Avatar is a 2009 science fiction movie. The two main characters are played by Sam Worthington (Jake) and Zoë Saldaña (Neytiri) . Avatar was directed by James Cameron. In 1994, Cameron wrote an 80-page story about Pandora. He did not start to develop the movie until 12 years, in early 2006. He did this because the level of technology at the time was not good enough. The cost of the movie was high. It cost $280–310 million to make it and $150 million for marketing. The movie was released in traditional 2-D and 3-D. Only three weeks after it was released (December 18, 2009 in the United States), Avatar has earned more money worldwide than any other movie other than Cameron's previous movie, Titanic.
What sort of movie is Avatar?
The story takes place in 2154 on Pandora. Pandora is a fictional Earth-like moon in a distant planetary system. Some humans traveled from Earth to Pandora because it was a source of a very valuable mineral called unobtanium. The largest deposit of the mineral was under a large tree that the local Na'vi people named "Hometree" (kelutral in the Na'vi language). The tree was very important to the Na'vi. Parker Selfridge (played by Giovanni Ribisi) was the military leader of the mining operation. He used marines for security. The marines needed to move the Na'vi people before they could start mining the unobtanium. They had tried to do this many times. They had offered the Na'vi clothing, education, and such, but none had been working. Their next plan was to just blow the place up.
Jake's avatar was saved by Neytiri (Zoe Saldana), a female Na'vi. Neytiri took Jake to Hometree, where her clan, the Omaticaya, live. As a shaman, Neytiri's mother showed interest in Jake. She asked her daughter to teach Jake about their culture. Together, Jake and Neytiri had many adventures in Pandora. Neytiri showed Jake the spirit that every living thing has. Jake was not respected when he first came to the Na'vi. They called him a "sky-dreamer". Once he learned their culture, he impressed all of them and earned their respect. He became a member of the Omaticaya clan and was seen as one of them. As a true Na'vi, he mated with Neytiri. At first, Neytiri did not like him. Their friendship formed as he became more skilled and her equal. They mated under the tree of Eywa. At first, Neytiri's father was quite mad about it. Over time, he accepted it.
With the help of a woman marine pilot (played by Michelle Rodriguez), they escaped in a helicopter. They went to a nearby base to change into avatar mode. They then went to Hometree to see the Na'vi. Jake told the Na'vi people that they still must fight. He joined with one of the Na'vi warriors to train the people. Soon, more Na'vi came to defend their land. The marines chose to just destroy the Na'vi rather than try and move them. Many people did not think this was right. They thought it was inhumane. These people were not listened to and the Marines went to attack the Na'vi. There was a very large battle between the Marines and Na'vi. When it looked as if the marines were going to win, many of the animals of Pandora join the battle. They fought with the Na'vi against the marines. Near the end of the battle, Jake, in his avatar, fought against Parker Selfridge. When he was almost dying, Neytiri saved him. The Na'vi eventually won but many people died. After the battle, all the Marines were sent home to planet Earth. Jake Sully is changed into his avatar permanently and becomes the leader of the Na'vi with Neytiri.
