Avatar (2009 film)

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Avatar is a 2009 American-British epic 3-D science fiction film written and directed by James Cameron, starring Sam Worthington, Zoë Saldaña, Sigourney Weaver and Stephen Lang. The film was produced by Lightstorm Entertainment and distributed by 20th Century Fox. It premiered in London on December 10, 2009 and was released in the United Kingdom on December 17, 2009, one day prior to its theatrical release in the United States.^[4]

The film focuses on an epic conflict on Pandora, an inhabited Earth-sized moon of Polyphemus, one of three fictional gas giants orbiting Alpha Centauri A. On Pandora, human colonists and the sentient humanoid indigenous inhabitants of Pandora, the Na'vi, engage in a war over the planet's resources and the latter's continued existence.^[5] The film's title refers to the remotely controlled, genetically engineered human-Na'vi bodies used by the film's human characters to interact with the natives.^[6]

Avatar had been in development since 1994 by Cameron, who wrote a 114-page scriptment for the film.^[7] Filming was supposed to take place after the completion of Titanic, and the film would have been released in 1999, but according to Cameron, "technology needed to catch up" with his vision of the film.^[8][9] In early 2006, Cameron developed the script, the language, and the culture of Pandora.^[10] He has stated that if Avatar is successful, two sequels to the film are planned.^[11]

The film was released in traditional 2D and 3D formats, along with an IMAX 3D release in selected theaters. Avatar is officially budgeted at $237 million^[2], but some estimates put the cost at as much as $310 million to produce and an estimated $150 million for marketing.^[12] The film is being touted as a breakthrough in terms of filmmaking technology, for its development of 3D viewing and stereoscopic filmmaking with cameras that were specially designed for the film's production.^[13] Opening to critical acclaim, it earned an estimated $27 million on its opening day and an estimated $73 million after three days. Worldwide, the film earned $232,180,000 in its opening weekend, the seventh largest opening-weekend gross of all time.^[3]

Plot

In AD 2154,^[14] a human corporation is engaged in the colonization of Pandora, the lush moon of Polyphemus, one of three gas giants that orbit Alpha Centauri A,^[14] 4.3 light years from Earth. The humans seek to exploit Pandora's reserves of a precious mineral called unobtainium.

Pandora is inhabited by an indigenous species of sentient humanoids called the Na'vi. Standing nine feet tall, with tails and sparkling blue skin, the Na'vi live in harmony with the natural world around them, and are considered primitive by human standards. Humans are unable to breathe the Pandoran atmosphere, and peaceful interaction with the Na'vi is difficult. Human researchers, led by Dr. Grace Augustine (Sigourney Weaver) created the Avatar Program, taking human and Na'vi DNA and using it to genetically engineer human-Na'vi hybrid bodies called Avatars.

A human who shares genetic material with the Avatar can be mentally linked to it, allowing them to control its functions and experience what it experiences, while their own body sleeps. The story's protagonist, Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), is a former U.S. Marine who was wounded and paralyzed from the waist down in combat on Earth. His twin brother Tommy was a scientist working on the Avatar program; but when he is killed, Jake is extended the opportunity to take his brother's place, as he shares Tommy's genetic material and is therefore compatible with his Avatar. However, Dr. Augustine is less than happy about Jake being there, as his brother had a doctorate and years of extensive training to participate in the program. In contrast, Jake has no knowledge of Na'vi culture and has never used an Avatar. Regardless, the research team decides to let him go through with the program. During his first Avatar test Jake seems ecstatic to be able to use his legs once again.

Jake's first assignment is to escort Dr. Augustine and a biologist named Norm Spellman (Joel David Moore) through the hostile jungle. Eventually, the group is attacked and Jake becomes separated from the others, forcing them to leave him behind for the night and believing that he will "not survive" the alien environment. Throughout the night, he attempts to survive in his Avatar body, fending off dangerous creatures. This attracts the attention of a female Na'vi named Neytiri (Zoë Saldaña) who decides to intervene by rescuing Jake from certain onslaught. Although at first troubled by Jake's recklessness, she decides to take him back to the Na'vi Hometree, which is the center of her clan both spiritually and literally. The Na'vi decide to take Jake and teach him about their culture, so that they in turn could learn more about humans.

Jake encounters many of Pandora's beauties and dangers. Despite having originally gotten lost by chance, which led into his integration in the Na'vi tribe, he is sent by his military superiors to obtain the trust of the Na'vi clan, and convince them to abandon their Hometree, which sits above a large deposit of unobtainium. Jake finds himself caught between the military-industrial forces of Earth and a love for his adopted home and people. The humans attack and destroy the Hometree, forcing the Na'vi to flee. The Na'vi feel betrayed by Jake, ostracizing him from the tribe. Back at base, Jake and his compatriots are forcibly disconnected from their avatar interfaces and are arrested for arguing against the destruction. However, Trudy Chacon, disgusted at the violence, breaks the prisoners out, but Grace is mortally wounded in the departure from base. Deciding there is only one way that the Na'vi would listen to him now, Jake tames the Toruk, a formidable winged creature, and in doing so earns back the respect of the Na'vi. He offers to help fight the humans if they save Grace. They agree, but the attempt to transfer her consciousness into an avatar with the Sacred Tree fails due to her considerable injuries and Grace dies.

With Neytiri's assistance, Jake assemble thousands of Na'vi from other tribes and lead them into battle with the increasingly violent human forces, in order to save their race and world. The humans detect the assembling forces and the security chief orders a preemptive strike to destroy the Na'vi's main Sacred Tree in order to break their will. Meanwhile, Jake attempts to make contact with the spirits of that tree, pleading with Grace to appeal to the Na'vi god, Eywa, and the spirits to help in the coming battle, but Neytiri tells him that Eywa will remain neutral.

In the resulting battle, the Na'vi put up a much more formidable defense with Jake's direction, but they still cannot defeat the humans while taking heavy casualties. However, the native creatures of the region suddenly appear en masse to attack the humans with overwhelming might; Neytiri interprets this as Eywa having decided to intervene in the battle for the Na'vi. Despite this reversal, the Security Chief orders the Sacred Tree bombed, but Jake manages to land on the shuttle and down it.

The Security Chief's craft is attacked as well, but he is able to escape the vehicle in his mecha as it crashes. As he proceeds to the Sacred Tree to destroy it, he finds the remote Avatar interface field pod Jake's compatriots had moved and hidden deep in Na'vi territory and decides to destroy it to kill Jake. Neytiri and Jake arrive to stop him and manage to defeat their enemy, but not before he seriously damages the pod, exposing Jake's true body to the planet's deadly atmosphere. Neytiri manages to understand the emergency and saves him by retrieving a protective mask from the remnants of the base.

After the battle, the humans are forced to evacuate Pandora, while Jake and friends decide to remain. The film ends with Jake permanently transferring his consciousness from his human form to his Na'vi avatar by way of a Na'vi ritual.

Cast and characters

Main article: Characters and wildlife in Avatar

Humans

• Sam Worthington as Jake Sully. Cameron cast the Australian actor after searching the world for promising young actors, preferring relative unknowns to keep the budget down. Worthington auditioned twice early in development,^[7] and he has signed on for possible sequels.^[15] Cameron felt that because Worthington had not done a major film, he was "game for anything", giving the character "a quality that is really real. He has that quality of being a guy you'd want to have a beer with, and he ultimately becomes a leader who transforms the world".^[16]
• Sigourney Weaver as Dr. Grace Augustine, a botanist who mentors Jake Sully.^[17] Weaver dyed her hair red for the part.^[18] Her character was named "Shipley" at one point.^[19] The character reminded Weaver of Cameron, being "very driven and very idealistic".^[20]
• Michelle Rodriguez as Trudy Chacon, a retired Marine pilot. Cameron had wanted to work with Rodriguez since seeing her in Girlfight.^[21]
• Giovanni Ribisi as SecFor administrator Parker Selfridge, a passive-aggressive character.^[22]
• Joel David Moore as Norm Spellman, a biologist who studies plant and nature life (like Weaver's character).
• Stephen Lang as SecFor's Colonel Miles Quaritch, the main antagonist. Lang had unsuccessfully auditioned for a role in Cameron's Aliens (1986); the director remembered Lang and cast him in Avatar.^[21] Michael Biehn, who was in Aliens, read the script and watched some of the 3D footage with Cameron,^[23] but was ultimately not cast in the role.
• Dileep Rao as Dr. Max Patel. A Scientist that works in the Avatar Program.^[24]
• Matt Gerald as SecFor's Corporal Lyle Wainfleet, the second-most prominent villain, after Quaritch.^[25]

Na'vi

• Zoë Saldaña as Neytiri, a princess of the Na'vi tribe central to the story, who is attracted to Jake because of his bravery.^[26] The character, like all the Na'vi, was created using performance capture, and is entirely computer generated.^[27] Saldaña has also signed on for potential sequels.^[15]
• C. C. H. Pounder as Mo'at, the Na'vi queen.^[28]
• Laz Alonso as Tsu'Tey, one of Pandora's finest Na'vi warriors and Neytiri's betrothed.
• Wes Studi as Eytucan, the Na'vi king of the Omaticaya clan, the husband of Mo'at and Neytiri's father.
• Peter Mensah as Akwey, a member of the Na'vi tribe.

Pandora's wildlife

• Banshee, ikran. The pteranodon-like mountain banshee is highly adapted for flight. Specially developed muscles attached to the breastbone allow for the powerful strokes needed to achieve lift. Bonding with a banshee is a dangerous and required rite of passage for all would-be Na'vi warriors. A Banshee bonds with only one Na'vi in their lifetime.^[29]
• Direhorse, pa’li. Horse-like creature with six legs, tough skin with no fur, long necks and small head, bold stripes, flexible carbon fiber armor over shoulders and along the back of the neck and head.^[30]
• Hammerhead Titanothere, angtsìk. This massive, grazing creature travels in small herds or packs. It is moderately social, but also extremely territorial and hierarchical. When angered, a titanothere will lower its head and charge at the perceived threat. The sheer momentum and ferocity of this display is usually enough to send any Pandoran creature running for cover. As for Human forces, the species is exceptionally resistant to most weapons available to ground forces, making them an extremely formidable force when charging en masse.^[31]
• Thanator, palulukan. The most fearsome of all Pandoran land predators, it possesses a wide, armored tail can slam prey or defend against other thanators. Cartilaginous plates around its neck that can flare, possibly as a threat display but more likely as an echolocation or other sensory pinpointing system. The speed of its neck and jaw strike is as swift as a camera shutter.^[32]
• Leonopteryx, toruk. A large aerial predator, similar to the Ikran, but much larger, with crests of bone on its head.
• Viperwolf, nantang. With six legs and a lean, powerful torso, the viperwolf has evolved to travel swiftly over long distances in search of prey. The ratio of brain mass to body weight of the average adult viperwolf indicates a high order of mental processing, pattern recognition and communication skills.^[33]
• The Hometree, Kelutrel. The Hometree stands over 150 meters tall, and is roughly thirty meters in diameter,^[34] large enough to house dozens of Na'vi. The tree is honeycombed with natural hollows and alcoves in which the Na'vi sleep, eat, weave, dance, and celebrate their connection to Eywa. Like many sacred sites on Pandora, Hometree sits above a large deposit of unobtainium.