Meh?

Rating: 5/10 (4 February 2010)

I really don't see the big deal. I saw it, it was a movie. Maybe I am just not that impressed by special effects? Maybe my theater needed better surround sound? It was an enjoyable movie for a watch-through, but I sure would skip over it if there were anything better on.
Here's what I liked: - New 3-D graphics technology: Can't fault it there, this could be a revolution. - Thematic elements: I was surprised about the kind of themes contained in this story. There's a lot of metaphors for different kinds of networks and connectivity (mind-body, man-nature, man-man, etc). I thought the various parallel metaphors were well executed. - Weaver's character: Since she's the only non-stock character, she deserves some notice. Without her, there'd be no creativity in character development at all.
Here's what I disliked: - The characters: It's like a grab-bag of junky, bland stereotypes. I felt like I was watching a very-well cleaned up version of a child's attempt to make a story by combining characters from their other favorite stories. Angry drill sarge type? Got one. Naive but well intentioned guy who redefines himself as a native? Definitely. Native girl that's got a thing for foreigners? Surely. What a waste of screen time. - The plot: Seriously. I don't want to give anything away, but if you at any point lose your immersion in this movie and get a single chance to think about what's going on, it's like your beer goggles wearing off in a Coyote Ugly situation. Just rationally and logistically, there are so many things wrong with the whole setup. - Bland, bad dialog: Completely unquotable, unfunny, uninteresting.
Also, the highlighted review I saw mentioned that I shouldn't expect much out of the plot and characters because it was a Cameron flick. That's completely false. Both Terminators had serious character development, in a unique environment. Aliens 2 was full of interesting characters who were consistently funny and fresh ("Look pal, I don't know if you've been keeping up with current events, but we just got our ***es kicked.") All of this was missing from Avatar....
Which is not a bad movie. It's just not a very good one. And could have been much better.