not the avatar you know

To those who can’t see Avatar in 3D movie houses, you missed a lot! Coz much of the wow factor of the movie is from its cutting edge 3D technology. And if you’ll see it in a normal screen, or in your PC (if ever there is one pirated copy available on the net) I bet it would be blurry unless it’s on the normal movie format. Kaya read on na lang at dito nyo na lang i-enjoy ang film! Hahaha!

Before watching it, I thought masyadong bugbog sa hype ang pelikula. Porke ang budget daw nito has reached US$400mn - more than what one blockbuster movie could earn from the tills. Eh paano pa kako sila kikita if that is the case. But we all know by now that James Cameron will be raking in hundreds of millions in profit coz it already breached the US$1bn ticket sales on its 3^rd week of run.

The film is set in the year 2154 in Pandora, an earth-like planet somewhere in a far galactic system. Inhabitants of this planet are called Na’vi, mga 10-ft creatures na parang tao din except for their blue skin and feline features sa kanilang mukha at buntot. A mining corporation called RDA wants to kick the Navis out of their homeland dahil may rich deposit of minerals sa kanilang lupa.

But RDA can’t just kick the Na’vis out so they developed Avatars na kamukha ng mga Na’vi to develop a relationship with them and ultimately makumbinsi silang umalis sa kanilang lupa. The Avatar program is headed by Dr. Grace Augustine (Sigourney Weaver). Avatars are controlled by shifting/transporting the minds of the scientists/researchers to the genetically developed Na’vi hybrids.

Ang bidang si Jake Sully (played by Sam Worthington) was a last minute replacement sa twin brother nyang scientist who was specially trained for the avatar program pero na-murder bago pa makarating sa Pandora. Jake, who was an ex-marine, is now a paraplegic confined to a wheelchair. He was given a bodyguard role dahil hindi naman sya scientist. But it turned out na sya pala ang makaka-penetrate ng community ng mga Na’vi and achieve far more understanding of the tribe than what Dr. Grace Agustine has achieved.

Nakilala kasi niya si Neytiri (Zoe Saldana), ang anak ng head ng tribung Omaticaya. Nagka-developan si Neytiri at si Jake (who’s in his Na’vi body of course) and they fell totally in love. But more than that, naunawaan ni Jake ang pagmamahal at respeto ng mga Na’vi sa nature. Until dumating yong puntong hindi na nya maiwan ang Omaticaya and had to betray his original mission.

Dito na nagdecide si Colonel Miles Quatrich (Stephen Lang), leader of RDA’s security forces na lusubin ang Na’vi at was akin ang kanilang Hometree. A grand battle ensues where high-tech military weaponries are pitted against the bow and arrows and Toruks of the Na’vis.

The Na’vis won and the cruel human exploiters of nature are driven out of Pandora. And Jake? I won’t tell you what happened to him – whether he left with the men or he stayed in Omaticaya. That’s for you to find out.

People may see it as a sci-fi film. It can also be a love story. Pwede ring action. But however you might want to view it, meron itong isang napakahalaga and very timely message – that men and his greed is what destroys the balance of nature.

Bumilib ako ng husto kay James Cameron who wrote the story and directed the film. He was able to create a fantasy world and made me believe in it. With it’s hanging mountains and multi-colored, sometimes luminescent flora and fauna. Bumilib ako dahil nagawa nya akong maki-sympathize sa mga creatures na kulay blue which, otherwise, will be more of characters from a horror movie. And more than that, bumilib ako coz he displayed one technical genius in a sci-fi film na matagal ko nang hindi nakikita since I fell in love with the Star Wars series. Now George Lucas has competition. And a fierce one at that.

Technically, wala sigurong makaka-surpass kaagad-agad sa pelikulang ito. And if anybody can do that, it will still be James Cameron when he does the sequel. And he’d better come up with another coherent story para maging kasing commercially and critically successful nito.

As for the actors, Sam Worthington was believable as the free-spirited ex-marine. And Stephen Lang was one mean villain. Ang hindi ko lang nagustuhan, of all the many actresses around, bakit si Sigourney pa ang pinaganap na Dr. Augustine. Her Aliens series is somehow alienating me dahil parang yong character pa rin nya doon ang nakikita ko dito. Sana gumamit na lang ng ibang actress, kahit yong hindi masyadong kilala, to give credence to the character.

It will be interesting come Oscars. I’d bet my bottom riyal na maghahakot ito ng awards. Ang tanong lang, can it equal, much more surpass, Titanic? Para sa akin, it definitely should.