Great technical achievement - story not so good

Rating: 7/10 (9 February 2010)

Avatar looks great. You can see where the millions of dollars have spent in the making of it. The forest and flying scenes are brilliantly done. The technology enabling the movement of the native people to be based on the actions of the actor playing them is flawless. However for my first 3D movie and I was a bit disappointed that there weren't more arrows flying past my shoulder. Maybe my expectations were a bit high! I prefer my films with a bit of character development and a decent story and here Avatar is a bit lacking.
The story is about an ex-marine working for a company hoping to make a fortune from the "Unobtainium" (really) found in abundance on the planet of Pandora. The cynical executives running the company pay lip service to environmentalism by building schools for the natives and employing scientists. However they also have a large army of mercenaries who will be used to remove the natives if they won't go voluntarily. They have also developed genetically modified "avatars". They look like the natives but are mind linked to human controllers. They hope to use them to persuade the natives that it would be in their best interest to move. Eventually our hero, through his avatar, ends up living with the natives and falls in love with their spiritual ways and closeness to nature. However he is also under orders from the mercenaries to get information on the best way to destroy the native camp if necessary. He has a moral dilemma. You know which way that will go and there is a big battle in the end.
So the visuals are excellent. You will definitely enjoy the ride! The cast are very much secondary to the special effects though Stephen Lang is brilliantly over the top as the macho head of the mercenaries. However the story borrows too much from the likes of "Lord of the Rings" and "Transformers" to make it a truly satisfying cinema experience that will remain with you.