Visually Stunning...Plot Challenged

Rating: 6/10 (15 December 2009)

Avatar is an important cinematic achievement. To dismiss its groundbreaking visual effects is just as bad as forgiving its lack of plot development and weak dialog. The movie will usher in a new era, for good or bad, of technical achievement in film. The 3-D is amazing and the special effects are on a scale that Lucas could have only dreamed about. But, like Lucas in his prequels, so much time is spent depicting the story that (it seems) no one really bothered to ask if the story was worth telling to begin with. Imagine if Avatar had been as powerful as 2001. Imagine if the story were just as awe inspiring as the images racing before your eyes. That would have been a true movie masterpiece. Because, in the end, no matter how good the movie looks, the visuals only exist to bring the story to life.