The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

With an alleged budget of $280 million, James Cameron’s 2009 sci-fi hit, Avatar, is yet to be ousted from its post as the highest grossing film in history.  Considered a ‘game changer’ for Hollywood in the way in which it uses CGI, Avatar 3D returns to the silver screen just to remind everyone just how remarkable it really is by delivering an ultimate and an unforgettable IMAX experience.

For those who need a recap on what it’s all about, Avatar takes place on the planet of Pandora in the year 2154.  As it stands, the humans have drained all of the Earth’s resources and have now turned their attention to Pandora; a distant moon in the Alpha Centauri-A star system which lies inhibited by the tall blue-skinned tribal beings known as Na’vi’s, whose most precious mineral is the target for humans.

However, the natives are not so welcoming to the Earthman – often referred to as the ‘Sky People’ – and have been desperately trying to keep their perpetrators at bay. Pandora’s atmosphere is toxic to humans, but thanks to Dr. Grace Augustine’s (Weaver) Avatar program, they are able to send in humns disguised as native. However, the process is slow and the military, led by the trigger-happy Col. Miles Quaritch (Lang,) is beginning to lose their patience.

Enter Jake Sully (Worthington); a paraplegic ex-marine who takes the place of his recently deceased twin-brother and go on an undercover mission as a Na’vi native to retrieve valuable tactical information for Col. Quartich. However, things soon get complicated when Jake comes across Neytiri (Saldana); a beautiful and a fiery Na’vi beauty who, despite distrusting him at first, soon begins to fall for the blue stranger caught between the two worlds.

Breathtakingly gorgeous is probably the best way to describe the viewing experience of what could quite possibly be one of Cameron’s greatest cinematic achievement. In terms of the performances, Worthington proved to be a solid lead and Saldana shines as the fierce Neytiri.

The story is absorbing to the point where the constant switch between live action sequences and CGI is seamless. The 3D-isation of films often leaves much to be desired and is used for the novelty more than anything. Avatar, however, ingratiates the 3D gimmickry to practical effect and manages to never snap you out of story, instead adding to what is already a unique visual experience.

The destructive ways of humanity lies as the heart of the narrative and Cameron questions its credibility and existence throughout. The mind-blowing imagery and the attention to detail is truly inspiring and although the story, simple as it may be, has been told many times over, one thing is for certain; it has never looked this good.