James Cameron's Avatar Movie Review

Before this, I wish to credit IGN.com and the Avatar Wiki for the images used here.

AVATAR

"You are not in Kansas anymore. You are on Pandora, ladies and gentleman."


I never expected to anticipate Avatar. Movies with strong hype, coupled with supposed “genre-defying” gimmicks, seldom turn out well. I knew I had to watch it, given the crazy hype, but I never expected to look forward to it. Then, just a week or two before the movie was released, reviewers began praising this film, and I realized that perhaps it wasn’t destined to be as big a failure as I thought that it would be.

See, the thing is, when one doesn’t anticipate a film, it will turn out a whole lot better upon viewing. Many went into Avatar expecting the most gigantic, revolutionary film since the days of Titanic. Some came out utterly disappointed, with cries of “generic” and “unoriginal” thrown around. Let me ask you honestly though, was Titanic, the mighty Oscar winner of 11 awards, that original to begin with? It presented us with the same forbidden love romance story we’ve seen since Shakespeare penned it down in Romeo and Juliet (perhaps there are other classics before this, but I’m not scrupulous enough to think up any now).

Terry Pratchet once said that "The reason that clichés become clichés is that they are the hammers and screwdrivers in the toolbox of communication." Yes, I know I lifted this from TvTropes.org, but Pratchett summarizes what I feel about Avatar: it’s not the most original, but it does what it needs to do fantastically. Avatar is most probably (it has to fight with Star Trek for that) my favorite movie this year. It is a space fantasy, like Star Wars, and much like Lucas’ phenomenal saga, Avatar takes old ideas and freshens them up.

And boy, does director James Cameron make cinema-going a thrilling experience! I gazed in wonder at the lush jungles of Pandora (the fictional moon that the movie is set on) as we are taken on a breathtaking flight over the trees. Through amazing 3D and sound effects, I felt myself immersed in the experience, as if I was literally breathing and feeling this exotic world. I could almost feel the wind whipping in my face as the characters rode their winged steeds at full velocity around dazzling floating mountains. As soldiers worked the graphical interfaces in their machines, I swear I could almost touch those screens; they looked so real with their reflective surfaces.


The story isn’t so bad either. Much like Titanic, the adventure here is beautifully told and should appeal to most people. The directing is strong enough to make you feel for the characters; an impressive feat considering the fact that most of them are feline, computer generated blue aliens. Despite initial fears of the aliens, known as the Na’vi, being to cutesy and Disney-like, the end result is very convincing and the Na’vi are, dare I say it, better characters than seen in most blockbuster movies of today.

Really, I came out wondering if anyone but James Cameron, that titanic (forgive the pun) director, could have pulled it off. Make no mistake, because Avatar is a beautiful experience that must be had by movie lovers. On the other hand, it’s also a brilliantly told archetypal epic story of love, war, tragedy and heroism. In a nutshell, it’s like going to Disneyland: you’ve seen Mickey and Donald on television, but despite your familiarity with these characters, Disneyland is a whole different experience that cannot be easily translated to words. Go watch this movie and if possible, watch it in 3D. And IMAX. You won’t regret it.


Pictures are property of the aforementioned IGN.com and the Avatar Wiki, and of course of 20th Century Fox.

Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers Dino Megazord Figure Review

Go, go Power Rangers!

I guess the ultimate proof of geekdom is the willingness to buy toys that are nostalgic representations of your childhood. The new Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers toy line is now here, in an effort to introduce today's kids to the truly golden stuff of yesteryear. I, a proud Generation Y kid, must admit that I grew up on Power Rangers, and discovered it far earlier than Transformers, Star Wars, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Star Trek, superheroes or anything that I currently love.

Bandai decided to remake the original Megazord toy, and the result is what I am reviewing tonight. I'm rather lazy to explain too much in detail, so I'll just post some pictures to "illustrate" the point.

Tyrannosaurus Rex Zord

Triceratops Zord


Saber-tooth Tiger Zord

Pterodactyl Zord

Mastodon Zord


The whole bunch of them

Tank Mode, remember it?

The King himself - The Megazord

The Megazord isn't the most articulated toy out there, but he is improved over the original. First of all, his knee swivels allow him to twist the legs to the side, giving him more leverage and poseability options. Also, I love the slightly spaced stance of the legs, making him look more heroic rather than the stiff, Frankenstein pose of the older one. Although smaller, he is taller in proportion than the stumpy original.

Other things to mention are that the chrome is gone, and some playability, such as the Triceratops' tail and the Mastadon's trunk, have been removed (they are no longer articulated). Personally I don't really care too much about them because those parts kept coming off as a kid, and now that their static, it's so much more durable.

Overall, while this toy isn't the most articulated, especially compared to modern Transformers, it retains the charm that captured my heart so many, many years ago. It felt like being a 5-year-old kid again. I'd recommend this toy over Transformers for kids, because Transformers are far too complicated and fragile for young ones of 4-7. This toy can probably withstand a beating and still be fun.

For collectors however, if you're a robot fan, chances are you probably grew up with Power Rangers. Get this for the pop culture and nostalgic value, if nothing else. This robot is one of the ultimate representations of the 90s! Highly recommended!

Star Trek (2009)

Star Trek was released on DVD and Blu-ray last month, meaning most people will now be able to get a good copy of this incredible film. Sincerely, it is a testament to my incredible laziness that I have not reviewed my favorite movie of the year (so far). I originally planned to write this review earlier, but better late than never, I guess. So without further ado, let’s begin!

STAR TREK

“I have been and always shall be, your friend.”

How many of you are Star Trek fans? (*counts number of hands raised) Okay, that was sad. It is very true that most Malaysians aren’t fans of Star Trek. I didn’t even know who Captain Kirk was just 3 years ago! Unfortunately this causes many Malaysians to not want to give a chance to this latest movie. Some claim Trek is too old-fashioned, while others say that the action is lacking. Excuses, excuses, and let them hinder you no more! Star Trek is a GREAT movie!


For those not familiar with the premise (and many of you undoubtedly aren’t) the Star Trek TV shows and movies tell of a future where humanity has put aside their differences and has fostered harmony, peace and progress. Wealth and prestige are no longer sought, because these future humans view scientific enquiry as the ultimate goal. They seek to go “where no man has gone before”. It is through this utopian unity that humans have developed starships, explored the heavens and built numerous alliances with other extraterrestrial species. The most significant outcome of this is the forging of an intergalactic “United Nations” known as the United Federation of Planets.

Most Trek shows and movies focus on a crew of space explorers and their ship. This movie, in seeking to break of past conventions and to attract new audiences, portrays an alternate reality of Star Trek’s most famous crew, that of Captain Kirk and his USS Enterprise. The vengeful villain, Nero, has travelled back in time and altered history so much so that Kirk and crew will no longer have the same destinies as their 60’s counterparts.

This was a brilliant decision because now the filmmakers are free to deviate from the original series and create new stories of their own. They now have creative and artistic liberty to implement whatever they feel is appropriate to breathe new life into the franchise. The results are spectacular, showcasing breathtaking CGI and sound effects which bring Trek action to amazing new heights. It’s not that the special effects are the best in the industry, but rather it was how director JJ Abrams weaved what he had into heart-racing and fantastically directed action scenes. For example, the opening fight scene didn’t have anything that Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith couldn’t do 4 years ago. Yet, by muting the sound in certain scenes he created powerful moments of tension and adrenaline. Through this and other ingenious moments of directing ad cinematography, the movie used what available resources it had to excel (unlike Revenge of the Fallen, which had too many resources and couldn’t decide what to do with them).


What was really impressive however, is the amazing chemistry that existed between the various crew members off the USS Enterprise. One thing that I thought I would be disappointed with was the crew interactions, mostly because this was the biggest pulling factor of the original Star Trek. When I watched the original series, I didn’t watch it for the special effects (though those were decent) I watched it for the emotionally-laden friendships that existed between all the crew members, in particular the power trio of Kirk, Spock and McCoy. Imagine how surprised I was at how well these “newbie” actors took on their roles and at how they breathed new life into them. Chris Pine’s Kirk may not be the same as Shatner’s, but you can certainly see the main defining characteristics in his unique take on the character. The same goes for all the actors. Instead of replicating the original actors’ portrayals, the new group puts a new spin on the established characters why keeping the spirit of them intact.


Of course there are those story twists in the movie that will make the Trek fan in you scream, "OH MY -". Rest assured though, unless you really, really can't stand changes (then why are you watching this?) those twists are well justified and very dramatic and shocking.

There is so much more to say about this movie, but I really mustn’t keep you from watching it any longer. So in short, this movie really did a great job because it respected the franchise and at the same time brought innovation and creativity to the table. The most ironic thing is, it is the first Star Trek movie in years (since First Contact, 1998, in my opinion) to actually “go where no man has gone before”. Live long and prosper!



"Space: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Her ongoing mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life-forms and new civilizations; to boldly go where no one has gone before."