This is it, this month’s movie peak, or should I rather say this year 2009’s apogee is finally arriving, already way acclaimed by specialised reviews here and there on the net. For months and even years now, movie fans have been waiting for it, and eventually, the Avatar phenomenon is now on its way. From tomorrow December 18th, North American viewers will be able to fully admire Pandora’s planet, a dream come true thanks to James Cameron. The precious project has required no less than 15 years of preparation for Titanic’s director, mostly due to the technological barriers from post Titanic times (1995), stopping Cameron from achieving this project right after his multi-oscarised one. Indeed back then, no special effects studio was able to technically accomplish this future masterpiece. In the way of George Lucas who directed a second Star Wars trilogy 20 years after the first one, James Cameron had to sweat it out and invest significant amounts of money for the development of stereoscopic cameras in order to fulfil his ambitious project. In the view of many, the possibility of a “before” and “after” Avatar seems more and more obvious…
The story’s protagonist, Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), is a former Marine who was wounded and paralyzed from the waist down in combat on Earth. Jake is selected to participate in the Avatar program, which will enable him to walk. Jake travels to Pandora, a lush jungle-covered extraterrestrial moon filled with incredible life forms, some beautiful, many terrifying. Pandora is also home to the Navi, a sentient humanoid race that are more physically capable than humans, although considered primitive. Standing three meters tall, with tails and sparkling blue skin, the Navi live in harmony with their unspoiled world. As humans encroach deeper into Pandora’s forests in search of valuable minerals, the Navi unleash their formidable warrior abilities to defend their threatened existence. Jake has unwittingly been recruited to become part of this encroachment. Since humans are unable to breathe the air on Pandora, they have created genetically-bred human-Navi hybrids known as Avatars. The Avatars are living, breathing bodies that are controlled by a human “driver” through a technology that links the driver’s mind to their Avatar body. On Pandora, through his Avatar body, Jake can be whole once again. Sent deep into Pandora’s jungles as a scout for the soldiers that will follow, Jake encounters many of Pandora’s beauties and dangers. There he meets a young Navi female, Neytiri, whose beauty is only matched by her ferocity in battle. Over time, Jake integrates himself into Neytiri’s clan, and begins to fall in love with her. As a result, Jake finds himself caught between the military-industrial forces of Earth, and the Navi, forcing him to choose sides in an epic battle that will decide the fate of an entire world.