Huge Weaknesses Alongside One Huge Strength

Rating: 6/10 (28 December 2009)

The dialog, plot and overall action of this movie was unremarkable from a story standpoint. In fact the dialog was downright bad. Some lines were picked straight out of previous movies, including Cameron's Aliens, such as a Sgt. calling his troops "ladies" which has been copied to death in other movies that followed Aliens, making the dialog sound dated at times.
The story was also predictable and formulaic and we've seen it all before... humans come to a new world, want something, and take it at the expense of the natives. Sci-fi fans that like sciencey plots that challenge the mind will find none of that here.
Even much of the action was repeating what worked for Cameron before, like the famous scene in Aliens where Ripley is strapped in a loader doing battle with Mommy Alien. Star Wars, Iron Man and several other movies have used the loader-type artillery machines, and Avatar does too, particularly in a key scene near the end, delivering the message that you've seen it all before, and now you are seeing it yet again.
For all of these reasons I found Avatar disappointing in a way I wasn't expecting. I expected more out of Cameron's writing. But Avatar did have one major strength that will ensure it is a huge success, because no other movie has it... and this is where Cameron put all his marbles.
Avatar has a planet no one has seen before that is filled with exotic forests, plants and animals that are entirely original and fascinating. Cameron's wild imagination explodes in the habitat of the Na'vi, and will not likely disappoint viewers. The time involved in creating such a lush world with so many different life forms and plants boggles the mind. (And of course he invented or helped to invent much of the technology to film it too.) On this count, Avatar rates a 9.5.
With its story getting a 5, dialog a 4, and the movie being overlong for the story it told, I'd give it 6 or 6.5 overall, but it will probably be a 6.5'er you will enjoy, despite its many weaknesses.