments made in Carmo’s review get this point across very well, from the show’s intensely poor characterization, to its clunky world building. However, what I was most taken aback by was the Netflix adaptation’s sterile visual presentation.

I can admit that the new series’ creators demonstrate a love — or, at the very least, an interest — in the source material’s East and South Asian-inspired art direction. Still, the remake’s lackluster cinematography and wonky visual effects ultimately showcase a sheer lack of ingenuity, which comes across as not only straining, but self-destructive too.

The beautiful landscapes and environments, as well as the creatively expressive character designs, of the original are pushed aside for this live-action retelling, with set pieces and backgrounds that are as artificial as the corporate greed fueling this aesthetically soulless product. This is particularly noticeable in the show’s first episode, “Aang,” during which our protagonist obnoxiously and goofily flies around an all too pristine Southern Air Temple.

But when I thought this inauthentic presentation couldn’t get worse, it did. Enter the third episode: “Omashu.” In the original animated show, the city of Omashu is presented as an intensely innovative and impenetrable stronghold of the Earth Kingdom, bustling with character and distinction. However, this live-action adaptation, striving for a sense of modernism, implements the Hollywood-adored LED Volume — a room of linked LED panels used to display a digital background behind actors, often used in place of a green screen. While this tool can lead to beautiful results, such as in Matt Reeves’ 2022 film, “The Batman,” it is used in Netflix’s “Avatar” as a cheap cop-out. It presents the once mesmerizing and heavily textured environments of the original cartoon with the amount of effort Apple would put into designing its macOS wallpapers. It is as artless as it is worthless.

While “Omashu” is the worst offender, nearly every major location in the show feels entirely artificial and inauthentic. To add insult to injury, this feeling of fruitlessness is only exacerbated by the show’s near-spotless costume design. While the costumes are technically faithful to the source material in terms of their iconography — especially where the main trio is concerned — they are way too pristine for a show that is trying to pass as a grounded and realistic serialized drama. More often than not, I felt as if I was watching children cosplay as their favorite “Avatar” characters, rather than experiencing the characters for who they are meant to be. At its best, the costume design reminded me of Saturday Night Live sketches — which, dare I say, isn’t a good thing.

For the most part, the action and visual effects are fine. The firebending is the best visual effect in the show bar none. Viewers can feel the energy and power behind the fire in the live-action show more so than any other form of the elemental martial art of bending. This is especially beneficial in key moments of tension or excitement; however, it’s not as if the show has anything special to provide on that front anyway.

Still, I was honestly very disappointed by the airbending. It was the most boring of the four elements to watch, despite being the source of several creative visual gags in the original series. Ironically enough, the waterbending has no sense of flow, and the earthbending has no real heft behind it, which is rather unfortunate since those two forms of fighting made for some of the cartoon’s best action sequences.

There’s a lot to not love about Netflix’s “Avatar: The Last Airbender,” be it the unnecessarily small changes to character motivations, the absurdly hollow visual presentation or just the fact that they cram five episodes’ worth of content into one nearly hourlong episode. But hey, at least it’s got heart, right? In any case, if you made it this far in this multifaceted review, let me just give you one piece of advice: Don’t watch this, and go binge the original cartoon instead.

Contact Carmo Moniz and Yezen Saadah at [email protected] .

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The 7 best new movies and shows to stream this weekend

From sci-fi adaptations to true stories, here's what to watch this weekend

As another weekend rolls around, there's no shortage of brand-new movies and shows to add to your watch list. Over on Netflix, Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss team up with True Blood writer for sci-fi epic 3 Body Problem , while Regina King and the late Lance Reddick star in the streamer's new movie, Shirley, about the first Black Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm.

Meanwhile, Jake Gyllenhaal leads action movie Road House , a reimagining of the '80s movie of the same name, over on Prime Video, new animated Marvel series X-Men '97 arrives on Disney Plus, and Kristen Wiig leads Apple TV Plus' comedy-drama Palm Royale.

If that wasn't enough, Disney Plus subscribers in the UK can now catch Andrew Scott and Paul Mescal in heartbreaking romantic drama All of Us Strangers , and Netflix audiences in the US can tune into 2022 satirical slasher Bodies Bodies Bodies.

3 Body Problem

Available: Worldwide Watch now: Netflix

Based on Liu Cixin's novel of the same name, 3 Body Problem is Netflix's new sci-fi epic from the creators of Game of Thrones. The show takes us from present-day Oxford to '60s China (via a turbulent VR universe), as a group of scientists tries to make sense of the world as it slowly unravels around them and an impending alien invasion looms large. The cast includes Game of Thrones alum John Bradley and Liam Cunningham, as well as Benedict Wong, Eiza González, and Jonathan Pryce.

Available: Worldwide Watch now: Prime Video

Edge of Tomorrow helmer Doug Liman directs Road House, a reimagining of the 1989 movie of the same name. In this version, Jake Gyllenhaal is Elwood Dalton, a former UFC middleweight fighter hired as the head bouncer at a raucous roadhouse in the Florida Keys. Real-life UFC fighter Conor McGregor makes his feature film debut as Knox, a local criminal tasked with taking down Dalton – it turns out that not everyone in town wants the best for the roadhouse… The cast also includes Billy Magnussen, Daniela Melchior, and Jessica Williams.

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Available: Worldwide Watch now: Disney Plus

New Disney Plus show X-Men '97 is a blast from the past. It picks up where X-Men: The Animated Series (which ran for five seasons between 1992 and 1997 on Fox) left off and sees the X-Men face new challenges after the loss of Professor X, with plenty of fun Easter eggs and references to boot. The voice cast includes Ray Chase as Cyclops, Jennifer Hale as Jean Grey, Alison Sealy-Smith as Storm, and Cal Dodd as Wolverine.

Palm Royale

Available: Worldwide Watch now: Apple TV Plus

Set in '60s Florida, new comedy-drama Palm Royale follows outsider Maxine (Kristen Wiig) as she attempts to integrate herself into Palm Beach's high society by getting into the town's most exclusive resort club – by any means necessary. Wiig stars alongside a pitch perfect supporting cast includes Laura Dern, Allison Janney, and Ricky Martin. The first three episodes are streaming now, with subsequent eps dropping every Wednesday.

Watchmen's Regina King stars in Shirley, a new Netflix movie that tells the true story of Shirley Chisholm's 1972 presidential campaign. Chisholm was the first Black woman to be elected to US Congress in 1968, and she went on to become first woman to run for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination and the first Black candidate for a major party presidential nomination. The movie's cast also includes Lucas Hedges, Terence Howard, and a posthumous appearance from Lance Reddick.

All of Us Strangers

Available : UK Watch now: Disney Plus

All of Us Strangers follows Adam (Andrew Scott), a screenwriter struggling to pen a script about his deceased parents, who were killed in a car crash when he was 12. Looking for inspiration, he returns to his childhood home in the suburbs and finds his parents (Claire Foy and Jamie Bell) exactly as they were before their deaths. Add in a budding romance with neighbor Harry (Paul Mescal), and director Andrew Haigh has made a thoroughly haunting emotional drama.

Bodies Bodies Bodies

Available: US Watch now: Netflix

The slasher genre gets a tongue-in-cheek Gen Z satirical spin with Bodies Bodies Bodies. Amandla Stenberg, Rachel Sennott, Pete Davidson, Lee Pace, Chase Sui Wonders, Myha'la Herrold, and Maria Baklova play a group of obnoxious rich kids stuck in a mansion during a hurricane, who decide to play a 'murder in the dark'-style game when the power goes out – until one of them actually ends up dead. With everyone a suspect and the storm raging outside, the group begins to turn on each other, to disastrous results…

If there's nothing here that tickles your fancy, then you might have to start looking into each streaming service's back catalogue, which can be a daunting task given how many titles they each host. Fear not, though... if you're a TV fan, then we've got you covered with our lists of the best Netflix shows , best Disney Plus shows , and the best Amazon Prime Video shows .

I’m an Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering everything film and TV-related across the Total Film and SFX sections. I help bring you all the latest news and also the occasional feature too. I’ve previously written for publications like HuffPost and i-D after getting my NCTJ Diploma in Multimedia Journalism.

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COMMENTS

Avatar movie review & film summary (2009)
Watching "Avatar," I felt sort of the same as when I saw "Star Wars" in 1977. That was another movie I walked into with uncertain expectations. James Cameron's film has been the subject of relentlessly dubious advance buzz, just as his "Titanic" was. Once again, he has silenced the doubters by simply delivering an extraordinary film. There is still at least one man in Hollywood who knows how ...
Avatar
Movie Info. James Cameron's Academy Award®-winning 2009 epic adventure "Avatar", returns to theaters September 23 in stunning 4K High Dynamic Range. On the lush alien world of Pandora live the Na ...
Avatar: First Movie RECAP
It's been over a decade since the original Avatar dominated theaters in 2009. We all remember it looked super cool in 3D, but what was the story again? I got...
'Avatar' Review: Movie (2009)
Rick Carter and Robert Stromberg's design brings Cameron's screenplay to life with disarming ease. James Horner's score never intrudes but subtly eggs the action on while the editing ...
Avatar (2009 film)
Avatar (marketed as James Cameron's Avatar) is a 2009 epic fantasy science fiction film directed, written, co-produced, and co-edited by James Cameron and starring Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana as the title characters, with Stephen Lang, Michelle Rodriguez, and Sigourney Weaver in supporting roles. It is the first installment in the Avatar film series.It is set in the mid-22nd century, when ...
Avatar: The Way of Water movie review (2022)
Cameron invites viewers into this fully realized world with so many striking images and phenomenally rendered action scenes that everything else fades away. Advertisement. Maybe not right away. "Avatar: The Way of Water" struggles to find its footing at first, throwing viewers back into the world of Pandora in a narratively clunky way.
Avatar
Peter Bradshaw. A fter a run-up lasting 12 years, James Cameron has taken an almighty flying leap into the third dimension. His first new film for over a decade is in super-sleek new-tech 3D, and ...
A New Eden, Both Cosmic and Cinematic
NYT Critic's Pick. Directed by James Cameron. Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Sci-Fi. PG-13. 2h 42m. By Manohla Dargis. Dec. 17, 2009. See how this article appeared when it was originally published ...
Avatar
Full Review | Original Score: 9/10 | Sep 30, 2022. Sebastian Zavala Kahn Cinencuentro. Thirteen years after its release, 'Avatar' still proves to be an exceptional blockbuster that makes the most ...
Avatar (2009)
Avatar: Directed by James Cameron. With Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang. A paraplegic Marine dispatched to the moon Pandora on a unique mission becomes torn between following his orders and protecting the world he feels is his home.
Avatar
Visually, Avatar is a feast. Lush colors and spectacular creatures dance and splash (and fight). Cameron has arguably out-Lucased Star Wars creator George Lucas when it comes to imagining and rendering a stunning world in a galaxy far, far way. And Cameron's proprietary 3-D technology will likely enhance the experience for movie "experience ...
Avatar
Jake Sully is a former Marine confined to a wheelchair. But despite his broken body, Jake is still a warrior at heart. He is recruited to travel light years to the human outpost on Pandora, where a corporate consortium is mining a rare mineral that is the key to solving Earth's energy crisis. Because Pandora's atmosphere is toxic, they have created the Avatar Program, in which human "drivers ...
Avatar: The Way of Water First Reviews: A Magical, Visually Sublime
The first of Avatar's sequels is finally here, 13 years after the release of the record-breaking original.For those who've been anxiously looking forward to Avatar: The Way of Water and those who have been doubting its necessity, the good news is that the movie is worth the wait and another work of essential theatrical entertainment from James Cameron.
Avatar Movie Review
Our review: Parents say ( 252 ): Kids say ( 642 ): James Cameron, director of the highest-grossing movie ever made ( Titanic ), risked a rumored $500 million on a spectacular futuristic sci-fi epic whose main characters are blue aliens and settings are mostly CGI. The good news for epic movie lovers everywhere is that Avatar was a massive success.
Avatar Movie Review: A complete cinematic experience
Avatar Movie Review: Critics Rating: 5.0 stars, click to give your rating/review,James Cameron chooses to play God and creates a whole new world with such exquisite finesse, aesthet
Avatar (2009)
Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), a paraplegic former Marine, replaces his deceased identical twin brother as an operator of one. Jake was leading a purposeless life on Earth and was contacted by RDA when his brother died. his brother represented a significant investment by RDA, since the avatars are linked to the human DNA/genome. Since Jake is a ...
Avatar (2009)
Avatar is extraordinarily shot, using 60% CGI and 40% live action, and the two elements are flawlessly intertwined. It's a remarkable film. But it's only part of a film. the entire movie seems to try pretty hard to keep some emotional distance from its audience, and when a film is emotionally uninvolving, it's lost the battle for your heart.
Avatar Review
1- Avatar means a God in a humans body (as far as im concerned) 2- The other definition is a graphic image in a computer that represents a person. Im guessing that an Avatar in this movie belongs to the 2nd deffinition, as in its a na'vi body (instead of a graphic image) that represents a body (the human Jake played by sam worthington)
Avatar Study Guide
Avatar is a science-fiction movie directed and produced by James Cameron, and distributed by 20th Century Fox. It was released on December 10, 2009. The film is set in the middle of the 22nd century, and follows the colonization of Pandora, a moon planet, after the depletion of Earth's resources. It follows the struggle for resources between ...
Avatara Purusha: Part 1 Movie Review
Avatara Purusha: Part 1 Movie Review: Critics Rating: 3.5 stars, click to give your rating/review,Black magic, voodoo and spells have been a subject for many films. They always get viewers fascinate
Avatar streaming: where to watch movie online?
Show all movies in the JustWatch Streaming Charts. Streaming charts last updated: 1:18:20 AM, 03/23/2024 . Avatar is 7546 on the JustWatch Daily Streaming Charts today. The movie has moved up the charts by 3777 places since yesterday. In the United States, it is currently more popular than Robinson Crusoe but less popular than The Innocent.
Avatara Purusha Part 1 movie review: Suni presents a cracker of an
Review: There's an interesting mix of story-telling at play in director Suni's Avatara Purusha - part 1.There's the drama surrounding the elderly couple Rama Jois and Susheela, who are still pining for their son Karna and clinging on to hope that he will return to them some day.
Avatar First Part RECAP
Avatar part one recap by Yogi Bolta HaiAvatar RevisionAvatar 2009 Hindi recap by Yogi Bolta Hai#Avatar2009 #Avatar #AvatarRecapAvatar, Avatar 2009, Avatar pa...
Streaming Ratings: 'Avatar: The Last Airbender' Premieres at No. 1
The live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender had a big premiere week. The remake of the beloved Nickelodeon animated series opened at No. 1 overall on Nielsen's streaming charts for Feb. 19-25.
'Avatar: The Last Airbender' Review: A Live-Action Adaptation that
Netflix's new live-action adaptation of "Avatar: The Last Airbender" strikes a perfect balance between paying homage to the 2005 Nickelodeon series and reimagining the storylines.
Outlander Season 7 Part 2 Release Window Revealed
Outlander season 7 part 2, the continuation of the popular Starz drama, now has an official release window. First airing in 2014, Outlander is based on the novel series of the same name by author Diana Gabaldon. The series chronicles the love story of Claire (Caitríona Balfe) and Jamie (Sam Heughan), the former a World War II nurse who is transported back in time to 18th century Scotland.
Review: Netflix's 'Avatar: The Last Airbender' is rough, buddy
Warning: This review contains spoilers for "Avatar: The Last Airbender." Two of your favorite WSN staffers offer their thoughts on one of the most anticipated shows of the year. While we both had different takes on Netflix's live-action interpretation of "Avatar: The Last Airbender," we could agree on one thing: That was rough, buddy. ...
The 7 best new movies and shows to stream this weekend
Invincible season 2 returns for part 2, with a new batch of four episodes releasing over the next four weeks. The latest episode picks up two months after we left off at the end of part 1 and Mark ...
3 Body Problem Episode 1 Recap: Did the Universe Just Wink?
What happens when science breaks? 3 Body Problem, the cerebral sci-fi thriller from Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, and True Blood writer Alexander Woo, traces the path of five young scientists who navigate a fraying world as the laws of the universe begin to crack. But who — or what — is behind it all? The mystery begins during China's Cultural Revolution in the ...