Avatar (2004)

Director:

Jian Hong Kuo

Writer (WGA):

Christopher Hatton (written by)

Genre:

Sci-Fi | Action | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

You don't play the Game, the Game plays you.

Plot:

In the near future in the Asian city-state Sintawan, everyone's identity is recorded in the vast CyberLink...

Plot Keywords:

Subway | City | Computer | Futuristic | Virtuality

Cast

Genevieve O'Reilly	...	Dash MacKenzie
Luoyong Wang	...	Victor Huang
Kay Siu Lim	...	Julius
David Warner	...	Joseph Lau
Joan Chen	...	Madame Ong
Michael De Mesa	...	Davinder Sandhu
Henry O	...	Uncle Hui
Remesh Panicker	...	Player #5
William Sanderson	...	Riley
T. Sasitharan	...	Minister
Kumar	...	Zai
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ferdaus Bin Ahmad	...	Raver #3
Lennard Chan	...	Man in crowd
Gerald Chew	...	Edward Chan
Hwee Chin Chiam	...	Goggles Man
Richard Chua	...	Street Cop 2
Robin Atkin Downes	...	Various
Lay Kuan Goh	...	Auntie Mei
Pierre Goh	...	Raver #5
Adam Golomb	...	Gold Raver
Jerry Hoh	...	Aerodyne Cop 1
Marjorie Ho	...	Mdm Ong's elderly attendent
Sharon Ismail	...	Sylvia
Ray Lee	...	Street Cop 1
Casey Lim	...	Medical Examiner
Lydia Look	...	Girl Raver
Seng Onn Loong	...	Player #3
Kee Hong Low	...	Cyberpriest
Richard Low	...	Uncle Ban
Bonnie Sta Maria	...	Aerodyne Cop 2
Marcus Mok	...	Wanted Man
Kevin Murphy	...	Silver Raver
Swee Lin Neo	...	Puppy seller
Wei Min Ng	...	Hotel Manager
Abdul Rahman	...	Raver #6
Rajan Ramchandani	...	Shopkeeper
Lyle Schwarz	...	Player #4
Dwayne Tan	...	Ah Kun
Fu Kuen Tang	...	Sim Dealer
William Tan	...	Raver #4
Kate Wilson	...	Lieutenant Crowley
Allan Wong	...	Fisherman
Claire Wong	...	Newsanchor
Godfrey Yeo	...	Pavilion announcer

Also Known As:

Avatar Exile (Singapore: English title) (working title)
Cyber Wars (USA) (DVD title)
Matrix Hunter (USA) (video title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for violence, brief nudity and language.

Runtime:

USA:103 min

Country:

Singapore

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

USA:PG-13 | Australia:M | Singapore:NC-16

Filming Locations:

Singapore

Company:

Cinemancer Pte Ltd.

Movie Connections:

References The Matrix (1999)

Graded on a film making curve

In the grand scheme of things this film probably does not deserve a 7/10 - which places it with countless other "better than bad" films. A movie like this is all about expectations going in. High expectations? Not a great movie. Low expectations? Well, this movie is a pleasant surprise.

There just are not many solid cyberpunk inspired films these days. Classics like the original Matrix and Bladerunner are singular standouts. Movies like Hackers or Brainscan are more the norm. Certainly there are stinkers like Johnny Mnemonic that has too much in common with a bad episode of Earth Final Conflict (an already terrible TV show). Avatar reminds me of the made for TV movie Cypher, though it is not as good as this little known film.

Avatar is a movie made for the film buff who has seen FAR too many movies. The director clearly has a vision, it keeps a solid consistent pace, and despite what other reviews here state, there is a great deal of ideas and content to like. Perhaps this is an easy movie to hate on, but reviews here that state that "the story is bad," and "the acting is bad," don't give clear reasons to back up their claims. If there is a clear weakness, it would be the casting. I don't mind looking at Genevieve O'Reilly, and one may believe Dash's (yea, thats her name) intelligence, but not the street hardened marksman that the viewer is supposed to buy into. Standout performances would be Joan Chen as an surgically and chemically "enhanced" 90 year old woman, and Kay Siu Lim as Julius. Julius is completely believable as a master of the net, someone who has given up their humanity for a life in cyberspace. I also liked a couple of the other "game masters" in their limited, but clearly fun roles.

At its core, Avatar is a mystery movie with a cyberpunk backdrop. I feel it could have been improved with noir characteristics of seedier characters, dark relationships, and perhaps more of an antihero. Regardless, the viewer is introduced to a "head hunter" or modern detective who specializes in the apprehension of identity thieves. I have to admit the telling of the story is much better than the story itself. I enjoyed following the main character through her quest to first find an identity thief, then dig deeper into the real story when it becomes clear she is just another pawn in a much larger game. The story suffers from anticlimaxes - points at which the story needs more impact, but somehow the importance of these moments are missed.

And yet I still enjoyed the film as a whole. Its fun, has style, and though not in the same league as so many other big budget films - still has much to offer in ideas and concepts, which deserve attention.