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8.3
20th Century Fox Acclaimed

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Avatar · Avatar Collection

2009 162 min PG-13
Critic8.3
Sci-Fi Action Adventure Fantasy
Disney+ Apple TV
Trailer Where to Watch

Overview

In 2154, paraplegic ex-Marine Jake Sully joins a program that lets him inhabit a Na'vi 'avatar' body on the moon Pandora. As he falls for the Na'vi and for Neytiri, he is torn between his mission and defending their world from human exploitation.
Story 7.0
Acting 7.8
Direction 8.8
Cinematography 9.5
Music 8.2
Pacing 8.0
Originality 7.5
Emotional Impact 8.0
Overall 8.3

Editorial Review

By FindEdition Cinema Desk

8.3 /10

A new frontier for VFX

Avatar's photoreal Pandora and performance capture redefined what was possible on screen.

Immersive world-building

The richly detailed ecosystem and Na'vi culture make Pandora feel genuinely alive.

Pros

  • Groundbreaking visual effects and 3D
  • Immersive, detailed world-building
  • Sweeping scale and spectacle
  • Strong technical direction

Cons

  • Familiar, derivative story
  • Thin characterization
  • Some heavy-handed themes
Verdict A revolutionary visual and technical spectacle that transported audiences to a fully realized alien world. The story is familiar, but the immersive craft and world-building made it a genuine cinematic milestone.

AI Review

James Cameron's revolutionary 3D sci-fi epic — the highest-grossing film of all time and a landmark of visual-effects filmmaking.

A revolutionary visual and technical spectacle that transported audiences to a fully realized alien world. The story is familiar, but the immersive craft and world-building made it a genuine cinematic milestone.

A must-see for its technical achievement — best in 3D or on a large screen; stream on Disney+.

Awards

Academy Awards

Best Cinematography · Won

Academy Awards

Best Art Direction · Won

Academy Awards

Best Visual Effects · Won

Academy Awards

Best Picture · Nominated

Academy Awards

Best Director · Nominated

Timeline

Release Date
Theatrical Date
Digital Date
Physical Date
Premiere
Status
Development

Cameron wrote an early treatment around 1994 but shelved it until performance-capture and CGI technology matured; active development resumed in 2006.

Principal photography

Filmed with a custom-built virtual camera system and performance-capture stages to bring Pandora and the Na'vi to life.

Release

Premiered in London on December 10, 2009 and released in the US on December 18, 2009.

Academy Awards

Best Cinematography Won

Academy Awards

Best Art Direction Won

Academy Awards

Best Visual Effects Won

Academy Awards

Best Picture Nominated

Academy Awards

Best Director Nominated

Production

Development

Cameron wrote an early treatment around 1994 but shelved it until performance-capture and CGI technology matured; active development resumed in 2006.

Principal photography

Filmed with a custom-built virtual camera system and performance-capture stages to bring Pandora and the Na'vi to life.

Release

Premiered in London on December 10, 2009 and released in the US on December 18, 2009.

Streaming

Disney+ Apple TV

Cast

Sam Worthington Jake Sully
Zoe Saldaña Neytiri
Stephen Lang Colonel Miles Quaritch
Michelle Rodriguez Trudy Chacón
Sigourney Weaver Dr. Grace Augustine
Giovanni Ribisi Parker Selfridge
Joel David Moore Norm Spellman
CCH Pounder Mo'at
Wes Studi Eytukan
Laz Alonso Tsu'tey
Dileep Rao Dr. Max Patel

Characters

Jake Sully Sam Worthington
Neytiri Zoe Saldaña
Colonel Miles Quaritch Stephen Lang
Trudy Chacón Michelle Rodriguez
Dr. Grace Augustine Sigourney Weaver
Parker Selfridge Giovanni Ribisi
Norm Spellman Joel David Moore
Mo'at CCH Pounder
Eytukan Wes Studi
Tsu'tey Laz Alonso
Dr. Max Patel Dileep Rao

Crew

James Cameron Director
James Cameron Writer
James Horner Composer
Mauro Fiore Cinematographer
Stephen E. Rivkin Editor
John Refoua Editor
James Cameron Producer
Jon Landau Producer

Videos

Official Trailer

Soundtrack

  1. I See You (Theme from Avatar) — Leona Lewis
  2. Original Score — James Horner

Trivia

  • The highest-grossing film of all time and the first film to gross over $2 billion worldwide.
  • James Cameron conceived the story in the mid-1990s but delayed production until the technology could realize his vision.
  • Widely credited with driving the modern 3D cinema boom and the rollout of 3D projectors worldwide.
  • A constructed language, Na'vi, was created for the film by a linguist.
  • Won three Academy Awards — Cinematography, Art Direction and Visual Effects — from nine nominations.

Quotes

"I see you."

"Everything is backwards now, like out there is the true world and in here is the dream."

Goofs

  • The scale of certain Pandoran flora shifts slightly between shots in a few composite environments.

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Collections

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Universe

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Franchise

Avatar

The first film in James Cameron's five-film Avatar saga.

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