avatar

I have just seen Avatar.

I am at a loss for words to describe how absolutely brilliant it was.

I could say that it is visually stunning and evocative.
That everything you see is so beautiful and imaginative that it takes you to a different world and makes you forget about everything else.

That all the living creatures form such a perfect unity with this incredible planet in a bond that almost transcends thought.
That the plushness, variety, and colours of vegetation, and the way it all comes to life in a myriad of fluorescent lights at night, is awe-inspiring.
The sheer beauty of the floating mountains of Pandora, and the abundance of water, the seas, and the waterfalls are amazing.
And the Na'vi, the indigenous people of Pandora, their deep bond and respect for the land, the strength of the Na'vi people, the way their bodies are perfectly attuned to their environment, their resistance and hardiness, their physicaly prowess, their love for nature and all living things, the way they share in the joy of life and use their planet as a giant playground, are exilarating.

But that wouldn't do the film justice.

I could write here that it is one of the best films I have ever seen. And it definitely is. I could say I would love to watch it again and again. But that would still not be enough. The best things I can say to describe just how much I loved Avatar is this: I wouldn't just love to watch it again... I would love to live it. I would love to experience it with my own eyes. I would love to walk through the forests of Pandora, fly in its skies, connect with the animals that inhabit its surface, and talk to its trees, and plug into the symbiotic connection that all living creatures share and tap into the collective consciousness of Eywa.

I would love to live on Pandora like a native Na'vi. I would love to "see" this world.

SPOILER alert

Alas, this movie is not perfect. My biggest gripe is that way too much time was dedicated to the final fight scene with the big baddie, the General. It would have been much more apt and, personally, satisfying if the entire fighting scene had been cut out and the plot changed. Personally, I would have made the big bad general die a meaningless and insignificant death, such as a misfire, or a defective grenade, or similar.