James Cameron takes the phrase “willing suspension of disbelief” to a whole new level with his latest ‘Avatar’

A guest post by Urmimala Rajkhowa (@urmiraj14)

Love it or hate it, after watching a James Cameron movie, there is always an extreme reaction. In this case, ‘Avatar’ got me really enthusiastic about it, and this was only after watching a short preview in a special screening yesterday in Mumbai, India. You can imagine my reaction after I watch the complete movie!

It took more than 12 years for James Cameron to bring this visual buffet to the movie screen for the benefit of us mere mortals. Granted, you might have heard of  the plot before, but what makes this movie more enjoyable is everything else surrounding the story. And of course, the 3D effects made the live-action scenes just flat-out fun to watch. I don’t know – and don’t pretend to know – the technology that goes behind 3D movie-making, but watching the scenes in 3D definitely made a lot of difference. Some of the differences were more subtle, while others were of the 3D kind but at a higher-than-expected standard.

Some of the scenes definitely felt like I was watching a slickly-designed game being played out. (Yes, I may be considered a noob since I wasn’t aware that Mr. JC recently previewed the 3D Avatar video game.) Throughout the screening, and at the end of the movie, everyone found themselves instinctively cooing the “oohs” and “aaahs” along with other appreciative noises. I was completely caught up as the characters went through the different emotions of curiosity, awe, caution, strength, and triumph.

It makes the regular movie watcher – or those who don’t usually find themselves on strange new moons fighting “a heroic battle to save a civilization” – truly feel like they are actually there in the labs side-by-side with Sigourney Weaver’s Dr. Grace Augustine (Ripley has had a promotion. Cool!) as the transformation takes place for Sam Worthington’s Jake Sully from a crippled soldier into his larger-than-life avatar. For those not in the know, Sigourney Weaver starred as Ellen Ripley in the 1986 sci-fi funhouse ‘Aliens’, and Sam Worthington latest endeavour is ‘Terminator Salvation’.

Four of my all-time favourite movies have been directed by Mr. Cameron himself, so you might think I went into the screening being completely biased for the director. Truth be told, I hadn’t heard of the movie until a month ago. This shouldn’t be taken as an indication of the impact (or lack thereof) of the Avatar publicity. To be doubly sure that my goldfish-like attention span doesn’t miss out again, I have the flyer from the screening pasted on my wall right at my desk.

Thanks to the Avatar India team who offered up some invites to OnlyGizmos readers and science fiction fans. I can’t wait for 18 December to roll on by so that I can run out and buy my ticket to watch this flick in an IMAX theatre.