A powerful and sweeping epic

Rating: 10/10 (21 December 2009)

"Avatar" might be one of, if not the best movies ever made. Like James Cameron's last film "Titanic", it's a powerful and sweeping epic that goes to unbelievable lengths to wow us and amaze us. Some people are going to say that the story is rubbish, the dialogue is trash, and it's only a technical achievement, nothing more, nothing less. But they are wrong. The movie exceeds on every level possible, and while the impact could be considerably less in 2 dimensions, it still holds up as one of the best movies ever made.
Cameron has perfected his three dimensional technology, and if you never see this in 3 dimensions, you are not seeing the director's extraordinary vision. I've never seen anything like this before in my life, and neither will you. I honestly have never seen a 3D motion picture in my life until Avatar, and when my theater finally had 3D technology, I considered seeing "Up" in 3D, but decided I would wait until "Avatar" to pop my 3D hymen. Boy, I do not regret this decision one bit.
Yes, what you have heard is true, "Avatar" is the future of cinema. It's a complete game changer for Hollywood, and it has redefined the industry. There is no doubt in my mind there will be as many and maybe even more flocking to see this like Titanic 12 years ago. What's even better, is that while it revolutionizes Hollywood as an awesome technological achievement, it also packs a really damn good story, too.
It does have a political message, but it's a very universal one everyone can accept: While human beings do some pretty damn amazing things, we also do some really horrible things. We burn down our own forests, we fight wars with each other, and we destroy each other's lives. James Cameron relays a message that is both powerful and a wake up call, and he's embedded it brilliantly into a film that is going to be seen by everyone. I hope this movie changes people, because I certainly think it has the ability to do so.
While Cameron uses the technology to wow us, he also uses his story to pull at our emotions. I won't lie, there are scenes that do have the ability to make grown men cry, and it's important to realize that most of these scenes don't even involve the humans. The alien race known as the Na'vi are probably even more human than we are, which even adds more realism to the completely computer generated characters. This does not feel fake, this feels absolutely real. Thank god for that.
This movie also runs at 2 hours and 40 minutes long. However, this is not one bit like the other movies this year that nearly push the 3 hour mark (i.e. "Transformers 2", "2012"), and what's funny is that once it's over, you will have wished for more. Not many movies can do this, especially if they are long, but I can tell you that this movie does not drag once, nor does it feel like it is nearly 3 hours. If anything, it feels as though that it is too short. Try getting a hallmark card for that.
From its opening scene to its closing shot, this is a truly beautiful, remarkable, and amazing film. There's no other film I would want the first decade of the 21st century to close on. The most important thing is, you have to see this movie to witness the most important part of what will soon be the history of 21st century Hollywood, and we have James Cameron to thank for this. Bravo, sir, bravo.