The film Avatar, directed and written by James Cameron, was one of the best movies of 2009. It's complicated plot and many twists and turns left viewers wanting more.

This sci-fi / fantasy thriller, released in 2009, is set in the mid-22nd century and tells the tale of Marine veteran Jake Sully (Sam Worthington). After he becomes a paraplegic while serving in the military, he travels to the planet Pandora to take over his late twin brother's place on a sceintific mission. His job is to travel around the planet and befriend the Na'vi, or the native people of Pandora, as an avatar – a Na'vi alien with human characteristics. The goal of the trip is to collect the rare, extremely valuable metal Unobtainium. Sully is fine with this, until he realizes what the scientists are willing to do to get their hands on it. Then he revolts.

Director James Cameron chose Australian native Sam Worthington as Jake Sully because he wanted a fresh face that not a lot of people would recognize. He thought that by bringing someone new to the table, it would give the movie “a quality that is really real.” Although he isn't well known, he is an extremely good actor.

On aesthetic terms, this movie was remarkable. It won three Academy Awards, for best cinematography, best visual effects, and best art direction. The actors playing Na'vi wore special skull caps with cameras on the face that transferred their facial expressions to a computer. This made the Na'vi more life like and gave them more depth. There were a few flaws; sometimes the Na'vis eyes change from gray to yellow. But besides the goofs, the movie received outstanding reviews from critics and obtained four out of four stars.

The movie was a huge success in the eyes of many. The animated characters were extremely real and the plot was fresh and new, and although the movie ran a little long (171 minutes) it never faltered to keep my attention. If you haven't seen Avatar, go out and buy it, rent it, or download it on your television. This movie is a must-see.