Avatar

Avatar is one of the most eagerly-awaited sci-fi films in years. Director James Cameron (famous for spectacular films like Titanic and The Terminator) first put the idea down on paper in 1994. Fifteen years later and Cameron has created a film that will not disappoint.

The story centres on a marine, Jake Sully (Worthington), who has been paralysed from the waist down in combat. Following this injury he is selected to take part in a mission which sees humankind venturing to a planet called Pandora, inhabited by large blue creatures called Na’vi. Humans cannot breathe Pandoran air so they engineer hybrids that are part-human, part-Na’vi to explore the land.

These hybrids are called Avatars. Jake and his team, or rather their Avatars, set about exploring the planet as scouts for the soldiers who will follow. Jake meets a Na’vi princess, Neytiri (Saldana), and falls in love with her. As the increasingly violent battle continues, Jake finds himself caught between his loyalties to the Na’vi creatures and the human military.

This complex and futuristic plot will no doubt delight lovers of science fiction, but Avatar is more than just a sci-fi film: the intricate love story and Jake’s personal struggles are intriguing and perfectly balanced with some fierce fight scenes. Add to the fact that Cameron uses some of the most advanced CGI ever to create a rich, colourful cinematic experience and you can be sure that a film described as “one of the most ambitious projects ever” will thrill any audience. In short, Avatar could be Cameron’s best film to date, which, considering his repertoire, makes it an unmissable experience.

Ruth Etherington