Avatar (4/22/2010)

Rated PG-13 for intense epic battle sequences and warfare, sensuality, language and some smoking.

Directed by James Cameron (Titanic and The Terminator)

Starring Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Michelle Rodriguez, Stephen Lang, and Giovanni Ribisi

It’s been over a decade since James Cameron made the best box office success of all time, Titanic.

How do you follow that film? It’s a question we’ve been asking since 1997.

Cameron’s answer was the epic action-adventure fantasy Avatar, an amazing ride into a spectacular new world, a timely tale that will connect with a “virtual” generation.

Synopsis:
On the distant moon Pandora, a reluctant hero embarks on a journey of redemption, discovery and unexpected love – as he leads a heroic battle to save a civilization.

The story’s protagonist, Jake Sully, is an ex-Marine who was wounded and paralyzed from the waist down in combat on Earth. In order to participate in the Avatar program, which will give him a healthy body, Jake agrees to travel to Pandora, a lush rainforest environment filled with incredible life forms – some beautiful, many terrifying. Pandora is also the home to the Na’vi, a humanoid race that lives at what we consider to be a primate level, but they are actually much more evolved than humans. Ten feet tall and blue skinned, the Na’vi live harmoniously within their unspoiled world. But as humans encroach on Pandora in search of valuable minerals, the Na’vi’s very existence is threatened – and their warrior abilities unleashed.

Jake has unwittingly been recruited to become part of this encroachment. Since humans are unable to breathe the air on Pandora, they have created genetically-bred human-Na’vi hybrids known as Avatars. The Avatars are living, breathing bodies in the real world, controlled by a human driver through a technology that links the driver’s mind to the Avatar body. On Pandora, through his Avatar body, Jake can be whole once again. Moreover, he falls in love with a young Na’vi woman, Neytiri, whose beauty is matched by her ferocity in battle.

As Jake slides deeper into becoming one of her clan, he finds himself caught between the military-industrial forces of Earth, and the Na’vi – forcing him to choose sides in an epic battle that will decide the fate of an entire world.

Conceived 14 years ago and over four years in the making, Avatar breaks new ground in delivering a fully immersive, emotional story and reinvents the movie going experience.

Jonathan’s Word: I really enjoyed the film. Was it Titanic? No. But that’s a bias I readily admit is unfair to the director.

Todd’s Word: No it’s not Titanic…so that was a plus for me!

Jonathan’s Word: Wait, you didn’t like Titanic?

Todd’s Word: It’s not that I didn’t like it…it’s just a bit overrated in my humble opinion.

Jonathan’s Word: I agree that people got a little goo-goo over it. But it still doesn’t subtract from what an amazing film it was from so many perspectives. But enough on Titanic. Let’s talk about Avatar.

The storyline was very creative and original. It would be hard to even compare Avatar to other films. You’d find yourself inventing absurd comparisons: “It’s Braveheart meets The Matrix meets Ferngully!”

Todd’s Word: Yeah that’s pretty absurd.

Jonathan’s Word: Told ya!

Probably some of my favorite scenes were the “dragon-riding” scenes, for lack of a better term. The idea of the “life-long” connection between the creature and rider was ingenious. And on a visual level…what a ride!

Todd’s Word: No doubt. Those scenes were awesome…especially in 3-D. I also loved the glow-in-the-dark vegetation. Watching them run through the forest and having the ground and branches light up was something I had never seen before.

Another scene was the epic battle that you know is coming from the first dialogue. The new “toys” vs. the primitive weapons…very cool!

Jonathan’s Word: Funny you mention the 3D. The one thing that I didn’t like was the 3D. I mentioned this a little bit in my blog when I first saw the screening. I'm really disappointed they went 3D. I noticed that when the film actually released in my city (my screening was 3D—I had no choice), there was a choice of the 3D version or the normal version. If that’s the case in your city, catch the regular version.

I'll be honest: I've never enjoyed a 3D film, ever! I was sitting at home in front of an HD screen literally 3 hours after the screening and the preview came on. I thought the preview on my HD screen looked better than I had just seen on the big screen wearing the stupid 3D glasses. I really don’t care for 3D. And there weren't really any great 3D moments. So the 3D definitely affected my perception of the film.

Todd’s Word: O.K. this is where we will disagree. I love this new Digital 3D technology. Mostly because it’s not a scene or two with some cheesy prop jumping off the screen trying to make you jump. It makes everything more real…more intense. And when you are watching a film like Avatar where just about everything you see is brand new…it really is mind blowing.

Jonathan’s Word: I hear ya there. I agree that some 3D films do only have a scene or two that pop out at ya. But I still find 3D just a little less…clear. I prefer a normal format.

3D was just a taste thing. And like I said, you can see it in a normal format. But I guess the part that made me squirm in my seat the most was the strong religious themes. I’ve seen films that presented other beliefs (Dare I say Star Wars?), and I’ve seen films that preached beliefs (Brother Bear). This film was definitely on the preachy side.

The film definitely was poking at our military, or at least our military leaders. At one point in the film, one of the military leaders said, “Let's fight terror with terror!”

Hmmmm.

Agree or disagree with their social commentary, it was a little over-the-top. A few times I was just thinking, “Give me a break!”

Todd’s Word: Agreed. And it’s because of that commentary and “protect the earth” propaganda that drops it from a Worth Buying to a Theater Worthy for me. On the other hand, the comparisons to the United States and the Native Americans are hard to ignore. If you are familiar with that portion of history and connected to American Indians, there will be some scenes that will be emotional.

Jonathan’s Word: Yeah. It was probably a very fair comparison, but it felt preachy. It’s up to you to decide if you like that or not.

But regardless of those small criticisms, I really enjoyed it. I gladly call it Theatre Worthy.

SHOULD KIDS SEE IT?
Teens and tweens are going to be drawn to this film. Is it appropriate?

There are a few scenes that younger viewers will find way too scary…especially on the big screen and in 3-D. But with teens and tweens, parents are going to want to use discernment with this one.

Christians will definitely find some of the religious themes disturbing. Would these keep me (Jonathan) from bringing my kids? No. I would just talk with them about what they just saw. I would actually use it as an opportunity to talk about the beliefs that we’ll encounter in this world and how we know what is true.

Parents might also want to note that the PG-13 rating says “sensuality.” Some parents will probably find it mild. A single episode of the racy TV sitcom Two and a Half Men has far more sensuality and sexual talk than this film (personally, I hope that parents wouldn’t allow that show in their house). But Avatar might concern some parents. The Na’vi women (CGI blue creatures that resemble a human shape) are scantily clad with the tops and sides of their breasts hanging out of their apparel at times (not quite enough to call nudity, but much like you’d see at any “red-carpet” affair at any celeb gathering). Again, these are blue CGI creatures, but some young men might find them stimulating (personally, I was never attracted to Smurfet!) And in one scene, two of the Navi start kissing and one “mounts” the other in what looks like a sexual act. Even though it was two Na’vi, I would still call it a PG-13 sex scene.

Conversation Starter
Three Simple Questions (with Answers You May Be Looking for):

1. What are some of the messages or themes you observed in this movie?
2. How do you suppose we—as serious Christ-followers—should react to this movie?
3. How can we move from healthy, Bible-based opinions about this movie to actually living out those opinions?