I enter the theater expecting a 3d experience.
Instead I am transported to a distant blue jovian gas giant, perhaps a far off relative of our own Jupiter. The blue giant looms in front of our ship. Swirling patterns drive across the planet. I almost miss the small moon between our ship and the blue giant. The moon is Pandora.
Pandora is covered with breath taking forests, jungles and floating mountains. The surface becomes even more beautiful as the shuttle eases into a lower altitude. Trees and vines pull at each other to reach higher and higher into the sky. Strange creatures inhabit the skies and jungles. The land is lush, untamed, wild… primal.
We are landing now. The shuttle sets down in what appears to be a refinery. I spend some time wandering around the various corridors and labs, making myself familiar with what will be called home. Finally, I arrive at the Avatar lab.
I have spent hours in an Avatar simulator. Most of my time involved mastering motor control and becoming used to the extra features humans do not possess. I figure I am ready for the real deal.
The Avatar pod feels warm as I sink into memory foam like bed. The tech closes the lid. I close my eyes.
I open my eyes and find myself laying on a medical table. Avatar assistants are checking my eye dilation. Something tickles my ear. My ear twitches and I feel the tickle again. An assistant is snapping their fingers in my other ear, checking for a correct auditory response. I was not aware that having ears that I can move would cause such a tickling sensation, that wasn’t in the simulations. I am given the green light and head out of the Avatar staging area.
There is a gas in the atmosphere of Pandora that will kill a human in a few minutes. When working outside we are forced to use masks. I take a deep breath. The atmosphere is refreshing in this body. My Avatar, grown from my DNA and DNA from the indigenous species of Pandora, is not affect by the gas.
The Avatar body feels incredibly nimble and strong. A single step covers many human strides. Testing my strength and balance I leap into the air. An uncontrollable smile paints itself across my face. The smile reveals the Avatars extra long k9 teeth. Yards away from my launch point I land in perfect balance. My Avatars tail, even for its small size, is enough to aid in balance.
I dig my bare feet the fresh dirt. All those hours in the simulator did nothing to prepare me for startling and strong feeling welling up inside. It is a feeling of connection with my surroundings; the jungle, the ground and air. It grows stronger. I have the urge to scout, hunt and explore. The feeling is primal.
Despite the simple plot, the few surprises, or other flaws, Avatar is an amazing experience. I really love to get into a movie. Avatar does an excellent job of allowing the watcher to step into an Avatar and feel the experience.
I know many people don’t like preachy movies. I am in the choir for the message of this movie. It is sad in this fictional future we still oppress and destroy to gain wealth and power.
That obvious and rehashed message aside Avatar captures something I have not felt in any other movie. It is a connection with the fictional world Pandora, with the plants, the animals and even the Na’vi.
I grew up in the Mojave desert in California and in the coastal rain forests in Oregon. I spent a lot of time exploring, hunting lizards and climbing trees. Finding a good vantage point, be it a mound in the desert or a large cedar branch in the forest, made for an excellent location to be silent, watch and listen. You get a real feeling of connection with your surroundings. A breeze moving through the trees. A bird calling in the distance. The scampering of a reptile into a creosote bush.
Avatar brought a lot of those feelings back to life. All the great science fiction, amazing animation, incredible beauty of Pandora and cool mech techology aside, I would highly suggest Avatar for the connection with nature the film captures and how well the film allows the watcher to experience that connection.
Now go watch it!
