Ultra-linear. Only 3D and subtext make it a very nice experience

Rating: 6/10 (6 January 2010)

Avatar keeps you waiting for marvelous images to emerge from the screen. That's the main reason why this ultra-linear/flat 2h40 story would make an interesting show. Every spectator wants to be surprised, so the National Geographic/Pandora Discovery Channel first part is enough to make us wait and watch through child's eyes.
Then the story is mainly against militarism, imperialism and about people living in harmony with their likes and the Nature. So it's not the usual heavy-handed big brawn and dull apocalyptic show of über-blockbusters. Nevertheless go find one interesting character in Avatar. To me, Neytiri is the most interesting, yet she's only the CGI rendition of a real actress (Zoe Saldana)! On the other hand Sam Worthington's avatar looks bland. In fact the whole main character is bland, passive and one-dimensional. Funnily enough Sam Worthington's character in Terminator: Salvation, very close to Jake Sully in terms of storyline, is a much deeper character...
Thus there are reasons to be disappointed by Avatar if you were expecting a groundbreaking masterpiece. Seeing it in 3D is an important experience for whoever is interested in movies and new technologies; the experience ranges from nice to very nice provided you can appreciate all the good work and stop short of being addicted to the images.
Simply put you can't fall for Avatar because its storyline is just too linear and its characters also just too one-dimensional. It took 12 years for James Cameron to be able to make Avatar and he wasn't able to write something better? More accurately, since he is not renown for his perfectly and subtly crafted screenplays I'd say he missed the opportunity to team up with some good writer(s). Cameron has reached such a status it's difficult for him to collaborate in a creative department he thinks he masters and thus the real joy for him must have been the creative collaboration on the technically challenging parts. As a result he put more energy in the visual creation of Avatar, not in the writing. Another very weak point is the score by James Horner: 12 years after Titanic he couldn't come up with something better that doesn't constantly brings memory of his previous score for Cameron. I suppose this shows just how much James Cameron was unable to provide the necessary amount of energy to the creative departments other than visual imagery.
Now, about the visual imagery, it's nice but only a rehash of Miyazaki's visual and poetic creations: Princess Mononoke (mainly), Nausicaä, Castle in the sky. Cameron didn't improve at all on these references.
Conclusion: I'll not go and watch Avatar again. There's nothing interesting beyond the 3D experience so I suspect it must be far less interesting, even boring, to watch in 2D.