An experience like none other...

Rating: 9/10 (17 January 2010)

If i am being overly cynical, as most who know me will confirm i usually am, then it would be easy for me to write Avatar off as a one trick pony. Broken down to its most basic elements, James Camerons latest is a CGI heavy retread of 'Pocahontas' with minimal character development and a thinly veiled subtext of Eco-politics. It features dialogue which is often hilarious in an unintentional manner and occasionally painful alongside a host of Hollywood clichés so broad that its almost as if the plot was written as a spoof, rather than the serious tale it aspires to be. As an exercise in original, thought provoking story telling, Avatar fails on many levels. In essence, i should have hated this...
However, i didn't. Avatar has performed in one key area that, in my opinion, has exceeded all that has gone before. From the very moment the film started until the end credits rolled, i was completely and utterly enthralled in the audio/visual experience enfolding before me. so reluctant was i to remove my eyes from the screen, that i endured the final 20 minutes of the film in agony as my bladder threatened to explode rather than leave to relieve myself and risk missing something spectacular.
The world of Pandora is a visual banquet for the eyes. bright, vibrant and vivid, there is always something to feast your eyes on. whether it be the floating jellyfish, the 'Hallejulah mountains' or the Na'vi themselves, every aspect of this universe is realised so completely that within 15-20 minutes you almost forget that 90% of what you see on screen is CGI. The aural landscape is magnificent also. strange creatures chirrup in the background, leaves and earth crumple underfoot and nearly every creature sounds as alien as it looks. Combine this with the aforementioned visual mastery and the world of Pandora becomes less of a movie set and more of a living, breathing and, in 3D at least, nearly touchable environment.
I'll agree with other reviewers on here that the characterisation is pretty clichéd, development is handled with the deft touch of a two year old with a mallet and that overall the quality of acting is less than superb. However, all of these elements are, at least, adequate for the purpose of the film and do enough to draw the viewer into the world and suspend disbelief for 2hr 40mins. For this reviewer personally, Avatar didn't need to be the greatest story ever told, it didn't need heavyweight acting skills or dramatic character development. When I go to the cinema I want something beyond the mundane and ordinary, I want an experience. Schindlers list, The Usual Suspects, Reservoir Dogs - all undoubtedly great films, however the experience of watching these is much the same in a cinema as it is at home in front of a TV. Avatar, without a doubt was designed and intended to be viewed in a cinema, in 3D. Those of you who have watched 'scalped' internet versions or are waiting for the DVD release will be missing out on a great deal of what makes this so special.
In Summary, Avatar may not be the greatest film ever made. However as an experience it's pretty damn near to perfection