Avatar, written and directed by James Cameron, was expected to be one of the year’s greatest movies.  With great expectations, along with the almost $500 million dollar budget, I expected to be taken to the world of Pandora. The amount of money spent on this movie is apparent, and well worth it.  Some say that the hype about this movie is causing them to not want to see it or postpone them from seeing the film.  I personally find that the hype was well- deserved

If you do not know what the Avatar in the title is talking about it is not about the little animated people that you have on your Skype account or the blue people of Pandora. The title Avatar talks about the Na’Vi (the blue people) bodies that the humans (i.e. Jake Sully, Norm Spellman, and Dr. Grace Augustine) use to walk around Pandora, the home of the Na’Vi.  The world of Avatar goes beyond just a new planet;  there are animals, plants, and a whole new language.  Their language is complex and sounds nothing like anything I have ever heard before.

The plot was predictable, but it was easy to forget about the shortcomings of the script and focus on the beautiful colors of Pandora.  Pandora is a vibrant home to many unique plants and animals. There are Banshees, which look and act like dragons, and Dire Horses, which are just like normal horses mixed with some elements of a fish.  My favorite animal from Pandora was the Viper Wolf.  The Viper Wolves have six legs and razor sharp teeth.  When you first see these creatures in the movie you could become quite scared, but as the movies goes on you see them in a new light.  They look like black dogs with a sleek shiny coat.  The Na’Vi live in “Hometree”, a tree that is almost 500 feet tall and nearly 100 feet wide.  These are only a few of extravagant creatures and plants of Pandora.

There have been many criticisms against Avatar.  The Vatican has stated that Avatar is simplistic and is promoting the worship of nature, not  the worship of God.  Anti-smoking groups are also coming out now and speaking against Cameron for putting a smoking character, Dr. Grace Augustine, in Avatar.  There also have been rumors about Cameron stealing his ideas for Avatar from Paul Anderson’s novellas from the 1950’s. No lawsuits have been filed yet, but the rumors are still young.

In all, Avatar is sure to be one of the top grossing movies of all time and should be enjoyed by all.