(20^th Century Fox, 162 minutes)

http://www.avatarmovie.com/

BY CHRIS ZIMMERMAN

When James Cameron smashed box office records with the now infamous Titanic, fans eagerly anticipated what he would do for an encore. A dozen years later, the growing shift in technology present in movies has drastically shifted and Avatar is perhaps the best example of this. When James Cameron first set about on his quest to achieve technical perfection many believed there were no effects that could do his dream justice. With an army of visual effects technicians backing him, Cameron once again proved naysayers wrong, demonstrating to the world that he is the unchallenged king of the cinema.

Despite the gorgeous computer generated scenery and state of the art motion capture science, Avatar at its heart is a love story, pitting man against the unknown to create a multi-layered romance every bit as believable as anything that has come before.  To Cameron's credit, he relies very little on said technology to tell his story, allowing the actors and an already enchanting script capture the audience. While it's true the breathtaking landscapes and fantastical creatures help, it's the actors who make the film believable, never allowing themselves to be outshone by their elongated blue counterparts. Every minute detail of their performance shines through and is perfectly captured.

The film takes place 150 years in the future; corporations from Earth have set their eyes on Pandora, a planet that contains a priceless energy source known as "unobtainium". Pandora is also home to an alien race called the Na'vi, 8 feet tall, cat-like creatures sporting human features who want nothing to do with the humans and their customs. In a break from most modern sci-fi, the humans are the ones wielding the technologically superior weaponry, posing a huge threat to the Na'vi and their home.

In order to establish relations with the Na'vi, the "Avatar" program was created, allowing humans to the link their consciousness to the body of a cloned Na'vi from the comfort of a metallic shell. Marine Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) is once such recruit, having been paralyzed in the line of duty; he signs on in the hopes of being able to regain his legs if successful. Along with Dr. Grace Augustine (Sigourney Weaver), the two travel into the heart of the forest, coming into contact with Neytiri (Zoe Saldana), the princess of the Na'vi.

At first, Sully's sole priority is to observe the native people with the deceit of creating a more peaceful planet. Instead his true mission is gathering and sending intelligence back to the corporations so that they can later use it against the Na'vi if need be. Over time Jake grows accustomed to their ways and finds himself falling in love with Neytiri as she schools him in the ways of her people. The two join their hearts and become as one. As Jake finds himself being taken in by the joys of the Na'vi, the corporate mercenaries sent to retrieve the unobtainium grow restless and unleash an all out assault on the natives, forcing Jake to choose between his fellow humans or the Na'vi whom he has grown to love.

Through it all, Cameron injects his own brand of magic, filling the screen with hypnotic colors and soaring dragons. Using every visual tool at his disposal, he takes the viewers on a wild finale that is sure to leave his audience breathless.

On the technical side of things, the Avatar DVD - a 2D release that was synched to arrive in stores on April 22 in conjunction with Earth Day - fails to do the film justice; while image and sound quality are spectacular, this is the best example of a barebones release. The only thing buyers will find here is the film, opening up the possibility of a potential director's cut later on down the road. Focusing on the movie itself, the visuals pack quite the punch and are sure to challenge even the best home theatre systems. Colors are bright and the image is crisp. Even in 2D this is a fantastic movie to behold.

After 12 years of dormancy, Cameron unleashed what can only be referred to as an experience on the film going public. With the success achieved by Avatar, the question for James Cameron now becomes: What's next?