Cirque du Soleil's new show Toruk: The First Flight is inspired by James Cameron's Avatar and it succeeds and fails in the same ways as the film did.
First off, it has to be said that the Toruk is visually stunning.
The sets change completely as plants sprout up through stage, vines hang from the ceiling and the tree in the back transforms into cliffs and opens out into caves. The lighting and digital projections create whole new worlds, from a realm of dancing flowers to a flowing river in a way I've never seen before.
![The beautiful dancing flowers from Toruk. Photo / Supplied.](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/v2/Z37EGRTWDFPSG4HQLX426ZFH4Q.jpg?auth=0a3888fa3fc31cf3dd22c98c0bfbbbec577df507cd3867ce999ad588220a03e8&width=16&height=11&quality=70&smart=true)
There are particularly impressive parts in which waves crash up against cliffs and later when a flood of water rushes up against lava, where the combinations of the projections, sound, smoke machines and acting make for awe-inspiring scenes.