Avatar (2009) review: One of the greatest films ever made

🎬 Looking for the whole series? Our Avatar movies in order guide covers all three James Cameron films, and our review of The Way of Water and review of Fire and Ash cover the sequels.

Some films are simply in a different category, and for me Avatar is one of them. It is one of the best films of all time, and I do not say that lightly. It is visually overwhelming, the story is gripping, and the central idea, the avatars, is simply genius. I rate it 5 out of 5, and I cannot think of anything negative to say about it.

The story in one line

Jake Sully is a former marine who can no longer walk. He is sent to Pandora, a moon that humans want for its resources, and he takes control of an avatar, a living body grown to look like one of the native Na’vi. As he lives in that body and spends time among the Na’vi, he has to decide where he belongs.

It is a simple story, and that is part of why it works. It is easy to follow, it has clear stakes, and it gives the film room to do what it does best.

The idea of the avatars

The central idea is the thing I admire most. A man who cannot walk takes a second body and steps into another world. It is a brilliant premise, because it is not only a clever piece of science fiction. It is also the engine of the story: it gives Jake a reason to go to Pandora, a reason to stay and a reason to care. Everything in the film comes out of that one idea.

It is also the reason the film is so easy to get lost in. You are not watching someone observe another world. You are living in it with him.

Visually, in a class of its own

The visuals are overwhelming. Pandora is a place you want to look at: the forests, the creatures, the floating mountains, the glow of the plants at night. It is one of the few films where the world itself is a main character, and it is built with so much care that you believe in it from the first scene.

This was a landmark when it came out, and it still holds up. A film like this deserves the best screen and the best sound you have at home, and it is a good reason to turn off the lights. If you want to know how the world was built, The Making of Avatar covers all three films.

A story that holds you

The story is the other half. It is gripping from start to finish, and it keeps you invested even at nearly three hours. The characters act in ways that make sense, the stakes are clear and the film earns its big moments. For me that is what separates an impressive film from a great one: the spectacle is built on a story you care about, not the other way round.

How Avatar was made

James Cameron wrote an 80-page treatment for Avatar in 1994 and planned to make it after Titanic. He shelved it because the technology he needed did not exist yet. 20th Century Fox committed to the film in October 2006, Ingenious Media agreed to back it, and the official budget was $237 million.

The technology is the reason the film looked so new in 2009. It combined 3D computer graphics with a performance-capture method in which actors wore skull caps with small cameras pointed at their faces, so their expressions could be carried over to the Na’vi. Cameron’s virtual camera system let him see the actors in their digital settings in real time. Weta Digital was the lead visual effects company, and Industrial Light & Magic worked on the battle sequences. The motion capture was filmed at the Hughes Aircraft stage in Playa Vista, Los Angeles, and the live-action scenes in Wellington, New Zealand.

James Horner composed the score, and Leona Lewis sang the theme song, I See You.

The cast

Sam Worthington plays Jake Sully, the former Marine who takes on an avatar body, and Zoe Saldaña plays Neytiri, the Na’vi woman who teaches him. Sigourney Weaver plays the scientist Dr. Grace Augustine, Stephen Lang plays the hard-nosed Colonel Miles Quaritch, Michelle Rodriguez plays a pilot, and Giovanni Ribisi plays the company’s administrator. Most of the film is set in the mid-22nd century on the moon Pandora.

Release and the box office record

Avatar premiered at the Odeon Leicester Square in London on 10 December 2009 and reached US cinemas on 18 December 2009. It runs 162 minutes. It grossed about $2.924 billion worldwide and was the first film to pass $2 billion. It held the title of highest-grossing film of all time from 2010 to 2019 and again from 2021, a record that is hard to match and one of the reasons the sequels exist.

Reviews and awards

Rotten Tomatoes lists 81% positive from 335 reviews, and Metacritic gives it a score of 83 from 38 critics. Audiences gave it an A on CinemaScore. The critics’ consensus is worth quoting because it is fair to the film: it might be more impressive on a technical level than as a piece of storytelling.

That is a common line of criticism, and our own review takes the opposite view, as the section above shows. The film received nine nominations at the 82nd Academy Awards and won three.

Rating

The film is rated PG-13, and with intense sci-fi battle violence and some frightening scenes it is best for teenagers and up, as we say in the family section below.

Is it a good film for the family?

It is rated PG-13 for intense sci-fi battle violence and some frightening scenes. It is a good fit for teenagers and up, and for an evening with a partner. For younger children it is likely too intense, so use your judgement.

• Best age: teenagers and up.
• Runtime: about 2 hours 42 minutes, so plan an evening and a break if you need one.
• Order: watch this one first. The sequels continue the story, and our Avatar movies in order guide has the full list.

Why it is a 5

There is nothing I would change. I could not name a weakness when I wrote this review, and that is why it is a 5. It is an all-time classic: a film that did something new, that still looks and feels great, and that I would happily watch again.

Is Avatar (2009) worth watching?

Yes. It is one of the best films we have seen: visually overwhelming, with a gripping story and a brilliant central idea. We rate it 5 out of 5.

Is Avatar suitable for kids?

It is rated PG-13 for intense sci-fi battle violence and some frightening scenes. It suits teenagers and up better than young children.

Who directed Avatar?

James Cameron wrote and directed it.

Who is in the cast of Avatar?

Sam Worthington plays Jake Sully and Zoe Saldaña plays Neytiri, with Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Michelle Rodriguez and Giovanni Ribisi.

How long is Avatar?

About 2 hours and 42 minutes, so plan a full evening.

Do I need to see Avatar before the sequels?

Yes. The sequels continue the story of the first film and its characters, so start here. Our guide to the Avatar movies in order has the full list.

How much money did Avatar make?

About 2.924 billion dollars worldwide on an official budget of 237 million. It was the first film to pass 2 billion dollars and held the title of highest-grossing film for most of the time from 2010 onwards.

Who composed the music for Avatar?

James Horner composed the score, and Leona Lewis sang the theme song, I See You.

How was Avatar made?

With performance capture. Actors wore skull caps with small cameras pointed at their faces, so their expressions carried over to the Na’vi, and James Cameron used a virtual camera to see the actors in their digital settings in real time. Weta Digital led the visual effects.

Did Avatar win any Oscars?

It received nine nominations at the 82nd Academy Awards and won three.