I confess I was longing for James Cameron. For me, one of the best storytellers of our time. But more than the stories themselves, their creativity, their enthusiasm, his originality and his megalomania as the date has already earned him a place in the history of the 7th Art. There is adventure, not only in the stories, but mostly in the form of the transpose to the screen and save them in the collective imagination. Jim knows the limits and is obsessed with overtaking them. And what is history but a collection of obsessions? He made two films (actually was one, the other was the improvement) more important to how the special effects are (or should have) place in the form of storytelling: "The Abyss" and "Terminator 2 - The day Judgment. " The snake of water that appeared in the first gave rise to T-1000 in the second, terrified and left millions of viewers around the world. The step forward announced for "Avatar" was as expected with very high expectations.
Before we come to the story. The year is 2154. Jake Sully is a paraplegic ex-marine who is recruited for a mission in Pandora, a moon of the planet Polyphemus, where an Indian tribe hampers the extraction of Unobtainium, a mineral that can solve the energy crisis on Earth. Its mission is, through his Avatar (synthetic body created from human DNA and Indian), win the trust of Na'vi, convince them to leave the place, and meanwhile, they provide information on the military to the case of non achieve this. In dramatic terms, this results in "Dances With Wolves" in which futuristic Cameron adds to the complexity of the protagonist, the dichotomy 'global ecological consciousness / destructive nature of man', returning to the themes of "Terminator" or "The Abyss". Not original, but it is impeccably told in an interesting, intense and absorbing.
For the creation of Pandora, Cameron hired a scientist in biology, to justify and document the ideas very concrete and specific detail he had drawn. Ecosystem, flora, fauna, atmosphere, etc.. been carefully studied, resulting in an encyclopedia of over 500 pages, with scientific concepts foolproof. At the same time, one of the most respected linguists in the world created the language of Na'vi, a dialect complex, with original grammar and vocabulary and created from scratch for the movie, the actors had to learn to speak fluently. This work of composition, gives the story a dimension and realism that will give you an additional authenticity and make it even more exciting and absorbing.
Interpretations are immaculate, especially taking into account the difficulty of working in a dialect or a nonexistent Motion Capture system that takes players to all sense of space that surrounds them. Zoe Saldana is perfect in the role of Neytiri, native responsible for learning and Jake integration of the tribe. One of the triumphs of "Avatar" is that interpretations are not overshadowed by technology. The motion capture system used on Gollum, in the second and third films in the trilogy of "The Lord of the Rings" was perfected to the point of all micro facial expressions of the actors being exploited, and creating photorealistic beings with a soul human scale. Sam Worthington and Sigourney Weaver are a good reflection of this, since their expressions perfectly recognizable human remains in their Avatars. There are two excellent performances that join the Stephen Lang and Giovanni Ribisi (intense in their characters) and Michelle Rodriguez, who, in the scene who decides not to continue with its mission, stars in a moving moment that sums up the dichotomy of drama and story.
But it's special effects and its amazing 3D, and its importance in the future of cinema, "Avatar has been more analyzed. The level of effects, not much to say, Cameron does not do more than increase the scale and quantity of what we have been presented. The level of detail is high, but mostly because of perfectionism conceptual (and this encyclopedia) than for its materialization. It is in the process of motion capture that is the biggest innovation in effect, to improve the process created Gollum, and not following the one that has been used to exhaustion by Robert Zemeckis (which, I confess, it fascinates me and not minimally attracts me because the characters seem false, as if drawn over the image captured and not based upon it). In 3D is what is really new, although, again, Cameron only improve an existing system (which could include for the first time in "U2 3D"). The difference is that while the concert film movement was limited, since cameras were on the ground or supported by cranes in "Avatar" cameras had to have a portability and freedom of movement that until now was not possible. The capture system for two different lenses that fused captured images into one, was done by agencies which had a size and a weight that made them impossible to use in an action movie. The chambers now created and used are very smaller and lighter, allowing the uptake of any type of plan or movement. And this innovation is part of "Avatar" which can give more fruit in the future, are already being used by the likes of Peter Jackson, Steven Spielberg and Tim Burton.
But that future can be misleading. If the principle here is, how it is used may not be the best. It is necessary that the industry is aware that, yes, you need to make movies that are experiences to be enjoyed in full need to be seen in the room, but only the form is not enough. The 3D is really a tool, not only by the size and feel, but mostly because more expensive the ticket price, creating profits that misrepresent the trend away from the viewer. But doing an aside, "Paranormal Activity", which I considered a foreign object, was also an experience that works better collectively than in the solitude of home. And without 3D, using only a story that stirs the emotions and fears of the spectator, and makes the collective experience, much more interesting. That is, the art of telling (or retelling) stories must accompany technological advancement, not to risk becoming the format, in short, redundant. Another factor to take into account: It was announced today that roughly a year from now, "Avatar" is now available on Blu-Ray 3D, so the format is already being distributed. To me, it seems too early to realize that the 3D effect will the viewers back to cinema.
But, back to the cold beef. "Avatar" is a tremendous show, a movie that challenges the viewer's senses, but also its ability to thrill. The story is engaging enough for this, and is very well performed and interpreted. Moreover, the effect of 3D will be fading as the film progresses, not only due to accustom our eyes, but also because the last third to be frenzied action, which makes depth less noticeable. It's a movie that you want to dazzle, but also, if the viewer wishes, get you thinking. Yes, we have never seen anything like it, and during the movie I felt as if in 1927 to see "The Jazz Singer" (1st sound film) or 1929 to do "Whatever the Wind" (1 film in 70mm to colors). "Avatar" may not be the salvation of cinema as an industry, but it is an experience not soon be repeated and Cameron clearly won the bet, even if it does not exceed the results of "Titanic." I just hope it will not take another 12 years to premiere new film.
Rating: 5/5
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