Story was completely predictable, villain totally one dimensional, standard Hollywood thing. It is not even worth spoiler covering the plot, because there really is nothing surprising in there beyond the basic premise. It's typical sci fi civilization vs primitive tribe theme and environmentalism. And at the start of the movie, I really felt none of the plot made any sense. That being said...
Holy shit batman on a stick, I absolutely LOVED it! And this coming from someone usually being a total snob about such things and swinging that critics axe very harshly for such movies. Yes, I came in with low expectations, not really anticipating much more than nice visual effects and turn off your brain, and it delivered as such, but surprisingly there was more to it than that.
First of all, I have to say Cameron is an absolute genius. In 77 George Lucas style, he comes and create this entire new universe that gradually just pulls you in until you're not even watching a movie any more, you're in a different different solar system far far away, in the future, and feels completely convincing. The budget is supposed to be one of the highest ever, with rumored figures everything from $200-300M, and it shows. 60% of the movie is CGI, but I can't say a single shot really feels like that, in best LOTR fashion. The flying vehicles, the creatures, and most shocking of all, those blue characters the Na'vi people, it all feels very genuine. But it is not only a visual extravaganza, it is also a film epic, and monumental craft of cinema history, worthy consideration AFI material due to technical achievements.
Why is it so good on a technical level? Well, first of all, the film was filmed with two camera lenses rather than modified in post production to give a convincing stereo visual effect, and this is where the movie really shines. Let's not kid ourselves, if you're walking into a small multiplex theater with a poor speaker system and a small screen 5 months from premiere at a $5 matinee without 3D glasses, or worse, watching this on DVD, you completely and utterly missed the point. If you do that, I feel sorry for you, you failed epically, you missed out the fun. You should see it in a IMAX theater or similar high end theater with a RealD Sony 4K projector in full 3D splendor. In fact, if you're not able to watch it in 3D, you should not even bother, IMO.
The reason this is important, this is really the first time where 3D is not used as a stupid gimmick, rather it is a natural extension of the movie that is completely necessary to reach the level of immersion the director intended. In many ways, this is really the first proper 3D movie, and that is why you should see it.
I should also mention everything from cinematography, makeup, costumes, editing, set design, art direction, sound mixing / editing is at the very highest level, and if it does not win an oscar for visual effects, it would be an upset. But enough of the technicals. This also happens to be a good entertaining movie because I actually ended up caring about the characters on some emotional level. What a shocker. The 3 characters pulling off the star performances are Neytiri (Zoe Saldana), Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and Dr. Grace Augustine (Sigourney Weaver).
I was 100% wrong about my concerns for this movie. Narnia, Harry Potter, Golden Compass and an endless list of fantasy movies in the later years can go suck it as far as I'm concerned, because this is the first time since LOTR I really cared.
Beautiful lush environment, a rich tribal culture, and natives that you can really sympathize with. I have always been bugged to hell and back by poorly done CGI, especially when they attempt to make human like figures, which all too often spawns the Jar Jar syndrome. The only real convincing attempt in recent years was Gollum in LOTR. Cameron not only reached that level, he surpassed it. The natives act and convey emotions so naturally, it seems counter intuitive to even suggest they were made by CGI. I stopped thinking about it real quick, and pretty much assume they are real aliens. These characters are actually more lifelike and complex than the human actors. In contrast the human colonists appears artificial, one dimensional and actually primitive compared to the natives basic way of life. And then Cameron takes it to the next level and tells us a love story, and... it feels real. I was outraged by the attack on the life tree. Their whole culture and religion feels so pure, it's tempting to get plugged into one of those chambers and live the the life as a Na'gi in the paradise that is Pandora. Where is my bow and arrow? Where is my flying beast?.
Avatar isn't a particularly deep movie, and it doesn't have anything to say that you haven't seen in other movies before (the climactic fight seems lifted straight out of a previous Cameron film), but it's likely one of the best moviegoing experiences you'll ever have.
Highly recommended (in a good 3D theater, IMAX / high end movie palace)
5 stars out of 5