Like a roller coaster - you know where it's going but what a ride

Rating: 10/10 (16 February 2010)

Gosh, where to begin.
I went into the movie with much trepidation, since I didn't want to sit through three hours of wearing 3D glasses watching CGI effects. Well, I'm glad I did. The 3D was a little dizzying for me with the swift action shots but Avatar was just about perfectly done in 3D, with the movie not being all about the effects but instead both being complementary of each other. And what effects they are. The money and time James Cameron spend has well been worth it. The forest scenes get a bit too pastel for me at times but everything else is just mesmerizing. It's hard to imagine watching the movie in 2D (though I think I might try).
For better or for worse, Avatar is another Titanic. So many parallels to make. There is obviously the big budgets and long years spent on both, and they're both great spectacles, for their time and for at least a long time to come. And both look to be to popular favorites and critical mehs. Titanic, despite sweeping the Oscars, received relatively few of the critics' awards that year, and this year, most of the latter has gone to The Hurt Locker.
Both were written by James Cameron, which is my main criticism with the movie. You'd think that despite 14 nominations and none for screenplay that Cameron would realize that he's not the best screenwriter and at least have someone co-write with him but no, his ego is king of the world. But I'm making the issue bigger than it is. Like Titanic, the plot and characters are simple, though Avatar has a more interesting background story for sure. But while watching this movie, I could easily foresee where events were headed, and what each character was going to do. "My grandfather rode the big-ass pterodactyl and united the tribes in times of sorrow." Hmm.. I wonder if that tale will be relevant to the climactic battle scene later.
No matter, that battle scene is glorious, like most of the other scenes. Also like Titanic, Avatar isn't about the story itself, rather how it plays out. Watching Avatar gave me the chills I get whenever I watch a remarkable movie. Like a roller coaster, you can see the track and you know where it'll end, but gosh, the ride will send your heart a- fluttering.