Avatar

I've been wanting to review this film for some time now. Maybe because of all the hype, or maybe because of something else. Well I can say this for sure, visually, the film is Stunning. The world of Pandora is just breathtaking and so life-like. The creatures also look great, as if they can come right off of the screen. Avatar is the story of a human settlement on a foreign planet in order to mine. Due to troubles with the indigenous people the "Avatar" project is created in which a human can "drive/control" a being that looks just like those of the indigenous people. It is one man's journey to learn the ways of the people and in a way, learn who he is as well. Like I said before, the film looks amazing. It also had a wonderful message about the environment and greed of the corporation. It was so nice to see such a meaningful message in such a main stream, blockbuster film. The story wasn't bad by any means, but I felt as though I had seen it before. Several times I thought to myself "this is just like Eragon, Princess Mononoke, Nausicaä, Final Fantasy, Ant Bully, Pendragon, Matrix, Avatar the Last Airbender, Dragon Harper, Dances with Wolves" or many other things I've seen/read. It seemed to have a great deal of borrowed interest.
I suppose before I even saw the film, I never really gave it film a fair shot. I was caught up in dislike of the director and how he self-proclaimed that his work is "the next big thing." I feel that when presenting ones work, whether film, art, or even literature, one should present it with humility, not as if it is the most amazing thing in the world. It's one thing to be proud of an accomplishment and another to be arrogant. Yes this film pushed the boundaries of what we've seen in the world of visual effects, but when it comes down to it does that matter, if the story has been told before? Can a film be truly visionary or unique if the story is lacking? I believe that once someone tells a new story, one that we've never heard, and combines it with stunning visuals then you will have "the next big thing." It's like they say "you can't judge a book by its cover" the same is true for film, you can't say it is a perfect film until its contents matches its appearance.Until its story is as unique and beautiful as its visuals. When that day comes everyone will be able to say that that person did something that is truly stunning.
In all I did like the film. I thought that as a whole it was well done. I recommend the film, even if just for the visuals and the message, which are both beautiful.