Avatar Film Revue; Big Bad and Bright Blue Blockbuster (Beige Script)

Yes we are all perfectly aware of the records this film has and are set to smash. Yes, we all know that this is the definitive all singing all dancing feast for the eyes that will make cinema's "ooh" & "ahh" left right centre. And yes we all know that everyone will see this no matter what I say because, lets face it, watching this film in 3-D will be something to tell the grandchildren. Yes we all know these things. What we don't know however is anything about the (nicely surprisingly) mediocre script, not too cliched political allegory and the beautiful (and for me slightly shameful) moment where I nearly shod a tear! Well I guess that's what this revue's all about then.

The film focuses around Jake Sully a paraplegic marine who jumps at the chance to help the army look for a rather expensive mineral on the deathtrap of a planet known as "Pandora". This is all made possible for him and the marines thanks to a crafty bit of science whereby large blue creatures known as Avatars are grown so that their bodies can be inhabited by a corresponding soldier remotely controlling it. From the moment he sets foot on the planet one is not surprisingly hit with every kind jaw dropping sight a science fiction/fantasy/action film could possibly offer. We have brightly coloured aliens, threatening hybrid helicopter/planes, big guns, big robots, floating in mid air islands and even a typical grizzly veteran to oversee it all. This film ticks all the boxes. However if that isn't enough the film then goes and ticks a few more boxes just for good measure!

Before I saw it someone told me that in effect this film was just a fancy Pocahontas. So you can imagine my expectations of the script. Yeah o.k it's not exactly the greatest bunch of words on screen but it's also a few other things; it's not too corny, it's not too predictable and it's not too dumbed down for children or the masses. Put simply, it does the job. What really jumped out at me from nowhere though was its rather poignant and epic story. There I was expecting nothing but the height of eye candy, not really caring what happened when all of a sudden I felt a strange sense of empathy for these lovely blue creatures! Then one wakes up to the allegory that is at work here; a combination of man's exploiting of mother earth, conquering of far off lands, oppressing of its indigenous people and the Iraq war! Yes this film might actually make you hate your own people and enjoy it at the same time.

This film is good enough to watch with the sound off and especially with the 3-D glasses on. If you are the kind of person who wouldn't mind seeing lanky aliens strut their stuff or very large men in very large metal robot suits firing very large guns then really have no excuse to head on down to your local picture house. If you're not, then go anyway as I can safely say that there is something for everyone unless you're looking for clean fresh "in no way corny" dialogue.