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.
An astronaut becomes stranded on Mars after his team assume him dead, and must rely on his ingenuity to find a way to signal to Earth that he is alive.
A young man who survives a disaster at sea is hurtled into an epic journey of adventure and discovery. While cast away, he forms an unexpected connection with another survivor: a fearsome Bengal tiger.
A frontiersman on a fur trading expedition in the 1820s fights for survival after being mauled by a bear and left for dead by members of his own hunting team.
Earth's mightiest heroes must come together and learn to fight as a team if they are going to stop the mischievous Loki and his alien army from enslaving humanity.
Director:
Joss Whedon
Stars:
Robert Downey Jr.,
Chris Evans,
Scarlett Johansson
T'Challa, heir to the hidden but advanced kingdom of Wakanda, must step forward to lead his people into a new future and must confront a challenger from his country's past.
Director:
Ryan Coogler
Stars:
Chadwick Boseman,
Michael B. Jordan,
Lupita Nyong'o
Blacksmith Will Turner teams up with eccentric pirate "Captain" Jack Sparrow to save his love, the governor's daughter, from Jack's former pirate allies, who are now undead.
When his brother is killed in a robbery, paraplegic Marine Jake Sully decides to take his place in a mission on the distant world of Pandora. There he learns of greedy corporate figurehead Parker Selfridge's intentions of driving off the native humanoid "Na'vi" in order to mine for the precious material scattered throughout their rich woodland. In exchange for the spinal surgery that will fix his legs, Jake gathers knowledge, of the Indigenous Race and their Culture, for the cooperating military unit spearheaded by gung-ho Colonel Quaritch, while simultaneously attempting to infiltrate the Na'vi people with the use of an "avatar" identity. While Jake begins to bond with the native tribe and quickly falls in love with the beautiful alien Neytiri, the restless Colonel moves forward with his ruthless extermination tactics, forcing the soldier to take a stand - and fight back in an epic battle for the fate of Pandora.Written by
The Massie Twins
Despite understanding the Na'vi are not placental mammals, James Cameron insisted from the start that Neytiri should have breasts so as to look hot from a human's point of view. See more »
Goofs
In the scene where Jake first meets Neytiri and is trying to thank her, he grabs her arm, however, the sound effect for grabbing her arm isn't in sync, as you can hear it a couple seconds before he does grab her arm. See more »
Quotes
[first lines]
Jake Sully:
[Narrating]
When I was lying in the V.A. hospital with a big hole blown through the middle of my life, I started having these dreams of flying. I was free. But sooner or later, you always have to wake up.
See more »
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. See more »
Alternate Versions
Released to commemorate the 2010 Earth Day, the 171-minute Special edition includes the following additional scenes:
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. It reveals that Grace teaches English to the Na'vi children until a serious incident came about (bullet holes around, etc..) which was insinuated about.
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. There's 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 goes for an aerial hunt for Stuurmbeast. Jake shoots one and exclaims in excitement. Neytiri follow 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. Turns out that Na'vi kill the soldiers as well. 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 Jake to kill him because by Na'vi customs, Jake has to pass him to the Eywa by killing him by his own hands. Neytiri starts to cry. Jake reluctantly complies with his wish, stabbing him by the knife as the camera passes by him.
The end credits has an addition of using Discovery Zone's Bless the Plague soundtrack. The copyright year has been replaced with 2010.
Science fiction is, at its core, more than just a hypothetical fantasy about our distant neighbours twinkling in the night. It is also a reflection on humanity. It holds the mirror up to our faces and forces us to question who we are; when our aspirations, morals, ideals and weaknesses are put to the test, are we really who we think? And what is our place in the great darkness that surrounds us, frightens and amazes us? To know your own culture; learn another man's customs. It is only by comparison that we can truly see ourselves. And it is also only us, as subjective individuals, that can know who we are beneath our human exteriors. Many of us focus too much on our weaknesses and turn to God/s and religion for love and acceptance despite our faults, with heaven as the ultimate point of approval. Acceptance by someone or something that truly sees us, not only the shortcomings, but also for what we hope to believe that we fundamentally are; good, decent, with the heart in the right place, trying to make the best of what we have been given. Some of us don't believe in God, or profoundly question his/her/its existence. Many fear death, the unknown, never to see, feel or experience anything again. To be forgotten. For ever.
So the question becomes: does this introduction have a point and what does Avatar have to do with it? Mr James Cameron is a self-proclaimed sci-fi nerd and - not to mention - a human being (although I agree questionable, let us make that assumption for convenience sake) and just like many of us I am sure he shares many of the same existential thoughts and questions that find their way into our human brains and skeptic hearts. And like many of us he seems to share a craving for adventure, discovery, enlightenment and a curiosity of the world, the universe and the beings with whom we happen to share our short time here on Earth.
With Avatar, Mr Cameron manages to address most of these existential questions: who are we? Not in the comfort of our living rooms, nestled in the sofa with a bag of crisps and a chocolate bar in front of the TV, but in the face of choice. The choice between convenience and what we believe in. When all the luxuries have been taken away, and all the shields and walls and layers have been peeled off, do we like what we see? Avatarians have an expression; "I see you", which comes with such a deep ring to it because it is what we all want the world and people around us to do; to recognize, appreciate and care about us and to see that no matter how we might act and react on occasions, deep down we are good. These glasses we desire others to wear when they look at us also have another umbrella term; love. Some say love is blind, but to me at least, real love is not blind, it is understanding. It looks beyond the flaws and recognizes us for all the good things that we are. It sees our actions from our point of view.
The story of Pandora's box in Greek mythology depicts how numerous evils were let into our world in a moment of weakness on Pandora's behalf. In much the same way, humanity in James Cameron's Avatar goes to the planet of Pandora and is confronted with a choice; open the lid or let the box be. Naturally, the greed (for money, power, etc) wins, and so, the lid is opened. Naturally, it has consequences. However, just like in the original story of Pandora's box, something else was let into the world when the lid was pulled away, something to counterbalance the evils that had been unleashed; hope. The hope that the good will, eventually, win. In Cameron's Avatar, this hope is represented by a group of humans who are not set out to exploit the people and resources of Pandora, but to understand it. And with understanding comes the ability to see clearly, and with this comes, ultimately, love. Love is not blind, but ignorance is, and ignorance is the root of most evils taking place in the world today.
We all choose how we want to see the world. Everything is neutral as far as the universe is concerned; there is no good or evil, no good or bad, no morals set in some sacred stone at the heart of the heart of the universe. Morals are what we, humans, have created because we have a conscience. We have the ability to empathise and sympathise, to see the world through other's eyes as if they were our own.
On Pandora, everything is connected; the trees, the animals, the flora and fauna, the past and the present, the living and the dead. If we as humans could be as connected with each other and communicating as much, I believe understanding of each other's differences would ultimately result in the realisation that we are in fact more similar than different. I believe that one such medium of communication already exists today – the Internet. Another one is the media but the question is how well it is working.
I think Cameron's intended message with this film is very simple and – I admit – very cliché, but also very true and it doesn't hurt to be reminded of every once in a while; to see what we value and to stand up for it.
Plus, it's easier to see the world through another's eyes when it's presented with such smashing CGI...
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Science fiction is, at its core, more than just a hypothetical fantasy about our distant neighbours twinkling in the night. It is also a reflection on humanity. It holds the mirror up to our faces and forces us to question who we are; when our aspirations, morals, ideals and weaknesses are put to the test, are we really who we think? And what is our place in the great darkness that surrounds us, frightens and amazes us? To know your own culture; learn another man's customs. It is only by comparison that we can truly see ourselves. And it is also only us, as subjective individuals, that can know who we are beneath our human exteriors. Many of us focus too much on our weaknesses and turn to God/s and religion for love and acceptance despite our faults, with heaven as the ultimate point of approval. Acceptance by someone or something that truly sees us, not only the shortcomings, but also for what we hope to believe that we fundamentally are; good, decent, with the heart in the right place, trying to make the best of what we have been given. Some of us don't believe in God, or profoundly question his/her/its existence. Many fear death, the unknown, never to see, feel or experience anything again. To be forgotten. For ever.
So the question becomes: does this introduction have a point and what does Avatar have to do with it? Mr James Cameron is a self-proclaimed sci-fi nerd and - not to mention - a human being (although I agree questionable, let us make that assumption for convenience sake) and just like many of us I am sure he shares many of the same existential thoughts and questions that find their way into our human brains and skeptic hearts. And like many of us he seems to share a craving for adventure, discovery, enlightenment and a curiosity of the world, the universe and the beings with whom we happen to share our short time here on Earth.
With Avatar, Mr Cameron manages to address most of these existential questions: who are we? Not in the comfort of our living rooms, nestled in the sofa with a bag of crisps and a chocolate bar in front of the TV, but in the face of choice. The choice between convenience and what we believe in. When all the luxuries have been taken away, and all the shields and walls and layers have been peeled off, do we like what we see? Avatarians have an expression; "I see you", which comes with such a deep ring to it because it is what we all want the world and people around us to do; to recognize, appreciate and care about us and to see that no matter how we might act and react on occasions, deep down we are good. These glasses we desire others to wear when they look at us also have another umbrella term; love. Some say love is blind, but to me at least, real love is not blind, it is understanding. It looks beyond the flaws and recognizes us for all the good things that we are. It sees our actions from our point of view.
The story of Pandora's box in Greek mythology depicts how numerous evils were let into our world in a moment of weakness on Pandora's behalf. In much the same way, humanity in James Cameron's Avatar goes to the planet of Pandora and is confronted with a choice; open the lid or let the box be. Naturally, the greed (for money, power, etc) wins, and so, the lid is opened. Naturally, it has consequences. However, just like in the original story of Pandora's box, something else was let into the world when the lid was pulled away, something to counterbalance the evils that had been unleashed; hope. The hope that the good will, eventually, win. In Cameron's Avatar, this hope is represented by a group of humans who are not set out to exploit the people and resources of Pandora, but to understand it. And with understanding comes the ability to see clearly, and with this comes, ultimately, love. Love is not blind, but ignorance is, and ignorance is the root of most evils taking place in the world today.
We all choose how we want to see the world. Everything is neutral as far as the universe is concerned; there is no good or evil, no good or bad, no morals set in some sacred stone at the heart of the heart of the universe. Morals are what we, humans, have created because we have a conscience. We have the ability to empathise and sympathise, to see the world through other's eyes as if they were our own.
On Pandora, everything is connected; the trees, the animals, the flora and fauna, the past and the present, the living and the dead. If we as humans could be as connected with each other and communicating as much, I believe understanding of each other's differences would ultimately result in the realisation that we are in fact more similar than different. I believe that one such medium of communication already exists today – the Internet. Another one is the media but the question is how well it is working.
I think Cameron's intended message with this film is very simple and – I admit – very cliché, but also very true and it doesn't hurt to be reminded of every once in a while; to see what we value and to stand up for it.
Plus, it's easier to see the world through another's eyes when it's presented with such smashing CGI...