StephenBeale.com

Like the owner of Jurassic Park, Director James Cameron spared no expense in making Avatar—especially in generating its special effects. These are so overwhelming that they distract the viewer from the plot. But even the CGI itself is a problem. It’s not that the elements and inhabitants of this world do not look real. Rather, it’s that they are too perfect. Where were the warts and wrinkles? All of the blue humanoids look the same—and it’s not just their color and salamander-like striping. Without exception, all are sleek-looking and youthful. Check out this photo of Eytuken, the supposed patriarch of the Na’vi, and this one of his wife, Mo’at. See any wrinkles or other signs of aging?

The avatar for the Sigourney Weaver character is especially telling. We first meet her as a disheveled, chain-smoking scientist with a scowl and sharp tongue. The spunk of the youthful Weaver in the late-70s Alien has hardened into sarcasm—not to mention the ordinary, tell-tale signs of aging. But once she enters her avatar body, Weaver is completely transfigured. Because we are so captivated by avatar itself, we overlook the fact that she doesn’t have any wrinkles or bags under her eyes. Even her personality is different, more youthful. She smiles for the first time and her eyes light up when the audience first sees her avatar form. Who needs Botox or airbrushing when you have avatars?

Think of the nocturnal hounds that hunt down Jake Sully, the male protagonist. Or the Pandora version of a lion that ambushes him earlier in the day. Like the avatars, they are smooth-skinned and spotless. They meet several criteria for being monsters—terrifying, sinister, and menacing. But they aren’t butt ugly. Instead they are beautiful in a beastly sort of way. Compare their counterparts in the original Star Wars trilogy. Remember the slimy-and-scaly amphibian with the bulbous periscope of an eye in the first movie—the one that drags Han Solo under water in the Death Star? Or the icy sasquatch that takes out Luke Skywalker in The Empire Strikes Back? Or the roaring monster with crooked teeth and uneven eyes that claws at him in the third movie? These were more compelling and memorable because they looked like real-live, flesh-and-blood monsters—a world away from the CGI-chimeras of Avatar.

This entry was posted on Monday, January 11th, 2010 at 12:33 am and is filed under Avatar. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.