Avatar

I re-watched Avatar for the first time since seeing it shortly after the movie was released in 2009.  

The story follows the experiences of a paraplegic marine, Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) who takes the place of his murdered brother in a mission on the distant world of Pandora.  His job is to win the trust of the native Na’vi and convince them to relocate so that a valuable ore in their forest can be mined by greedy corporate types.  Humans can’t breathe the air on Pandora, so they have to have to use an Avatar (a remote control alien body) to survive. Things become complicated when Jake falls in love with a Na’vi woman, Neytiri (Zoe Saldana).   

The special effects are impressive, particularly the Pandora mountain and forest scenes. The battle at the end where the bad guys get their behinds kicked is well done.  The movie is worth watching for these elements.  

Sigourney Weaver (Grace Augustine) and Worthington do a good job with their characters.   I like the interaction between Jake and Neytiri and the other Na'vi (specifically Omaticaya clan) people.

The overall plot isn't earthshaking.  The themes aren’t new; there are other movies about natives being driven from their land.  I see elements of Dances With Wolves, Aliens, Terminator, a few other Sci-Fi movies, and other movies critical of military-type activity here.  

In general, Avatar is enjoyable, but as is the case with many movies, is overrated.