Movie review of
"Avatar" 3D
By Hannah Chappell-Dick
Before I saw Avatar, I must say that I was a 3D skeptic. The half red, half blue glasses of the past made me dizzy, and though it was cool when virtual objects were flying towards you at high speeds, it just wasn't worth the headache that inevitably ensued afterwards.

However, the new digital 3D used in Avatar is a completely different story. Put on the black plastic glasses and you are immediately immersed in a shockingly detailed new world. When you mix this new on-screen dimension with the high definition of new movies, you are so intimately close that you can see the pores on a man's cheek, a droplet of water falling slowly down, or the steam rising off a heated engine.

A rainstorm seems so real, you can almost breathe in the humidity. The beautiful effects and fabulous animation are breathtaking, and for good cause; Avatar is the most expensive film ever produced!

The story follows Jake, a paraplegic marine veteran, who must decide if he will take the place of his late twin brother on a mission to the planet "Pandora," which is inhabited by its native people, the Na'vi.

Jake is promised spinal surgery in return for gathering intelligence on the native people's home, which contains a very valuable material. To communicate with this humanoid, though alien, species, Jake and others connect to a machine that gives them new "avatars," or bodies that resemble the Na'vi.

In his new avatar, Jake has abilities that are now impossible in his disabled human body: running and jumping and feeling sand in his toes. What starts as simply a mission to finish the job and return to Earth turns into a life-changing adventure for Jake.

He quickly falls for the beautiful and haunting Neytiri, a native, and his eyes are opened to how stunningly deeply the Na'vi is connected to one another and the importance of retaining their home land.

As Jake's world is flipped upside down, he knows he must take a stand against the imminent danger of destruction by the human military. In a shocking and heartbreaking battle, raw emotional and betrayal fuel the fire from all sides.

In the conclusion, though death and destruction leave a bitter taste, the flames of hope burn brightly. You don't want to miss this movie; it is simply epic.