A Great spectacle.....not a truly great movie

Rating: 8/10 (25 December 2009)

A great spectacle. Entertaining. However, in my opinion it does not quite reach the level expected for truly great movies eg 'The Shawshank Redemption', 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest', 'The Departed'
So what stops Avatar receiving the iconic status that these movies are regarded with? The plot was entertaining and easy to follow yes, but predictable and presented us with nothing we haven't seen before. The story of Jake Sully, loyal US soldier who realises the flaws in western capitalist values after observing the primitive life of the enemy and decides to switch sides, is not exactly a fresh or revolutionary plot line. Avatar's main plot line is simply 'Dances With Wolves' or 'The Last Samurai' with a futuristic setting, 10-ft natives, and a bit of blue paint thrown in.
While the characters were mostly good and believable, it was hard to take Stephen Lang's Colonel Quaritch too seriously, especially his clichéd behaviour at the end, with the Bondesque practise of the villain talking about what he is going to do the hero, without actually doing it (although admittedly this a common flaw in many action movies, it still takes away from the sense of realism that should be there in any great movie.) And did Colonel Quaritch remind anyone else of Chip Hazard from Small Soldiers?
Nonetheless, I do stand by my opinion that Avatar is a very good movie, a solid 8 out of 10. The love story between Sully and Neytiri is fairly emotive and you can't help but respect and identify with certain aspects of the Na'vi tribe's philosophy. If a movie is able to get you to identify with 10-foot tall blue aliens with tails then it must be doing something right.
The visuals are spectacular, notably the floating mountains. The futuristic jungles and the neon feel of the jungle ecosystem were spellbinding and I'm sure would be a delight for keen sci-fi fans. The sheer detail that has gone into the Na'vi people and the strange creatures that inhabit the jungles of Pandora was amazing.
Avatar is not simply a movie, it is an experience.
So to conclude, I feel the mark of a good film is whether you would want to watch it again. And because it is such a spectacle, and dare I sound clichéd myself-a feast for the eyes, I would definitely be more than happy to see Avatar again. It's definitely a movie that's worth watching and worth watching in a movie theatre.