Works better as a Disney movie

Rating: 6/10 (22 December 2009)

I would give Avatar a 6/10 with a 10/10 for Visuals. The story wasn't all that bad for the first half of the movie, but then it just seems like they set "CGI thrusters to full". It has so much action I found I got desensitized to it after a while. "Oh there go 10 more helicopters exploding stuff." I was also groaning during a few ridiculous parts of the movie, such as the jumping out of an exploding helicopter while in a mech grabbing a huge weapon. It seemed very cliché. Avatar also forces the aliens down your throat. Unlike District 9 where I partly hated the aliens at the beginning, and throughout the movie was shown small actions that made it possible to empathize with them. In Avatar its more like "Oh wow the aliens look exactly like humans but blue, taller, and with smashed in faces", and throughout the entire movie it keeps re-enforcing that the aliens are peaceful nature love children who are getting fu@#'d over by the humans. In District 9 the aliens were an actual pain for humanity with no real "villain". In Avatar the humans are constantly shoved at the viewer as the villain, with their only mission to get more rare-atanium (lol).
The entire story was pretty one dimensional, and the romance part was totally unsophisticated. "Aww, I have to work together with you and teach you our ways. We'll have to work together a long time and grow close. ... Will you be my life mate? *kiss*" +some other moments (end of romance subplot)
It IS a pretty awesome movie for the visuals, but it feels more like watching an extended unrated cut of a Disney/Pixar movie. The aliens just look stupid, like something you WOULD find in an animated movie for kids. I probably would give Avatar an 8 or 8.5 out of 10 if it was billed as a Disney/Pixar movie for children. Then it could get away with a simple plot, since it's appealing to a different audience.