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Avatar

  • 2009
  • 12
  • 2h 42m
IMDb RATING
7.9/10
1.4M
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
694
33
Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Michelle Rodriguez, Zoe Saldana, and Sam Worthington in Avatar (2009)
Jake Sully (Worthington) is a paraplegic war veteran who is brought to the planet Pandora to participate in a program designed to help him walk again. The program introduces him to his avatar, a creature whose genetics are half human and half Na'vi, a sentient humanoid race who inhabit Pandora. In time, Jake will find himself in the middle of an escalating conflict between the two races.
Play trailer3:36
36 Videos
99+ Photos
ActionAdventureFantasy

A paraplegic Marine dispatched to the moon Pandora on a unique mission becomes torn between following his orders and protecting the world he feels is his home.A paraplegic Marine dispatched to the moon Pandora on a unique mission becomes torn between following his orders and protecting the world he feels is his home.A paraplegic Marine dispatched to the moon Pandora on a unique mission becomes torn between following his orders and protecting the world he feels is his home.

  • Director
    • James Cameron
  • Writer
    • James Cameron
  • Stars
    • Sam Worthington
    • Zoe Saldana
    • Sigourney Weaver
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.9/10
    1.4M
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    694
    33
    • Director
      • James Cameron
    • Writer
      • James Cameron
    • Stars
      • Sam Worthington
      • Zoe Saldana
      • Sigourney Weaver
    • 3.8KUser reviews
    • 511Critic reviews
    • 83Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Won 3 Oscars
      • 90 wins & 131 nominations total

    Videos36

    Avatar: Trailer #2
    Trailer 3:36
    Watch Avatar: Trailer #2
    Avatar: Trailer #1
    Trailer 19:38
    Watch Avatar: Trailer #1
    Avatar
    Trailer 1:33
    Watch Avatar
    What Roles Has Chris Evans Been Considered For?
    Clip 3:41
    Watch What Roles Has Chris Evans Been Considered For?
    'Avatar' | Anniversary Mashup
    Clip 1:31
    Watch 'Avatar' | Anniversary Mashup
    What We Know About 'Avatar 2' ... So Far
    Clip 2:53
    Watch What We Know About 'Avatar 2' ... So Far
    A Guide to the Films of James Cameron
    Clip 1:27
    Watch A Guide to the Films of James Cameron
    Avatar
    Clip 0:32
    Watch Avatar
    Avatar
    Clip 1:31
    Watch Avatar
    Avatar
    Clip 1:49
    Watch Avatar
    Avatar
    Clip 1:38
    Watch Avatar
    Avatar
    Clip 1:21
    Watch Avatar

    Photos422

    Stephen Lang in Avatar (2009)
    Wes Studi in Avatar (2009)
    Sigourney Weaver in Avatar (2009)
    Laz Alonso in Avatar (2009)
    Sam Worthington in Avatar (2009)
    Sigourney Weaver and Sam Worthington in Avatar (2009)
    Sigourney Weaver in Avatar (2009)
    Michelle Rodriguez in Avatar (2009)
    CCH Pounder in Avatar (2009)
    Michelle Rodriguez in Avatar (2009)
    Stephen Lang in Avatar (2009)
    Zoe Saldana and Sam Worthington in Avatar (2009)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Sam Worthington
    Sam Worthington
    • Jake Sully
    Zoe Saldana
    Zoe Saldana
    • Neytiri
    • (as Zoë Saldana)
    Sigourney Weaver
    Sigourney Weaver
    • Dr. Grace Augustine
    Michelle Rodriguez
    Michelle Rodriguez
    • Trudy Chacón
    Stephen Lang
    Stephen Lang
    • Colonel Miles Quaritch
    Giovanni Ribisi
    Giovanni Ribisi
    • Parker Selfridge
    Joel David Moore
    Joel David Moore
    • Norm Spellman
    CCH Pounder
    CCH Pounder
    • Mo'at
    • (as Carol Christine Hilaria Pounder)
    Wes Studi
    Wes Studi
    • Eytukan
    Laz Alonso
    Laz Alonso
    • Tsu'tey
    Dileep Rao
    Dileep Rao
    • Dr. Max Patel
    Matt Gerald
    Matt Gerald
    • Corporal Lyle Wainfleet
    Sean Anthony Moran
    Sean Anthony Moran
    • Private Fike
    Jason Whyte
    • Cryo Vault Med Tech
    Scott Lawrence
    Scott Lawrence
    • Venture Star Crew Chief
    Kelly Kilgour
    • Lock Up Trooper
    James Patrick Pitt
    James Patrick Pitt
    • Shuttle Pilot
    • (as James Pitt)
    Sean Patrick Murphy
    Sean Patrick Murphy
    • Shuttle Co-Pilot
    • Director
      • James Cameron
    • Writer
      • James Cameron
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The Na'vi language was created entirely from scratch by linguist Dr. Paul R. Frommer. James Cameron hired him to construct a language that would be easily enunciable for actors to pronounce but would not resemble any human language. Frommer created about 1,000 words. Cameron requested Dr Frommer that the Na'vi language must be entirely new, as it's supposed to be from another planet, and that it should sound "nice" to the audience. Cameron didn't want any additional editing done to their voices and wanted them to sound authentic and not unnatural. Equipped with a vast knowledge of linguistics, Dr Frommer understood what kinds of sounds the Na'vi language would or wouldn't have. Just like "j" and "r" don't exist in Korean, in English, the 'h' sound is unaspirated. In a similar vein, Frommer's conception of the new language totally avoided the sounds of "ch", "th", and "sh". Additionally, Frommer had to decide on the language's syntax -- or rules regarding word order. He came up with his own set of constraints and words to be used in the language of Pandora. The tongue took inspiration from the natural languages of the world to create a totally different spoken form.
    • Goofs
      When Jake's late brother, Tom, is uncovered, he's played by Sam Worthington. In the next shot of Tom being covered again it's clearly someone else.
    • Quotes

      Jake Sully: Neytiri calls me skxawng. It means "moron."

    • Crazy credits
      There are no opening credits of any kind (outside of the 20th Century Fox title card). The title of the film doesn't appear on screen until the end of the movie.
    • Alternate versions
      Avatar (Special Edition) The following scenes have been added:
      • The first flight across Pandora is longer, with the helicopter flying past the Stuurmbeast herd. Grace informs Norm and Jake about it.
      • The squad reaches the abandoned school, revealing that Grace teaches English to the Na'vi children until a serious incident occurred (bullet holes around, etc.) which was insinuated.
      • Jake and Neytiri running through the neon-lit woods is slightly longer.
      • When Jake joins the circle, a little Na'vi girl smiles at him curiously, but her father holds her back. Neytiri then arrives and hands Jake a fruit.
      • Jake tries to ask Neytiri her name, but she seems annoyed by that.
      • Jake, Grace, and Norm proceed from the helicopter to the secluded laboratory, with an explanation about the mountains.
      • At night, Jake and Neytiri run through the luminescent forest.
      • After Jake touches the Fan Lizard, it flies away in a radiant glow. Its fellow species follow suit and, to the delight of Jake and Neytiri, raise themselves into the air.
      • As Jake and the other Na'vi climb the mountain, Neytiri flies past them on her banshee, Seze.
      • The Na'vi go for an aerial hunt for Stuurmbeast. Jake shoots one and exclaims in excitement. Neytiri follows suit as well.
      • The Na'vi destroy the Hell Trucks of the mining company.
      • The next morning, Wainfleet's squad sifts through the remains of the Hell Trucks. It turns out that the Na'vi also killed the soldiers. Quaritch and Selfridge watch the live broadcast.
      • Tsu'tey's fall from the sky is longer. A few plants decelerate and break his fall.
      • The scene with the Hammerhead Titanotheres has been extended.
      • The fight between Neytiri on a Thanathor and Quaritch is slightly longer.
      • Tsu'Tey's death: He knows he is dying and appoints Jake to be his successor. He insists that Jake kill him because, according to Na'vi customs, Jake has to pass him to Eywa by killing him with his own hands. Neytiri starts to cry. Jake reluctantly complies with his wish, stabbing him with a knife as the camera passes by him.
      • The end credits have an addition using Discovery Zone's Bless the Plague soundtrack. The copyright year has been replaced with 2010.
    • Connections
      Edited into Bones: The Gamer in the Grease (2009)
    • Soundtracks
      I See You (Theme from Avatar)
      Performed by Leona Lewis

      Music by James Horner and Simon Franglen

      Lyrics by Simon Franglen, Kuk Harrell, and James Horner

      Produced by Simon Franglen and James Horner

      Leona Lewis performs courtesy of Syco Music

    User reviews3.8K

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    Technically impressive and important but beyond that there is not a huge amount to talk about
    Although I was not too bothered about seeing Avatar as a film, I felt it was a bit foolish to let this milestone of cinema go past me – particularly when the thing it is hyped for are the effects and being the first "big" film to utilise 3D technology to this degree. It just seemed that watching it on my TV in about 9 months on DVD with a basic stereo system would be missing the point. Unsurprisingly I was right because Avatar is technically a brilliant film that deserves to sweep the Oscars in terms of awards for visual effects and other such categories.

    If we ignore the 3D for a minute, the actual effects look great and I imagine that it will still be impressive in 2D. The landscapes and world of Pandora are imaginative (ironic since how dumb the name of it is) and very vividly created to the point where you forget that they are effects when you step back from them. Likewise it is so easy to forget that the Na'vi are not actors in quite brilliant outfits and makeup because they look so real and move so naturally – it is a million miles from the films such as Spiderman or Indy 4 where you can see where the real person ends and the jumping/swinging special effect begin. There were points in the film where I found myself wondering how on earth they managed to get a particular shot and where the camera was, only for my brain to kick in a second later to remind me that what I'm seeing is entirely virtual. OK the fantastical visual aspects are clearly creations but I was startled by how accepting of it all was and, in 2D I thought that the effects were pretty seamless.

    In 3D it doesn't quite hit the same mark for me. The "look it's in 3D" shots are not as obvious as some of the other films (where stuff comes out of the screen for no reason) but it is still a little distracting when the 3D forces your focus or has stuff where it doesn't aid the scene. Of course the world of Pandora looks great with things moving around in front of you and the final battle sequences are great – the money is all there to be seen. Thing is, the reason I was able to think about "how did they do that shot" while watching the film is because the technical aspects of the film is really all there is to engage with. The plot is basic and obvious – others have talked at length about the rights and wrongs of a story where the white man comes to the aid of the indigenous people, so I'll not add to that debate. The problem for me is simpler than that, it is simply that the plot is weak and the script is just as weak. My girlfriend laughed out loud when the name of the mineral on Pandora was named as "Unobtainium" and there were plenty of things like this. The dialogue between the characters is full of needless plot exposition and thus doesn't ring true. Of course all this is helped by the action and the effects but the narrative and writing weaknesses are all I can think of when I have to listen to people tell me how Avatar is the best film ever.

    The cast manage to do solid jobs considering how easy it is for them to get lost in the effects (see the modern Star Wars films to see this happen). Worthington is stuck with some awful dialogue but he is a good presence even in his Avatar. Saldana's performance is good, again despite some of her expressions and dialogue. Weaver is "so-so", Moore is pointless, Ribisi is miscast in a character that is so clichéd that it needed a decent casting to make it be more than it was. I liked Lang a lot and his OTT badass character worked well. Rodriguez seems like she is there because someone important likes her and her character doesn't add a terrible lot. Voice work from Studi, Pounder and others is good.

    Overall Avatar deserves to be seen for its technical importance and how impressive it is but the degree of praise for it needs to be put in context by considering how it plays as more than just a special effects milestone. In these terms it is not as good due to a poor plot and script that hurts the actors more than the effects do by handing them some awful dialogue. That it works is testament to how impressive the effects are but there is not a terrible lot to gush about beyond these.
    helpful•81
    45
    • bob the moo
    • Mar 1, 2010

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    FAQ14

    • What's meant to happen to Sully's Navi/"Avatar" body, when his human body gets woken up on-base? And between sessions? We never see Navi-Jake returning to base; Is his switched-off Navi body just laying comatose, in a forest full of predators? Do the real Navi just think Jake has narcolepsy?
    • Did Colette Hiller (Cpl. Ferro in Aliens) play the air traffic controller in the ops center?
    • What is 'Avatar' about?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • December 17, 2009 (Netherlands)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Official Facebook
    • Languages
      • English
      • Spanish
    • Also known as
      • Avatar: An IMAX 3D Experience
    • Filming locations
      • Kaua'i, Hawaii, USA(rain forest)
    • Production companies
      • Twentieth Century Fox
      • Dune Entertainment
      • Lightstorm Entertainment
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $237,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $785,221,649
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $77,025,481
      • Dec 20, 2009
    • Gross worldwide
      • $2,923,706,026
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 42 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
      • DTS
      • SDDS
      • Dolby Atmos

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