Amazing 3D effects showcase, but very light on plot

Rating: 8/10 (27 September 2014)

This was one of the first major films to use modern 3D stereographic presentation, and did a particularly good job in showcasing the wonders the format could bring.
It brought an beautifully rendered alien world, filled with bio- luminescent plants, Roger Dean/Zhangjiajie-esque floating mountains, holographic computer systems, and a wealth of alien creatures, which all looked brilliant with the new 3D effects.
It showed how the addition of depth perception could add so much to backgrounds, and while it did indulge in a few gimmicky objects- thrown-out-of-the-screen moments, it wasn't overused.
The plot, however, was a big let-down, following the over-used pattern familiar from Pocahontas, Dances with Wolves, Ferngully, The Last Samurai, etc. The main villain's character was frustratingly one-dimensional, and it was topped off with a most unimaginative naming of the sought-after mineral 'Unobtanium'