Top of the world.

Rating: 9/10 (27 December 2009)

This is not a movie of great depth. The story is preachy and old. We heard it with the Egyptians, Romans... exploitation and political. But empty your heads mates for it is visually stunning. Cameron likes his films slightly blue and he likes to blow things up, so in that aspect there is nothing different in this. However, what is obvious is how WETA has firmly planted its self as the CGI hero of the film industry; without WETA, this film wouldn't make it to screen - Cameron or no. As we have seen in Lord Of The Rings with its ground-breaking modeling of Gollum, Avatar focuses on bringing an entire alien race to a world of love, hate, hurt, pleasure, shock and bewilderment with expression and content. Story aside, watching Sams Jake experience legs and touch a new world was like watching a baby take its first steps. The luscious foliage and odd fauna suggest a lot of what we already know is disappearing all over the world, so it goes without saying it is all a part of building the usual sympathy as one would hear the slaughter of the native Americans and the last of the buffalo. History does have a way of repeating its self. That much we know. And it is sad.
Aside from the obvious plot-holes, only a few have really done a wtf on the vision of the music for this movie, and it has left me pondering if maybe an investment in Howard Shore would have been a better bet than the traditional sticking to what you are comfortable with. I love James Horner's music and what he did with Titanic will always be at the top of one of the best music scores written. But as someone already stated, the song "I See You" had all the musical measure of a automatic garage door opener; it just plain sucked. The other thing is that Shore and Williams have become known for "Themed" music that has a habit of sticking in your brain for days like peanut butter to the roof of your mouth. When I walk away from numerous viewings I still can't remember any of the music, and with the ending song I say: "Thank GOD!!"
Cameron shows us he spares no personal expense with this movie; you can see his finger in just about every minute detail like the 3D bugs that are depth focusable, to the ugly machines of man used in war and control (unfortunately his models for military transportation is sadly lacking in comparison with the movies extreme technology). I am not sad I have watched a couple of times before I wrote this review. All said, I had a wonderful time at the movies.