On CLIPS In January, 2010
AVATAR

A human-alien hybrid (Sam Worthington) becomes attached to the race he has infiltrated in director James Cameron's latest adventure.

TRIVIA: What other 2009 movie co-starring Sam Worthington is part of a film franchise started by James Cameron?

After the death of his brother, paraplegic Marine Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) decides to take his place on a military mission to the planet Pandora. As an Avatar, a human-alien hybrid, Jake infiltrates the native Na'vi to gather information before the invasion begins. Before long, he bonds with the alien race and falls in love with the beautiful Neytiri (Zoe Saldana). Now he must choose between two worlds. "Avatar" is a 3-D technical wonder that is visually beyond imagination. But director James Cameron seems to have neglected the story and the acting. At an epic length of 162 minutes, the predictable plot plods along to a familiar conclusion. The actors deliver some cheesy dialog that's nearly a throwback to 1950s sci-fi B movies. Stephen Lang as a gung-ho colonel and Sigourney Weaver as the lead scientist on the Avatar project provide a couple of over-the-top performances. All of the performances take a back seat to the eye-popping special effects and fantastic sets. The involving 3-D is the most advanced to date, but the polarized glasses are still needed for the system to work. A word of warning to those with less than perfect vision: I experienced some eyestrain with an accompanying headache two hours into the movie. I'll be impressed when a 3-D projection system is developed that doesn't rely on glasses for depth. Until then, maybe the filmmakers could develop storylines that are as compelling as the technology. "Avatar" may be a titanic undertaking, but the plot just barely manages to stay afloat.