By ESMERELDA CAMPOS
When I first went in to the movie theater, I thought this film was supposed to be about weird, blue aliens. However, the interesting theme was composed of action, romance and futuristic science-fiction. I liked it a lot! 
The movie began with a young man named Jake. He was part of an exploration team on the planet on Pandora which was inhabited by the exotic Na’vi (the aliens). Inside the ship where Jake traveled with scientists, they created an Avatar. An Avatar is a body that looks like a Na’vi but is only operated by a human consciousness. Since Jake’s twin brother Tommy (involved in the Avatar program) is dead, Jake is assigned to take his place. While Jake slept, his consciousness was turned into the Avatar and he became a Na’vi. He loved going to explore in the Pandora world as a Na’vi, because he was able to walk, move his legs, and run as fast as he could. In real life Jake’s legs haven’t taken him anywhere in years. When Jake was a former Marine and was crippled in one of the wars he had fought in.
As Jake and the team step foot on Pandora, they notice the beauty of its land. They notice the outstanding amount of creatures large and small, the trees that are thick and tall as skyscrapers, the unbelievable colors of the forest are (not just the greens and browns of Earth’s past). When night finally settles in, Jake is lost, alone, and about to be attacked by wild dog-like creatures. It is then that he meets Neytiri (female Na’vi; daughter of the Na’vi emperor). She was planning to kill Jake until she saw a sign of Eywa (tree symbol of the Na’vi) and saves him from being killed by the dogs. Neytiri shows him the customs and beliefs of her people. The developing romance in this film reminded me of the movie “Titanic” because both relationships were forbidden and the couple were forced to see each other in secret.
After Jake has learned the Na’vi ways he must pass a test, the test is like the test Alex has to do in the movie “Madagasscar:2” both test require you to show your strength and bravery. Jake must climb cliffs, and chose an ikran (a beast) by fighting with it. After all; the Na’vis celebrate Jake by passing of the test because he’s ready to became one of them, but Jake also learns that the entire purpose of Colonel Quaritch and the Avatar program was to obtain Pandora rockiline minerals called “unobtanium”. Jake finally knows what it means to believe in something, to live for a great life and he wants to become a Na’vi, but the scientist and the Avatar program controlled him.
I would recommend this film to teenagers and adults because it has something for everybody. The violence is too much for children. For me, I liked its theme of respect – take time to get to know others.
Editor’s note: This is a SIS student’s movie review. These reviews have been running every week throughout the school year.