I was not old enough to watch Star Wars when they first hit the screens in 1977. But when I did watch Star Wars finally, it blew my mind. It helped that at that stage I was a toh-tal Pantheist. George Lucas broke any conceivable cinematic mould.
Many years of Star Wars fandom later, another mad Lucas fan, James
Cameron wrote his tribute in 3D bits and bytes. For months I was living in anticipation of the release of Avatar. The early previews of the blue-faced Na’vi appeared in my dreams and naturally, I simply had to see the movie.
I did. Of course. And I think it is a good film, made by a great filmmaker, but goes nowhere near breaking the mould as Guru Lucas did. Given at some point of time in the movie you forget that nearly 95 per cent of what you see is CG-generated, that technique is flawless. You forget it. But if you nudge yourself to the fact that much of it is CG, then your mind could be blown by the bloody fantastic world of Pandora that James Cameron has created.
But, to define the film as its 3D or effects is unfair, never mind how spectacular the two are. Nothing compensates for the weak rendering of a weaker story line. Paraplegic marine Jake Sully is filling up for his dead twin brother when he takes on an Avatar to enter the world of the Na’vi, Pandora. The Na’vi, for those who have not seen the film, are 12-feet-tall humanoids who live in perfect harmony with nature.
Sully’s mission is to infiltrate the Na’vis, and is guided by a human world corporation’s greed to mine energy-bars of “Unobtainium” available in plenty in Pandora. He does that and then falls in love with Na’vi princess Neytiri, *spoiler* turns against the humans when the latter raid Pandora in an allegorical reference to American invasions, past and present.
Here, Cameron borrows Lucas’ concept of the unifying Force which we all borrow from and give back to when we die. Here, it is Eywa, the motherlode. I know we did away with the CG, but then with Avatar, you don’t really do away with CG. It not only keeps coming back, it is everything for the film. The point, is that the scenes where the universal connect has been picturised; where the pistil-like braid ends glow to indicate the passage of the Force; the flight scenes with the birdy Ikran, are stunning.
And yet, there are only these moments that work from the film. These scenes and the final climactic fight scenes are classy and stay in your head. Problem is, they are the only scenes that do. The Force does not work for Avatar itself. It does not unify the film. The first half of a great film has no business to sag as Avatar does. It has no business getting you to squint through the heavy 3D glasses at the fluorescent hands of the watch, counting the heavy seconds to the interval.
The second half whizzes past as Jake’s appeal to Eywa works and the Force kicks in to defeat the imperialist forces, predictably. At the sound of repeating myself, yes, riveting CG there, as Jake’s avatar and his Navi brother Tsu’Tey jump on and off the fighter machines and contribute to the eventual and complete ruin of the coloniser’s well-laid plans.
The thing about re-incarnation, however, if you go by what the Buddists say, is that there will be many Boddhisatwas before a Buddha. Lesser avatars before the ‘One’ appears. Or, here, before the Force manifests itself.
Of course there is a sequel in store. Hopefully many more. Will I watch Avatar 2? You bet I will. I stand in long queues or beg for tickets to a house-full show. But I will also have my fingers crossed, hoping that Cameron, the great filmmaker that he is, will treat a storyline on a par with his effects. Okay, even if not on a par, somewhere there?
And, Eywa, please grant Chennai an IMAX 3D theatre by then.
