On the lush, alien world of Pandora, a paraplegic Marine named Jake Sully is given a unique mission to infiltrate the indigenous Na'vi people using a remotely controlled biological body called an "Avatar." As he bonds with the natives and their vibrant culture, Jake finds himself torn between his orders from a militaristic corporation and his growing love for the world he was sent to destroy, ultimately forcing him to choose where his loyalty truly lies.
Information |
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|---|---|
Language |
English Na'vi |
Country |
United States |
Premiere date |
December 18, 2009 |
Running time |
162 minutes |
Genre |
Action Adventure Fantasy Sci-Fi |
Budget |
$237,000,000 |
Box Office |
$2,923,706,026 |
Crew |
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Directed by |
James Cameron |
Produced by |
James Cameron Jon Landau |
Written by |
James Cameron |
Music by |
James Horner |
Cinematography |
Mauro Fiore |
Edited by |
James Cameron John Refoua Stephen E. Rivkin |
Production Co. |
Lightstorm Entertainment Dune Entertainment Ingenious Film Partners |
Distributed by |
20th Century Fox |
Official Trailer
The Plot
A Dying World and a Desperate Choice
The year is 2148, and Earth has withered into a suffocating, overpopulated tomb. With over 20 billion souls fighting for the scraps of a depleted biosphere, the planet is a landscape of famine, pollution, and global warfare. Amidst this bleak reality lives Jake Sully, a 22-year-old former Marine paralyzed from the waist down during a resource war in Venezuela. Confined to a wheelchair in a dilapidated, prison-like apartment, Jake’s life is a cycle of spiritual dreams of flying and the harsh reality of a veteran whose benefits cannot cover the surgery to fix his spine—especially in an economy where a single cup of coffee costs 12 dollars.
Jake’s life takes a final, sharp turn when he is informed that his identical twin brother, Tom—a scientist and highly trained Avatar driver—has been murdered for the meager contents of his wallet. Agents from the Resources Development Administration (RDA), the massive entity controlling Earth’s remaining interests, offer Jake a deal: because he shares Tom’s genetic signature, he can link with the incredibly expensive Na'vi-human hybrid "Avatar" created for his brother. Seeking a fresh start and the promise of a future, Jake agrees to take over Tom’s contract and is placed into cryosleep for the six-year journey to the distant moon of Pandora.
Arrival at Hell’s Gate
In 2154, Jake awakens as the RDA vessel arrives at Pandora, a lush, habitable moon orbiting the gas giant Polyphemus in the Alpha Centauri system. Upon landing at the industrial fortress known as Hell's Gate, Jake is briefed by Colonel Miles Quaritch, the scarred and ruthless head of security. Quaritch warns the new arrivals that everything on Pandora—from the toxic atmosphere to the 10-foot-tall, blue-skinned Na'vi—wants to kill them. Jake also meets the scientific team: Norm Spellman, a fellow Avatar driver, and Dr. Grace Augustine, the head of the Avatar Program. Grace is initially disgusted by Jake’s presence, viewing him as an uneducated "grunt" sent to replace her brilliant student.
Despite the friction, Jake undergoes his first "link." The moment he awakens in his Avatar body, he is overwhelmed by the sensation of feeling his legs again. Ignoring the scientists' cautious protocols, he bursts out of the lab and sprints across the compound, experiencing a physical liberation he thought was lost forever. Later, Quaritch pulls Jake aside and offers him a secret mission: act as an informant and gather intelligence on the Omatikaya clan, who live atop a massive deposit of "Unobtanium" buried beneath their ancestral Hometree. If Jake can convince them to relocate, Quaritch promises to pay for the surgery to restore his human legs.
Lost in the Shadow of the Jungle
During his first field mission, Jake, Grace, and Norm explore the Pandoran rainforest. While the scientists study the flora, Jake is separated from the group after a terrifying encounter with a Thanator, one of the moon's apex land predators. He narrowly escapes by plunging into a river, leaving him stranded as night falls. In the bioluminescent darkness, Jake defends himself against a pack of Viperwolves using a makeshift torch. He is saved by Neytiri, a fierce Na'vi warrior who had intended to kill him until a Woodsprite—a seed of the sacred Tree of Souls—landed on her arrow, signaling a divine omen.
Neytiri is initially hostile, calling Jake a "child" and a "Dreamwalker" who does not understand the balance of nature. However, when more Woodsprites swarm Jake’s body, she interprets it as a sign from Eywa, the Na'vi's Great Mother. She leads him to Hometree, where Jake meets the clan leaders: Eytukan, the Olo'eyktan (clan leader), and Mo'at, the Tsahìk (spiritual leader). Despite the protests of Tsu'tey, the clan’s best warrior and Neytiri’s betrothed, Mo'at decides that Jake will stay and learn the ways of the People, tasking a reluctant Neytiri with his education.
The Way of the People
Over the following three months, Jake lives a double life. By day, his Avatar learns to hunt, ride the six-legged Direhorses, and speak the Na'vi tongue. By night, his human self records video logs for Grace and provides tactical data to Quaritch. He learns of the deep wounds between the two species; Grace reveals that the RDA once murdered Na'vi children—including Neytiri’s sister, Sylwanin—at her schoolhouse when they protested the destruction of their forests. This revelation draws Jake closer to the Na'vi as he begins to see the RDA’s greed through their eyes.
Jake’s transformation culminates in the rite of Iknimaya. To become a true warrior, he must climb the floating Hallelujah Mountains and bond with an Ikran (Mountain Banshee). He successfully tames a fierce creature he names "Bob," earning the respect of the clan. Shortly after, he and Neytiri share a moment of true intimacy at the Tree of Voices, choosing each other as mates and bonding for life under the eyes of Eywa. The next morning, the reality of the human world crashes back when RDA bulldozers arrive to raze the sacred site. Jake attempts to stop the machines by destroying their cameras, exposing his change in allegiance to Quaritch.
The Fall of Hometree
Quaritch and Administrator Parker Selfridge lose patience. They disconnect Jake and Grace from their links, but Grace manages to convince Selfridge to give them one hour to persuade the Omatikaya to evacuate peacefully. Inside the link, Jake confesses his original mission as a spy to the clan. Feeling utterly betrayed, Neytiri rejects him in a fit of grief, and the Na'vi bind Jake and Grace as traitors. The RDA fleet, led by Quaritch in his Dragon Gunship, arrives and launches a brutal assault using gas and incendiary missiles.
Hometree, a massive structure that had stood for millennia, is toppled. Thousands of Na'vi are killed or displaced, including Eytukan, who dies in the wreckage. Mo'at frees Jake and Grace in a desperate plea for help as the clan flees to the sacred Tree of Souls. Back at Hell's Gate, Jake, Grace, and Norm are arrested for treason. However, Trudy Chacón, a rogue RDA pilot disgusted by the massacre, orchestrates a prison break. During their escape, Quaritch fires on their shuttle, critically wounding Dr. Grace Augustine.
The Shadow of the Great Leonopteryx
Safe in the mountains but desperate, Jake knows he must perform a legendary feat to regain the Na'vi's trust. He hunts and bonds with the Toruk (Great Leonopteryx), the most feared predator in the Pandoran sky. Arriving at the Tree of Souls as the "Toruk Makto"—the sixth in history—he humbles himself before Neytiri and the clan. They accept him once more, but the victory is bitter; the clan attempts to transfer Grace’s consciousness permanently into her Avatar to save her life. Grace, seeing the beauty of Eywa in her final moments, dies before the ritual is complete.
Fueled by grief and righteous fury, Jake rallies the Omatikaya and sends word to other Na'vi clans, including the plains-dwelling horse tribes and the eastern Ikran people. Thousands of warriors gather, preparing for a final stand against the "Sky People." Jake makes a final prayer to Eywa, asking her to look into Grace’s memories to see how the humans destroyed their own world and to help the Na'vi protect theirs. Neytiri warns him that Eywa does not take sides—she only protects the balance of life.
The Battle for the Soul of Pandora
The RDA launches a preemptive strike on the Tree of Souls, intending to use a Valkyrie shuttle as a makeshift bomber to destroy the Na'vi's spiritual heart. A massive aerial and ground battle ensues. The Na'vi suffer catastrophic losses; Tsu'tey falls in battle after a valiant boarding of the human ships, and Trudy is killed when her helicopter is outgunned by Quaritch. Just as the Na'vi are on the brink of total defeat, the wildlife of Pandora—the Thanators, Hammerhead Titanotheres, and Viperwolves—suddenly swarm the RDA forces in a coordinated attack. Eywa has heard Jake’s prayer.
Amidst the chaos, Jake manages to bring down the Valkyrie bomber before it can reach the tree. On the ground, Quaritch escapes his crashing ship in a massive AMP suit and finds the mobile link unit containing Jake’s human body. He smashes the unit, exposing Jake to the toxic Pandoran atmosphere. As Jake’s human form begins to suffocate, his Avatar form is pinned by Quaritch. Neytiri, riding a Thanator, intervenes, and after a brutal struggle, she kills Quaritch with two massive arrows to the chest.
A New Dawn
Neytiri rushes to the link shack and finds Jake’s human form unconscious. She places an exopack on him, saving his life. For the first time, she sees Jake as a human. They share a profound moment of recognition—"I see you"—bridging the gap between their two worlds. In the aftermath, the RDA is defeated. The majority of the humans are expelled from Pandora and sent back to a dying Earth, while a few allies, like Norm and Max Patel, are allowed to stay.
In the Extended Edition's final moments of the conflict, a dying Tsu'tey passes the leadership of the clan to Jake and asks for a mercy killing to end his suffering, which Jake reluctantly grants. On his final birthday as a human, Jake records his last video log. He returns to the Tree of Souls for one final ritual. With the help of Mo'at and the entire clan, Jake’s consciousness is permanently transferred from his human body into his Avatar. He opens his eyes, no longer a Dreamwalker, but a true member of the People. The struggle for Pandora has just begun, but Jake Sully has finally found his home.
Top Cast
- Sam Worthington as Jake Sully
- Zoe Saldana as Neytiri
- Sigourney Weaver as Dr. Grace Augustine
- Stephen Lang as Colonel Miles Quaritch
- Michelle Rodriguez as Trudy Chacón
- Giovanni Ribisi as Parker Selfridge
- Joel David Moore as Norm Spellman
- CCH Pounder as Mo'at
- Wes Studi as Eytukan
- Laz Alonso as Tsu'tey
