I can sum this review up in one line actually.

Get off your seat, find out the nearest theatre where Avatar is playing in 3D ( adjacent cities, included ) and go get your tickets.

The actual review :

There were a lot of reservations when news of this movie started filtering in.

People were put off saying it was all graphics. They asked "why do we need to see blue aliens when we have Jadoo from 'Koi Mil Gaya'( I'm not kidding - I really had to answer that one. ) Who was this 'Sam Worthington' actor? Why couldn't they get some famous actors ? My own doubts existed - Could the latest in cinematographic technology and an over 250 million dollar budget ensure a hit film ? I'll come to that last one later.

Avatar is a story based in the future where mankind has found a new energy source, in the form of a mineral, growing amongst the flora of a distant moon/planet "Pandora". Attempts to mine it have been unsuccessful owing to the presence of '10 foot long blue primitive savages' who don't appreciate humans destroying the land with which they share a holistic bond. 2 factions work to attain a solution - one itching to eradicate the 'savages', while the other aims to befriend these 'peaceful spiritual creatures' by using mentally operated cloned versions that look like the Na'vi themselves and can survive in the planet's atmosphere - called Avatars.

The protagonist, Sam Wothington as Jake Sully, a crippled marine gets a chance at using these Avatars when his twin brother dies and much to the dismay of the creator of these Avatars ( Sigourney Weaver in a well cast role ) actually becomes closer to the tribesmen than anyone else before him. What she doesn't know is that Sully is also working a deal with the military faction, looking for weaknessess in the Navi which can be used to defeat them, when war is eventually declared. All is going according to plan for him... till he befriends the daughter of the clan leader, learns the way of the Na'vi, falls in love and eventually realises what his real priorities are.

The first scene which you see in 3D alone captures your visual senses. And James Cameron doesn't allow you to relax your stunned expression from there on in. The planet is easily the most gorgeous habitat I have ever seen and as Sully learns the rituals of the Na'vi, we get ample opportunities to walk through the fantastic fauna and flora and befriend the creatures there. The attention to detail is astounding and unmatched with even the burning ashes flickering through on 3D.

But even without it, the film is bound to be a winner, even with the 'David vs Goliath' tale it seeks to tell. There are small servings of 'religious beliefs', 'the power of mother nature' and even a play on one of the most infamous 'war strategies of the decade', all interspersed in between. The action sequences at the end as the inhabitants come under attack are truly amazing and really have you rooting for good to triumph over evil, for the Na'vi armed with bows and arrows to somehow defeat the planes and missiles of the humans, though you wonder how.

Performances are par for course, with most of the facial expressions peering through even the blue skins of the aliens. Zoe Saldana as the princess,Neytiri, will feel sad we didn't get to see her real face but it's a very realistic performance of a woman in love with both her tribe and her man. Sam Worthington will probably never get more famous than this ever again.. this is to him what Titanic was to Di Caprio. How he utilises this fame from here on in is worth watching.

So can the latest cameras and 250 million ensure a hit film ? Most definitely.

This is a must watch film in all it's 3D splendour. Why ?

So this here is a brief recap of how I broke my hand, predicted the future.... and got kissed at a Fosters party filled with babes.

Unfortunately, my last post 2 months ago seems to have turned dramatically prophetic. It seems like the nation has turned bonkers trying to divide themselves. Sure, a guy's 11 day fast started it in Andhra Pradesh/Telengana but now everyone's crawling out of the woodwork to get a piece of the pie. UP wants to be trifurcated, Coorg and something called Hyderabad-Karnatak wants to be separated from Karnataka, West Bengal, East India, even Vidharba in Maharashtra... I mean, seriously, are you kidding me ? If every family name and caste wants to have their own state based on their dialect, how many bits are you gonna tear us up into ? I can picture it already - THE UNITED SUBCASTES OF INDIA.

Anyway, since everyone's dying for their rights - I think it's time we Mallus too got into the act - doesn't feel right when there's a fight and we're just sitting quietly with our lungis down. So, Mallus of the blogworld unite - join me as I demand what is rightfully ours - A part of the United Arab Emirates which we presently coinhabit @ 50 % atleast with our fellow shawarma eating Arab friends. We've lived there long enough.. longer than the UAE was formed, I can confirm. I think that entitles us to have our own state in Dubai.. what say, guys to the formation of Mallutopia ? Of course, since fasting ain't our thing, we'll just have to find another way - how about threatening to speak only in Manglish ( Mallu- English, of course ) and infecting everyone around us with the same ? Niiice... Oh, and by the way, I call dibs for being Sheikh of Mallutopia.

Bow before me, minions, I Sheikh Roshan bin Hunky Al GreekGod commands you. Oh, and I want my Burj-al-Roshan hotel shaped like a coconut.

Then again, maybe Greek God ain't the right psudosurname to pick.. after all, this year, my body's really been taking revenge for all that binge eating. It seems like I'd only just recovered from that damn sacroilitis-sciatica combo when

I went ahead and ticked off my next limb... in what can at best be described as a freak fall at the cricket ground, I landed on my arm and ended up fracturing it around the wrist. Ya, I know. Doesn't sound macho enough, right ? I figured I needed to spice it up so I tried telling people I fractured my arm while diving to stop a stray bullet that was heading towards a stray puppy that was, well, straying onto the field where a stray land mine lay not more than 4 feet from the poor thing. I don't think anyone bought it though.

( Should have added a stray viper in there too, somewhere, methinks. )

Now a really hardworking doc would probably have been heartbroken considering the loss of work opportunities, especially in a profession where my arm is essential. But luckily, my mind was too busy thinking of the new possibilities - me lying bedridden with lovely interns feeding me grapes and fawning over my every slight grimace, cute little finger massages to make sure those fingers don't get atrophied out of boredom, sympathy from the nursing students and admiration for my steely resolve to continue working inspite of the grueling pain...

Sigh.

You really didn't think God was gonna give me all that, did you ? instead of "above mentioned" fawning apsaras and pillow fluffing babes, I got mauled from all corners. The sisters had a good laugh at my expense, even making up a 'fake' story involving me getting beaten up by pious goondas as I was eve teasing a girl. ( Fake, I repeat, fake!!! )

My fellow juniors were more concerned - they were worried that my falling on the ground had destroyed the cricket pitch by creating a big crater in the centre of it !! As for work, well, since I'd used up my medical leaves earlier, I was left wandering around the operation theatre with my arm in above elbow cast amid snide comments about 'having a holiday' from senior staff ( no comments - @$%*&!! ).