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22.08.09

Thanks to Warner Bros. (Transatlantic) Inc., Zurich Branch, Distributor of Twentieth Century Fox in Switzerland . www.warnerbros.ch    |  www.fox.ch 

review  by dalia "gryphon_spirit" di giacomo ___        

In the exquisite and modern frame of the district Sihlcity in Zürich, and precisely at the Arena Filmcity cinema,  German speaking Switzerland too  has celebrated, on August 21, the worldwide  Avatar event, 

In approximately 20 minutes a film footage has been screened  in 3 D, together with a short video message of director James Cameron himself. Enough for letting imagine how epic the whole film can be. An action-fantasy-sci fi empowered by computer animations of first class. From the director of "Titanic" comes a story of love and war placed in an alien world which is magic, bioluminescent, colored as well as violent and predatory. We are literally immersed into an adventure which is powerful, fast, blasting and brutal yet delicate and smart at the same time, like a fairy tale. Advanced technology and feelings. It might not be the best movie under a strictly intellectual point of view but, from, what i have seen, this film promises to be a majestic adventure. And as fantasy adventure must be expected. Graphics tie some concept art of  videogames as Halo and WoW  bringing them to the qualitative realm of graphics and  special effects of finest, that will enhance and promote a massive use of this kind of technique in fantasy movies.  In 3 D it's awesome, you are simply there in the story. Oh yes which story? First off  this movie takes place in a future where the mankind can be supported by advanced computer, scientific and medical knowledge. A mankind that "lands" on a moon called Pandora. Pandora  is a wonderful archaic world, full of enchanting vegetation and  wide forests immersed in a dreamlike fog . On Pandora there are also strange animals, many of them  big, rabid and fierce. From the moment that Pandora's  atmosphere is poisonous for human beings, the settlement is problematic, but what are doing human beings there? Maybe are they in search  of something like a mineral? There is however a way that  allows to explore  the world and work in it  as pioneers: this way is to create "avatars" by  injecting or transferring the consciousness of a person into a body of a Na'vi. Na'vis are humanoid, intelligent although savage creatures around 3 meters tall, also similar to feline elves with tail and incredible agile bodies who form the indigenous civilization of the planet and surely not human friendly. The protagonist, Jake Sully , played by an almost unknown Sam Worthington, is a soldier who has lost the use of his legs, paralytic on a wheelchair, and accepts to be "transferred" into an avatar getting this potent body and, with it, again the use of legs . Outside,  he falls into a big danger  and  looses the connection to  his group of  avatars but knows a female Na'vi  (Zoe Saldana) who saves his life. This way  he ends up belonging to a tribe of Na'vi and must share their rituals, such as taming flying creatures similar to  pterodactyls  in a scene that is simply immense and vertiginous.  Therefore it will be interesting to know how the story develops, why Jack has arrived  on Pandora, exactly how will he help the Na'vi and whether he will return to his human body or not. The transfer of personality from a body to another with the help of a very sophisticated DNA and medical technology however already stands up to be the core of the message.

We will know more this next December 17th. Avatar, conceived by James Cameron 14 years ago, and only now realizable,  truly brings a brilliant cinematic experience. Yes, it's  true.

         dalia di giacomo  22.08.09