When I first heard of James Cameron’s new movie, Avatar, I thought it was somehow related to the Nickelodeon television show, Avatar: The Last Airbender (which I believe many people thought so too). But when I saw the Titanic director’s film, I found that it had nothing to do with the show. However disappointing this may be for some viewers, no one can disagree that Avatar is one of the most unique and entertaining science fiction movies ever created.

Avatar brings about an interesting plot. Jake Sully, a paraplegic marine, was sent on a mission to a distant earthlike moon called Pandora. The year was 2154, and humans have discovered that Pandora is rich of a certain grey rock which sold for “twenty million a kilo” back on Earth. So, the humans have set up a colony in Pandora in search of this grey mineral. However, humanlike creatures indigenous to the moon called the Na’vi were hostile to these human “sky people” attempting to steal their land. The humans then developed “avatar” bodies created from the DNA of both the humans and the natives as a way to find a diplomatic solution. The humans were placed inside a machine in which their consciousness and their senses were transported into their avatar bodies. Jake Sully was chosen to control one of these avatar diplomats, and was sent to the Na’vi location to gather special information from the tribe that could be useful for the humans. However, Jake’s heart grew close to the Na’vi, especially after the natives accepted him as one of their own. When the humans decided to bulldoze the Na’vis land to search for more grey rock, Jake was torn between two decisions: to remain loyal to the humans or to betray his own kind just to help the Na’vi. Jake Sully eventually made a decision: a decision that he believed gave meaning to his life…

Apart from the 3D experience and other special effects, Avatar contains many unique concepts that give the movie the exciting thrill not found in other films. The setting itself on a distant moon inhabited by humanlike aliens is very interesting and original. And “avatar” bodies made of human and alien DNA in which human consciousness can be transported into? I’ve never heard of that before. If scientists one day develop this type of technology, they got to thank James Cameron for giving them the idea.

If there are people out there who have yet to see the movie, I strongly recommend that you go see it. Seeing Avatar would probably be the most meaningful waste of twelve bucks on a movie (for people who choose to watch in free movie websites).