Movie: Avatar 3D (1/5/2010)

"You are not in Kansas anymore. You are on Pandora, ladies and gentleman."

We enter the alien world of Pandora through the eyes of Jake Sully, a former Marine confined to a wheelchair. But despite his broken body, Jake is still a warrior at heart. He is recruited to travel light years to the human outpost on Pandora, where a corporate consortium is mining a rare mineral that is the key to solving Earth's energy crisis. Because Pandora's atmosphere is toxic, they have created the Avatar Program, in which human "drivers" have their consciousness linked to an avatar, a remotely-controlled biological body that can survive in the lethal air. These avatars are genetically engineered hybrids of human DNA mixed with DNA from the natives of Pandora... the Na'vi.

Reborn in his avatar form, Jake can walk again. He is given a mission to infiltrate the Na'vi, who have become a major obstacle to mining the precious ore. But a beautiful Na'vi female, Neytiri, saves Jake's life, and this changes everything. Jake is taken in by her clan, and learns to become one of them, which involves many tests and adventures. As Jake's relationship with his reluctant teacher Neytiri deepens, he learns to respect the Na'vi way and finally takes his place among them. Soon he will face the ultimate test as he leads them in an epic battle that will decide the fate of an entire world.

Nobody directs like James Cameron. Ten years in the works, and every minute was worth it. For months the rumours flew about Avatar, how it would be a revolution in cinema.

The plot of "Avatar" is ... well, I promise not to give away any details. Suffice to say that anyone who's seen their fair share of movies will immediately recognize the backbone of Avatar's plot from dozens of other films. (E-mail me and I'll tell you the one I was thinking about in particular.)

But you know what? That's not a problem, mainly because Cameron gets all the little but important things just right, including sharply drawn supporting characters (played by wonderful, scenery-chewing actors, particularly the luminous Sigourney Weaver and an effective Stephen Lang as the heavy), witty dialog, an undeniable visual flair (it's a joy to watch action sequences that actually make spatial sense), and a fun, jaunty pace.

In short, "Avatar" knows what it is, and it does what it sets out to do very well. It's a real pleasure to see a blockbuster action movie done right. Avatar has a great future ahead of it and, possibly another Oscar for the mighty James Cameron.

Internet Movie Database entry

Purchase your ticket and then meet the rest of the group near the box-office at 6:30pm. The movie starts at 7:00pm, so we'll head in to find seats at 6:40pm at the very latest.

While not quite the same as $2.50 Tuesdays (for those old enough to remember those), Telus is now sponsoring Tuesday showings, so we get a free softdrink and popcorn (yay!)

TTC - University line to Yorkdale. Walk across to mall from station.

Driving - 401 to Dufferin (if east-bound) or Allen Parkway (if west-bound). Take exit ramp for Yorkdale Mall.

Movie theatre is on the north-east corner of the mall.

General admission (ticket price may possibly be higher for 3D movie - I haven't been able to get through to the box office to confirm)