Breathtaking visuals meet lackluster, propaganda-heavy script.

Rating: Null/10 (4 January 2010)

James Cameron's Avatar is an endeavor of titanic proportions, no pun intended. It took upwards of 12 years and a budget larger than that of some third world nations to come to fruition. So... Was it worth it? Well, first of all, the script is lackluster. The plot is standard and predictable, the characters are cookie-cutter at best, overblown caricatures at worst. With a none-too-subtle message about the evils of technology encroaching on the natural balance.
This was the part of the movie that didn't sit well with me. I'm the first to admit that the human race is full of arrogant jerks, but I'd like to think we've progressed as a species to the point where we wouldn't be willing and in fact blatantly eager to drive an indigenous people to extinction for our own financial gain. Maybe I'm wrong...
But the message of this film seems to be, "People are stubborn, greedy, ignorant, and violent creatures." That constant message bothered me a lot, as did the characters who reinforced it. They're not just stupid humans. They're not just evil humans. Their adamantly uncaring and violent attitudes are physically abrasive. And there's few things I hate more than abrasive characters. I know enough irritating people in real life, without having to pay to see more.
And then we have characters like Colonel Quaritch, who's not only evil and abrasively irritating, but almost totally devoid of motivation. Like Richard III, he is determined to prove a villain, and continues to be ruthlessly, sadistically antagonistic without any real reason, or at least not a good one. Unlike Richard III, he's not at all fun to watch. He's not so much a character as a personification of the Evil, Technology-Wielding Humans that the film seeks to vilify.
On the other hand... The story may be lacking, the characters may be irritating, but the visual effects are stunning. The animators manage to create flora, fauna, and general topography for a completely alien world. The colors are vibrant, the details are exquisite. It's a unique and fascinating experience, incredible to look at.
But then again, so was the movie Hero. And that one had a terrific script too.