"Cameron Opens
Pandora’s Box"
by Scott Mantz

"Avatar"
Sam Worthington, Zoë Saldana
Directed by James Cameron

Out of the blue! Sam Worthington and Zoë Saldana take a walk on the wild side in "Avatar"

Has it really been twelve years since “Titanic” grossed $1.8 billion worldwide and won eleven Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director?  James Cameron’s $200 million gamble about the doomed ocean liner paid off in a big way, and it’s still the highest grossing movie of all time.  Not bad for an over-budgeted epic that could have been a disaster in its own right.

Now “the king of the world” rolls the dice yet again with “Avatar” – a massive science fiction epic that’s supposed to revolutionize the cinematic experience as we know it, thanks to groundbreaking advances in 3-D technology.  No surprise that it comes with a ton of hype and a huge price tag, costing well over $300 million (or maybe even $400 million, depending on what your read).

At least it’s money well spent, as “Avatar” is a rousing and impressive visual spectacle.  Where director Robert Zemeckis’ last three films that utilized motion capture (“The Polar Express,” “Beowulf” and “Disney’s A Christmas Carol”) fell short in depicting emotionally vibrant computer-generated characters, Cameron seems to have solved that problem with the blue-skinned aliens of Pandora, proving that he’s the king of another world too.

The problem is with the actual story (written by Cameron), which is far from original and doesn’t live up to the film’s awe-inspiring visual scope.  Moviegoers probably won’t notice, much less care, since they will be too blown away by the demanding sensory experience (especially when seen in IMAX 3-D).  But despite the illustrious splendor, “Avatar” suffers from stock characters, corny dialogue and a plot that’s derivative of a host of other movies.

It’s also a little on the confusing side, but the gist of “Avatar” involves Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), a disabled ex-Marine who takes his dead brother’s place on the distant moon of Pandora.  Sully’s mission is to infiltrate the native inhabitants – tall blue beings known as the Na’vi – who live on top of the only known mineral capable of solving Earth’s energy crisis in the 22nd century.

In order to have them removed, Sully must embody an Avatar – a hybrid being that looks just like one of the Na’vi, which will help him blend in with their tribe and earn their trust.  But soon after Sully starts reporting back with weaknesses in their system, he falls for a beautiful warrior princess named Neytiri (Zoë Saldana).  That’s when he starts relating more to the Na’vi than to his own people, forcing him to make the ultimate decision between duty and honor.

When it comes down to it, “Avatar” is basically a hi-tech version of “Dances With Wolves.”  But the derivative story elements don’t end there, as the space marines and their hardware (not to mention Sigourney Weaver, who develops the Avatar program) bring to mind Cameron’s own “Aliens.”  Then there’s the wildlife on Pandora, which resembles the dinosaurs from “Jurassic Park,” while the action-packed finale recalls the ending from “Return of the Jedi.”

Some of the characters are under-developed, while others are merely one-dimensional – particularly Sully’s testosterone-fueled commanding officer, played by Stephen Lang.  But Sam Worthington rises above his weak dialogue (just as he did in “Terminator: Salvation”) and shines through while inhabiting his Avatar, while Zoë Saldana, who played Uhura in this year’s excellent “Star Trek” reboot, also brings life, beauty and strength to Neytiri.

“Avatar” falls short with its story, but it ultimately succeeds with its incredible special effects, the authenticity of its computer-generated characters (especially in the eyes) and its depiction of another world.  And there’s the action; nobody does action quite like Cameron.  It’s an awesome visual feast to be sure, but here’s hoping that the next time Cameron takes such a huge gamble on special effects, he spends just as much time crafting a more engaging original story.

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