Coming Soon: Avatar

James Cameron is making his directorial presence again in the big screen almost a decade after Titanic (which I thought was an extremely overrated romance flick!). Avatar is scheduled for release in Malaysia on 12 December 2009 and is Cameron's latest directorial effort, teaming up with the talents of Sam Worthington and Zoe Zaldana ( who played Nyota Uhura in Star Trek 2009) amongst others.

I've only watched the trailer and thought this movie has potential!

Avatar is set during the 22nd century on a small moon called Pandora, which orbits a gas giant, and is inhabited by the tribal Na'vi, ten foot blue humanoids that are peaceful unless attacked.

The "Avatar Program", a given catchy term, involves human invasion of the resplendent alien world of Pandora, covered in lush and beautiful flora and many dangerous lifeforms. The humans' goal was to simply mine the planet of its valuable minerals.

Pandora Program's pride is the successful lab-grown human-Navi hybrid in which the human brain can be "downloaded" into, giving the superhuman strength, reflexes and most importantly, adaptability to the planet's atmosphere without the need for vehicles of self-contained breathing apparatus. These 'Avatar' units enables man to explore and conquer Pandora in its splendour and dangers.

The panorama depicted by CGI looks fantastic, reminiscent of The Lord of the Rings trilogy and Jurassic Park .

Humans use heavy machinery including dropships, armored personnel carriers, mecha units (resembling Ripley's loader on the Sulaco in Aliens, another blockbuster directed by Cameron) and Osprey looking twin-fan choppers to breach the planet's canopy, defended by the Navi and filled with flesh-eating plants and dragons as if from medieval times.

The protagonist in this movie Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), a wheelchair-bound former Marine signs up with the Avatar Program enabling him to be on two legs again. Jake is reluctant to join the program at first, understandably but goes on ahead anyway as he would be able to walk again, albeit, vis-a-vis another corporeal form. On the planet, Jakes chances upon a female Navi named Neytiri (Zoe Zaldana).

Over time, Jake integrates himself into Neytiri's clan, and begins to fall in love with her. As a result, Jake finds himself caught between the military-industrial forces of Earth, and the Navi, forcing him to choose sides in an epic battle that will decide the fate of an entire world...

I suspect a merchandising line will soon emerge (although there is nothing on Entertainmentearth.com yet) giving movie aficionados and sci-fi fans a new line of collectibles.

I am awaiting Avatar's release eagerly as I have been pining to watch another James Cameron movie. Does the man still have the touch? Well, this, I have to see.