More than just a clichéd story

Rating: 10/10 (23 January 2010)

Avatar in 2D: Incredible movie. Amazing visuals. Beautiful story. Great action sequences.
I absolutely would go to see it again. While the early movie does suffer from the same syndrome that is seen in so many movies, namely a rushed fake-feeling time-lapse of events in some areas, the final hour is absolutely worth it. I will add the caveat that my feelings are affected by my being a fantasy buff. The druidic religion of the natives, the landscapes, and the general story all hold to the fantasy mold. Including the heart-wrenching fate that awaits the good guys. But that isn't a bad thing. It's once in a generation, if that, that someone writes a story that breaks out of that mold.
Avatar was a work of art as much as a movie. The immersion of sight and sound had me often on the edge of my seat. The performance capture used to film the movie lets the Na'Vi come to life in a way no animation can. The incredible eye for detail that went into this movie is astounding, both technically, and in terms of creating the world.
It is a great joy to me to see a fantasy movie done so well. It is extremely difficult to capture the essence of a true epic fantasy in the traditional length movie. At approximately 2 1/2 hours, Avatar doesn't cut it inordinately short but neither does it deter all but the hardcore fantasy fans with its length.
Overall I absolutely give Avatar 2D a 5 out of 5.
Avatar in 3D was a bit difficult to get used to at first: glare on the frame of the glasses, things seeming to be out of focus at times, the fact that the screen does not fill the entire field of view. However, after a break-in period and the realization that some of the focusing is because it's not meant to be in focus, things improved. It pulls your view to a certain aspect of the scene, the same way you have to focus on a particular thing with your eyes. It's just disorienting at first since what you focus on isn't necessarily what they want you to focus on.
Also, I noticed that a lot of the movement scenes early on seemed to blur the image, as if it was not updating fast enough to form a smooth image. Through the second half I did not notice this much at all, but whether that is because it wasn't there or because I was concentrating harder on the events, I do not know. I suspect I was trying too hard to see the 3D while I eagerly waited for the movie to progress, having seen it once already.
Hopefully in the future they will improve the delivery mechanism (ie, the glasses) and make the experience even better. I look forward to taking the final step and watching it on IMAX 3D! I give the 3D aspect a 3.5 out of 5. It definitely added to the experience, but was disorienting, difficult to get into, and has a few annoyances yet to work out.
Avatar in IMAX 3D blew me away, even after seeing the movie twice previously. I can't say if it was the fact that I had seen the 3D once previously, the IMAX screen, the different frame for the glasses, or all the above, but that was an incredible experience! I think the key is to not try to see the 3D, but to just let yourself sink into the movie. Filling the field of view and having that depth of field makes it easy to really get into the action and forget yourself.
There's not really a whole lot more I can say about that. 8000-10000 (depending on the theater) watts of surround sound tops off something you're not likely to forget, at least until the sequel! The IMAX 3D experience gets an easy 5 out of 5.