Isn't this what movie-making is all about?

Rating: 9/10 (19 January 2010)

There are many opinions on Avatar. There are clearly believers, and fierce critics. The mere fact that so many people are talking about it, including myself, must mean that it struck a note with the masses. Any publicity is good publicity after all, no?
Hmmm - Avatar. As many of you I had very high expectations, and to be perfectly honest, I was not disappointed. The execution is flawless and the visuals are stunning and mesmerising. The subtlety of the 3D makes it stand apart from the traditional Disney World 'jump in your face' sequences.
There is however a small leap of faith to be made, and as pointed out correctly by many critics of the movie, the story is not really original. It has been told before, it is predictable, but then aren't all stories derived from an older version? There are only so many stories to tell and I can compare most 'original' movies to an obscure predecessor.
If you let yourself be swept away by it, and ignore the 'intellectually superior' attitude that blocks you from seeing past the simplicity, you are in for a beautifully crafted love story, good vs. evil in its most basic form. Only this time it has a twist: the new technology allows you to be sucked into the story, but you have to be able to let go and enjoy the ride.
If you would read the script of Star Wars before it was visually realised by George Lucas, you might have concluded the story was somewhat childish. And now this is heralded as one of the best movies of all times. It was visually spellbinding for its time, withstood the test of time, and all that with a simple and naive storyline we all came to love and cherish. What makes Avatar so different from this? Not much. The story is simple and stripped of all unnecessary character development to give the viewer an 'experience', 'an emotional feeling', and on that level, it is unsurpassed in beauty and sensitivity. It will have many teenagers look back with happy thoughts in their thirties of the time they saw Avatar on the big screen.
Well done James Cameron for bringing us something old (that works) but presented in a way that is simply revolutionary. Kudos to you for writing the story yourself although it is not your forte. Lord of the Rings was the last time I was wowed, and a lot of that was the combination of story and groundbreaking visuals. But let's not forget that it was based on a great book, Star Wars nor Avatar are, which makes them - in my opinion - slightly more original. Did you ever wonder what LOTR would have looked like with Cameron at the helm?
Finally, this movie is revolutionary and I starkly disagree with people who say it is not. Blaming the studios for substituting a good story with use of expensive technology and expensive special effects is a dated excuse. The technology is here to stay, and James Cameron has opened the road for many directors/screenwriters to take advantage of this technology as the studios are probably queing up now the business case has proved the investment to be a luctrative.
Ridley Scott and Steven Spielberg are already lined up for making movies using this very same technology - so to all people unhappy with the story - scripts with more depth are bound to come.
Maybe not the greatest story, but one of the best cinematic experiences since Star Wars and Lord of the Rings.
I tell everyone: go see it without prejudice, and you might just LOVE it. I did ...