Return to Pandora – Avatar retrospective review

Sully (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) in 'Avatar'. Photo: 20th Century Studio

James Cameron’s 2009 blockbuster Avatar was recently re-released in theatres nationwide, including in Sale.

Our resident film buffs Tom Parry and Stefan Bradley took the trip down memory lane.

TP: Before we dive into this discussion, we should start by talking about our history with the film. Mine is very brief – I saw Avatar just the other day. I never saw it during its original run; I was given the DVD as a Christmas present way back in 2010, and didn’t even open it until now. Stefan, what are your memories of Avatar?

SB: I saw it in cinemas just like everybody else back in 2009. I remember liking it at the time. Thanks for lending me your DVD for my first re-watch. It’s been over a decade, but my opinion hasn’t changed. But let’s throw it back to you Tom – how was your first viewing?

TP: I had pretty high expectations, with it being the highest-grossing picture of all-time and the much-anticipated sequel The Way of Water coming out in December; but upon my first watch, I was left feeling somewhat indifferent. The visuals were amazing, and I appreciated the score of James Horner too; but in terms of the story, the characters and the action, I found it quite underwhelming.

SB: I remember in high school in 2011, my English teacher gave us a straightforward task to justify his opinion that the film was overrated: “Name one character from Avatar”. Hardly anybody in the class could do it, including me. And I don’t think that’s changed in the years since. Can our readers or their friends name one or two? If you say the names ‘Jack and Rose’, many would identify them as the leads from James Cameron’s other massive blockbuster, Titanic. With a franchise like Star Wars, most people could list several characters from the films, TV shows and videogames, even if they’ve never consumed them.

TP: Even though I only saw Avatar a few days ago, the only names I can recall – aside from the main protagonist Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and his love interest Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña) – are Norm and Sarah.

SB: Who’s Sarah?

TP: Isn’t she the character played by Sigourney Weaver?

SB: No, that’s Grace!

TP: Oh. Well, that only emphasises your point, doesn’t it? There’s a whole cast of characters and a spectacular film to go with them, but you hardly know their motivations, backstories or even the names! In that respect, it would appear that Avatar is going for spectacle over substance, because it’s all about the visuals and how fantastic they look, but falters when it comes to telling a compelling narrative. It also shares similarities to movies such as Pocahontas and FernGully, particularly its themes of colonisation and environmentalism.

SB: They only scratch the surface in exploring those themes. I think what James Cameron was going for was a very simple narrative so its visuals wouldn’t be overshadowed. It’s quite a long movie, but it didn’t drag on for me. Given its length, were you ever bored?

TP: No, I was never bored as such; but toward the beginning of the movie, when it relies heavily on Sam Worthington’s narration and throws you into its world without much explanation, I felt a bit lost and disinterested. It was only once Sully was inserted into his Na’vi body that it became engaging. But I do take your point about not wanting to lean heavily on the themes or the allegories that the movie explores, because it would come across as patronising or condescending.

SB: What I enjoyed most was the third act, which is essentially one long action sequence. It was well-shot and unravelled quite nicely.

TP: It definitely did. In terms of the visuals, I think this would have looked state-of-the-art back in 2009; but in the intervening years with the likes of the Avengers and all these other movies which make incredible use of special effects, Avatar in comparison was like watching the cutscenes of an early PlayStation game.

SB: If you’re watching on a small TV in standard definition then it probably won’t look impressive; but if you’re watching it on a cinema screen in 4K it’s a different experience. And while I saved money by watching your DVD, I wish I had gone to the cinema instead to enjoy the impressive-looking world. If I could sum up Avatar in one word, it would be ‘good’. The visual effects are great, but the characters, dialogue and story at best are good, which might be why it’s not as memorable. It’s neither overrated nor underrated, it’s just good.

TP: I would agree – it’s a pleasant enough distraction. Aside from, again, the visuals and the soundscape, I don’t think it’s a particularly fantastic film. It certainly lends itself to the cinematic experience, and I think 20th Century Studios made the right choice to re-release it.

SB: It’s a bit sneaky that Disney, who now own the rights, removed Avatar from its Disney+ streaming service ahead of its theatrical release. If you haven’t seen it before, I do believe it’s worth it to watch the remastered version in theatres. I’m looking forward to The Way of Water; maybe not so much the other three sequels they’ve got planned after that.

TP: I’m keen on seeing what they do with these characters and the world they’ve created, because I feel what the original movie didn’t do very well was establish its world, lore and whatnot, so it’s going to be great to see the sequel delve into those aspects. Coming back to the first Avatar, even though we agree it’s only a ‘good’ movie, I would still recommend it. It’s listed as one of the ‘1001 Movie to See Before You Die’ for a reason: you need to witness it to know why it’s still talked about after all these years.

SB: It’s a strange legacy – it’s remembered for what it did for 3D cinema, not so much for its characters and story.

The Avatar re-release is now showing at Sale Cinema. Avatar: The Way of Water will open in theatres on December 15.