Not Bad but no ground-breaker

Rating: 7/10 (19 December 2009)

This really isn't a bad film. It was certainly watchable and I never felt overly bored during it's exceptionally long running time but if you are expecting to see something that elevates film- making you will be sorely disappointed.
You can pretty much forget the plot, it's fairly mundane. Think 'The Emerald Forest' and a few cowboy and Indian films and you have this movie's plot. The acting is good, there isn't a terrible performance in the film. Sam Worthington cements his leading man status and Sigourney Weaver is always worth watching.
The special effects are great but I have to say I didn't see anything 'groundbreaking'. They still looked like CGI effects and creatures to me. The aliens weren't any more impressive than Gollum in the LOTR films. The 3D element did help give a sense of depth to the planet and didn't resort to gimmicky 'things flying at your face' effects but I never felt immersed in this environment. It still never felt genuinely real. It still looked to me like CGI characters running about a CGI environment.
I am a big sci-fi buff but I already know that I wouldn't buy this film on DVD. I may watch it if it were on TV but I wouldn't seek it out. It was OK to watch but there was nothing captivating about it. It really needed a stronger plot and more complex characters to make it truly compelling. Which is a shame because it is obvious that a lot of work went into creating this film.
I would definitely recommend that you go see it because the big screen is the best place to view this film. I have a feeling it will look decidedly average on the small screen. This film doesn't re-write film-making in anyway but as an attempt, it is perfectly acceptable.