It’s been a really crazy couple o’ days. Student loan craziness happening in a way I don’t completely understand. Keisha starting her student teaching today. New Years. I went to my third funeral in about two weeks yesterday. It was a military funeral of a close cousin. Bobby served both in the Marines and the Army. At the grave site there was the playing of “Taps” and two Marines folded a flag and presented it to the family. The absolute silence, while the rough, harsh winds of winter bit at our flesh, was quite emotional. And my mind wandered.
My brother, Jake, is being deployed today. He’s a year and fifty-four days younger than me, putting him at 22. This is his second deployment, but his first to Afghanistan. Actually he’ll be heading up to New Jersey for a few weeks before crossing the Atlantic, but he’ll be leaving just the same. Leaving behind a four-month old baby and a wife, not to mention the rest of the family. Thus I ask you, blog friends and readers, to remember him in your prayers over the next fifteen months, that the Lord will keep him safe and protected. I don’t want to hear “Taps” again…
I watched the film in 3D, shelling out the extra dough to experience the movie. While I don’t hope that 3D is the way of the future (unless ticket prices are cheaper), this viewing choice was perfect for the movie. There were elements that felt like you were there with the movie, exploring the jungles of Pandora or the interior of a space shuttle. Whatever the case, the 3D presentation was excellent. It’s rather difficult to single out special effects and comment on how cool they were, as the entire movie was beautiful. The exotic world of Pandora was fascinating to see, especially the iridescent night life of the jungle. The Na’vi were spectacular to watch, too. But I get ahead of myself.
The story of Avatar is simplistic to explain. A crippled ex-Marine named Jake Sully travels to the far-out world of Pandora to take on the body of an avatar and interact with the native people, the Na’vi. Thus, the plot is set. There were plenty of mixed messages with the movie, and many parallels could be drawn to Earth’s history, but I did not think this distracted from the story. I felt the history, the beliefs, the lifestyle of the Na’vi were amazing, and I left the movie wanting to know more about The People. The action of the movie was breathtaking, even if it was predictable.
The only real problem with the story is that it’s overly cliché and unoriginal in some aspects. However, I didn’t really consider this much of a problem at all. I sat smiling and open-mouthed, enjoying the mesmerizing movie before me. The three hours passed by quickly.
Overall, if you’re a lover of science-fiction or fantasy, or if you like a rollicking adventure story, or if you just want to see absolutely beautiful art, I strongly recommend to you this movie. Avatar is the kind of film that you must see in theatres. Though I’ve not seen the 2D version, I imagine the 3D is well worth the extra few bucks. In the end, I really enjoyed this movie quite a bit, and I think you will too, unless you’re a cold hearted, insensitive ratfink with milky eyes and a soul filled with contempt. Then you’ll be excused.
Happy New Year readers. And remember to let the Wookie win. It’s better in the end that way.
