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Rating : 7/10
Release Date : 18th Dec, 2009
Time : 162 minutes
Director & Writer : James Cameron;
Starring : Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Michelle Rodriguez, Giovanni Ribsi

If I strip away the mind-blowing special effects, the sheer awe of being transported to an almost magical world / planet which makes us feel like Alice in Wonderland then I’m left with a story that I found clichéd and highly predictable. I could take any story where settlers send one of their own to blend in with the natives (Tarzan or I remember having seen a film involving settlers and Red Indians) and this one moves along similar lines…that for me was disappointing, despite the movie still being enthralling just for its visual grandeur.



I’m not going to reveal anymore about the story than what I’ve described above, as the way it unfolds enhances the pleasure. You feel like an explorer, uncovering a new world, pretty much like the lead character, Sam Worthington, taking an almost child-like delight in the pleasures of a place and people very unlike ours.


There are implausibillities in the story line, and it does fall prey to the ‘hero’ complex, where it builds up a couple of characters so big that you know nothing can happen to them. But as I said before, the story isn’t the strength of the film.



I liked the way James Cameron hasn’t used any big stars for a project of this size. I liked the core idea of the film, the scale with which it was imagined, the merchandising possibilities, the options it leaves open for sequels / prequels et all. I yearn for the day we are able to do this in Indian cinema. Think outside the box, thing big, not be bound by the star system.


This is a film inspired by Star Wars – it reminded me of the time I saw that movie for the first time, the magic, the awe, the stars in my eyes. This one is good but not as good, or maybe I’m just too old for fables now….