A visual feast

Rating: 8/10 (21 September 2013)

Avatar... the biggest movie of all time. Made $2,782,275,172 worldwide. Is it worth the hype? Let's find out. "Avatar" is the story of an ex-Marine who finds himself thrust into hostilities on an alien planet filled with exotic life forms. As an Avatar, a human mind in an alien body, he finds himself torn between two worlds, in a desperate fight for his own survival and that of the indigenous people. (RT summary) This movie has incredible computer effects. It truly is a breakthrough in animation, everything from the creatures to the world and plants, everything looks photorealistic, and I could believe a world like Pandora exist (Even though it doesn't) It is truly pure eye candy. Also the action scenes really kick serious ass. The script is what a lot of people have a problem with. And I more or less agree. The script is so cliché and it is all basically "Dances With Wolves meets Aliens". Now having said that, despite having been told a thousand times already, the story itself is really good. The script is full of likable characters, and the dialogue is also good. Also, it hits you over the head with its "Save the environment" message, which while I agree with it, it kind of gets annoying. And as for the runtime: I did not mind it. And the pacing was pretty quick and kept the film moving forward. The acting is also a mixed bag. Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana ,Sigourney Weaver, and Michelle Rodriguez do terrific in their roles. But Giovanni Ribisi and Stephen Lang .... not so much. While not horrible performances, they are kind of "Eh... I'm just here to collect my check". While it certainly isn't a masterpiece by any stretch of the imagination, James Cameron's Avatar is a pretty darn good sci-fi flick.