Avatar Review

Avatar

Release Date: 17th December 2009 – Australia


Production Companies
20th Century Fox (presents)
Dune Entertainment (in
association with)
Ingenious Film Partners (in
association with)
Lightstorm Entertainment

Distribution
20th Century Fox Australia


Genre: Sci-Fi

Rating: M

Runtime: 162 minutes
                 171 minutes (re-
                 release)
                 178 minutes

                 (extended)


Budget: $237,000,000

               $9,000,000 (re-release)

Box Office Gross: $2,923,706,026 (Worldwide)

Plot Summary
Jake Sully is an ex-marine bound in a wheelchair because of his war injuries. Sully gets dispatched to the planet of Pandora, where he intends to take over his recently deceased brother's mission to infiltrate the Pandoran natives of the Na'vi people and convince them to move from their home, which is lucrative mining land. With the new technology and despite being a paraplegic, Jake can inhabit an Avatar body resembling the Na'vi, thus disguising himself in their ranks.

He builds a relationship with
Neytiri, a gorgeous Na'vi
female who teaches him
traditional ways. It results
in him changing his heart
and wanting to help the
Na'vi instead of exploiting
their land. In the ensuing
land war, Jake's loyalty
gets tested.

Cast

The Humans
Sam Worthington – Corporal Jake Sully
Stephen Lang – Colonel Miles Quaritch
Sigourney Weaver – Dr. Grace Augustine
Michelle Rodriguez – Trudy Chacon
Giovanni Ribisi – Parker Selfridge
Joel David Moore – Dr. Norm Spellman
Dileep Rao – Dr. Max Patel
Matt Gerald – Corporal Lyle Wainfleet
Sean Anthony Moran – Private
Fike

The Na'vi
Zoe Saldana – Neytiri
C.C.H. Pounder – Mo'at
Wes Studi – Eytukan
Laz Alonso – Tsu'tey


Crew
Writer/Producer/Director/
Editor – James Cameron

Script Supervisors – Sarah Hinch and Luca Koulmelis

Executive Producer – Laeta Kalogridis
Executive Producer/Unit Production Manager –

Colin Wilson

Producer – Jon Landau

Co-Producer – Brooke Benton

Co-Producer/First Assistant Director –

Josh McLaglen

Casting Director – Margery Simkin

Casting: New Zealand – Miranda Rivers

Initial Casting - Mali Finn

Alien Language Creator – Paul R. Frommer

Dialect Coach – Carla Meyer

Consultant: Botany – Jodie S. Holt

Military Trainer – John David Cameron
Production Designers – Rick Carter
and Robert Stromberg

Conceptual Design/Costume and

Specialty Props – Richard Taylor
Concept Illustrators – Dorian Bustamante,
Ryan Church, James Clyne, Barry Howell,
Victor James Martinez, Steven Messing,
Craig Shoji and Daphne Yap
Concept Art Directors – Dylan Cole,
Seth Engstrom and Ben Procter

Designers: Weta Workshop – Gus Hunter,

Christian Pearce, Paul Tobin, Greg Broadmore,

Stephen Crowe, Daniel Falconer, Leri Greer

and Nick Keller

Character Design Supervisor: Stan Winston

Studio – John Rosengrant

Key Character Designers – Jim Charmatz,

Jason Matthews, Michael Ornelaz,

Joey Orosco, Scott Patton, Joseph C. Pepe

and Christopher Swift

Lead Creature Designer – Neville Page
Initial Creature Concepts – Wayne D. Barlowe

Vehicle Designer – TyRuben Ellingson

Supervising Art Director: Lead/Set Decorator –

Kim Sinclair

Supervising Art Directors – Todd Cherniawsky,

Stefan Dechant and Kevin Ishioka

Supervising Visual Art Director – Yuri Bartoli

Art Directors – Nick Bassett, Robert Bavin,

Simon Bright, Jill Cormack, Sean Haworth,

Andy McLaren and Andrew Menzies

Virtual Environment Supervisor/Animation

Technical Director (Uncredited) – Robert C. Powers

Virtual Production Art Directors –

Andrew L. Jones and Norman Newberry

Lead Character Sculptor – Jordu Schell

Construction Supervisor – Neil Kirkland

Construction Manager – Ed Mulholand

On-Set Link Unit Supervisor: Weta Workshop –

Rob Gillies

On-Set Props and Weapons Supervisor: Weta

Workshop – Joe Dunckley

Props Supervisor/Specialty Weapons: Weta

Workshop – John Harvey

Costume Designers – Mayes C. Rubeo

and Deborah Lynn Scott

Costume Designer: New Zealand –

John Harding

Costume Supervisors: Los Angeles Live-Action

Unit – Beth Koenigsberg and Lisa Lovaas

Hair/Makeup Supervisor – Rick Findlater

Makeup Department Head: Los Angeles

Live-Action – Mike Smithson

Director of Photography – Mauro Fiore

Director of Photography: Los Angeles –

Vince Pace

Camera Operator/Director of Photography:

Second Unit, New Zealand Live-Action Unit –

Richard Bluck

Production Manager: New Zealand –

Brigitte Yorke

Second Assistant Director/First Assistant

Director: Additional Unit – Maria Battle-

Campbell

Second Assistant Directors: New Zealand

Live-Action Unit – Richard Matthews

and Stephanie Weststrate

Second Unit Director: New Zealand Live-Action

Unit/Visual Effects Supervisor – Steven Quale

Choreographer: Na'vi Dance – Lula Washington

Movement Coach: Na'vi/Motion Capture

Performer (Uncredited) – Terry Notary
Stunt Coordinator: US – Garrett Warren

Stunt Coordinators: New Zealand – Stuart Thorp

and Allan Poppleton
Special Effects – Stan Winston (Uncredited)

Special Effects Coordinator: New Zealand

Live-Action Unit – Steve Ingram

Model Shop Supervisor: Stan Winston Studio

and Legacy Effects – David Merritt

Workshop Supervisor: Weta Workshop –

Gareth McGhie

Senior Visual Effects Supervisor – Joe Letteri

Senior Visual Effects Supervisor: Prime Focus –

Chris Bond

Visual Effects Supervisors – John Bruno and

Jen Hao Yeh

Visual Effects Supervisors: Weta Digital –

Dan Lemmon, Stephen Rosenbaum,

Eric Saindon, Erik Winquist, Wayne Stables,

R. Christopher White and Guy Williams

Visual Effects Supervisors: Framestore –

Jonathan Fawkner and Tim Webber

Visual Effects Supervisor: Spy Post –

Jonathan Rothbart

Visual Effects Supervisor: Lola Visual Effects –

Edson Williams

Visual Effects Producers – Joyce Cox and

Maricel Pagulayan

Visual Effects Producer: ILM – Jill Brooks

Producer: Weta Digital – Eileen Moran

Digital Effects Supervisor – Nolan Mortha

Digital Production Supervisor: ILM –

Michael Di Como

Creative Supervisor: Pixel Liberation Front –

Stephen Lawes

Pre-Production Manager: Weta Digital –

Mara Bryan

Senior Production Managers: Weta Digital –

Kevin L. Sherwood and Annette Wullems

Previs Production Manager: Weta Digital –

Marion Davey

Motion Capture Supervisor: Weta Digital –

Dejan Momcilovic

Performance Capture Supervisor: Giant

Studios – Matt Madden

Virtual Production Conceiver/Visual Effects

Pipeline Engineer (Uncredited) – Robert Legato

Virtual Production Supervisor – Glenn Derry

Virtual Production Manager – Heide Waldbaum

Animation Supervisors – Richard Baneham

and Andrew R. Jones

Animation Supervisor: ILM – Paul Kavanagh

Animation Supervisor: Weta Digital –

David Clayton

CG/Pre-Visualisation Supervisor

(Uncredited) – Brad Alexander

CG Supervisor – Albert Hastings

CG Supervisors: Weta Digital –

Graeme Demmocks, Shadl Almassizadeh,

Simon Clutterbuck, Dan Cox,

Eric Fernandes, Matthias Menz, Keith Miller,

Sergei Nevshupov, Adrian Fernandes,

Allen Hemberger, Mark Tait, Thrain Shadbolt,

Roger Shortt, Mike Perry and Kevin Andrew Smith

CG Supervisors: ILM – Pat Conran,

Philippe Rebours and David Weitzberg

CG Supervisors: Framestore – Andy Lomas,

Andrew Morley, Michael Mullohand and Ben White

Pre-Production CG Supervisor: Weta Digital –

Matt Aitken

Creatures CG Supervisor: Weta Digital –

Dana Peters

Creature Art Director: Weta Digital – Gino Acevedo

Sequence Supervisors: ILM – Jay Cooper,

Tom Fejes, Jen Howard, Tory Mercer,

Mark Nettleton and Robert Weaver

Digital Model Supervisors: ILM – Dave Fogler

and Bruce Holcomb

Facial Team Lead: Weta Digital – Jeff Unay

Massive Supervisor: Weta Digital – Jon Allitt

Shaders Supervisor: Weta Digital – Martin Hill

Head of Layout/Animation Tech: Weta Digital –

Shawn Dunn

Viewpaint Supervisor: ILM – Ron Woodall

Simulcam Supervisor – Casey Schatz

Creature Simulation Supervisor: Weta Digital –

Andrea Merlo

Lead Creature Technical Directors: Weta

Digital – Julian Butler, Glen Christie,

Matthew Muntean and Eric Tang

Roto and Paint Supervisor: ILM – Beth D'Amato

Digital Matte Supervisor: ILM – Richard Bluff

Special Projects Supervisor: Weta Digital –

Mark Sagar

Compositing Supervisor: ILM – Eddie Pasquarello

Editors – John Refoua and Stephen E. Rivkin

Supervising Sound Editor/Sound Designer/
Re-Recording Mixer – Christopher Boyes

Supervising Sound Editor/Additional Sound

Design – Addison Teague

Supervising Sound Editor – Gwendolyn Yates Whittle

Sound Effects Editors – Ken Fischer,

Shannon Mills, Tim Nielsen and

Christopher Scarabosio

ADR Editors – Richard Hymns,

Stuart McCowan and Steve Slanec

Dialogue Editors – Kim Foscato,

Cheryl Nardi and Marshall Winn

Production Sound Mixers – William B. Kaplan

and James M. Tanenbaum

Production Sound Mixers: New Zealand

Live-Action Unit – Tony Johnson and Davis Lee

Re-Recording Mixers – Gary Summers

and Andy Nelson

Foley Artists – Dennie Thorpe and

Jana Vance

Foley Mixer – Frank Rinella

Music – James Horner

Electronic Music Arranger – Simon Franglen


Awards

2010 Academy Awards
Best Art Direction – Rick Carter,

Robert Stromberg and Kim Sinclair (Won)

Best Cinematography – Mauro Fiore (Won)
Best Visual Effects – Joe Letteri,

Stephen Rosenbaum, Richard Baneham

and Andrew R. Jones (Won)

--------------------
Best Director – James Cameron (Nominated)
Best Film Editing – Stephen E. Rivkin,

John Refoua and James Cameron (Nominated)
Best Original Score – James Horner (Nominated)
Best Sound Editing – Christopher Boyes
and Gwendolyn Yates Whittle (Nominated)
Best Sound Mixing – Christopher Boyes,

Gary Summers, Andy Nelson and Tony Johnson

(Nominated)

Best Picture (Nominated)


Review
AVATAR is an environmental sci-fi movie that premiered towards the end of 2009 and broke all kinds of box office records. Although the plot has borrowed from other films, its best feature for me was that it came out in 3D. It is James Cameron's long-awaited return to feature directing after Titanic in 1997. A well-known fact about this movie is that it has been in development since 1994. It was before, in later years, that the visual effects got better with the technological advancements that Cameron required to realise his vision.

The things I praise about the film are its fantasy elements, like the floating islands. The flawless acting by Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana and Stephen Lang and the Na'vi look realistic due to its groundbreaking motion-capture technology, which blends into this extraordinary alien fantasy world. It even has incredible cinematography and James Horner's brilliant musical score.

It is one of my favourite films but is considered Cameron's best movie since Terminator 2. If you're looking for something enjoyable and breathtaking, you'll be surprised that AVATAR is an unforgettable cinematic experience just for you, even in 3D, when it was this beautiful.

Star rating: (5/5) Best Movie Ever

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