I believe you call this, a Magnum Opus?

The movie Avatar has been hyped quite a bit., having been in the pipeline for half a decade, and titled the brainchild of one of Hollywood's favorites, James Cameron. The reviews promised 3D action, special effects and fantasy beyond all else. It is thus that I found myself on the sere and barren path to Satyam, with no small measure of expectation.

They promised a spectacle.

And boy, they delivered one. This movie is unlike anything you've ever seen before. The setting is something fantastic. Plants, animals and sentient forms come in all shapes, sizes and hues. The effects are cutting edge, avant-grade, sublime! Not for a minute is there a plastic or paper feel to anything that isn't plastic or paper, and trust me, you don't find many of those on Pandora. In all, the movie is a looker. This is one of those once-in-a-generation blockbusters, a spike on the radar of movie-goers and a throwback to the age (yes, it is that long back) when movies dazzled, dazed and promptly dumped us back in reality as the credits rolled. In effect, you should watch this movie.

But that aside... this isn't advertised as a spectacle but as a movie. And it is painfully obvious that the movie is but a side-effect of a dream. Left to him, the director would gladly have made a documentary of the ways of the Na'vi and the splendor of Pandora. But you can't market documentaries, nor can you justify such a price tag for them. In short, the story of Avatar is average, trite even. Any fantasy genre fan can make up this story in a snap. The story moves at a good pace, has the required ups and downs, but despite a surprise here and there about the timing of events that are inevitable, the broad plot is pretty much the same.

The most important part of fantasy, as JRR Tolkien's works attest, is history. Intrigue. The knowledge that the movie is only part of a greater scheme of things, shadowy, mysterious things. But while the movie is long for an English one, (almost 2.5 hours), the history of the species is never alluded to but once, maybe twice. The next most important is dialogue. To have an alien tongue is one thing, but to make 'realism' impede emotion is another. While it was eerie to hear the hisses and snarls in the beginning as subtitles jumped out, I just felt the dialogue too tame. Definitely a weak link there... Even, the parts of dialogue that were in English were, lets say, just not momentous enough.

The political allusions were entertaining. Was I the only one, or was the talk about how we fried our mother-god a direct reference to global warming. Also, Uncle Sam was pulled into the fray with the pithy line, "You're not the only one with Guns, B***H", as well as, "Let us show them that they cannot have all that they want!" Of course, this could apply to any reigning and faulting military power, but it definitely is more conspirational thinking the US was in the crossfire.

The 3D was something of a disappointment. It was almost completely absent in the latter part of the movie, and only figured in passive scenes. My expectation of in-your-face action was sadly unfounded. But again, the part that was in 3D, was amazing. The floating-people scene rightin the beginning is probably the best shot, 3D wise.

Succinctly, watch this movie. Because you would be missing an experience. Just don't expect to watch a film-making marvel, but to experience a film-maker's dream. Yet, like Jack muses, "We have to wake up sometime."

Personally, I would LOVE to see a series of books set in Pandora. Let us hope!