Great Visuals, Subpar Elsewhere

Rating: 5/10 (18 January 2010)

Avatar is a film that is worth seeing in theaters. Its strength is in its CGI and special effects, and these are accentuated by a large theater screen. The added dimension of 3-D only bolsters the images, creating a film that is both visually exciting and engaging. This is definitely at the core of what holds the audience's interest.
Nonetheless, this cannot balance the fact that the film is very silly. The plot is derivative and simplistic (not to mention terribly predictable), and it features characters that are neither complex nor all that interesting. For all the ways that the visuals draw the audience into the story, the characters cannot hold the audience there, and I never felt like I really cared about what happened to any one of them. If the film did not take place on a fictional planet (and have all the CGI that goes with that), it would not be worth seeing.
At this point in time, everyone has an opinion about Avatar, based not only on seeing the film (which, regardless of box office numbers, not every person has done) but also on all of the publicity and attention it has received. Frankly, it is a film made to satisfy an audience familiar with blockbusters. If one goes to the theater looking to enjoy the film, he will find that he does enjoy it; if he goes looking to dislike the film, he will find plenty to hate. Personally, I found it to be an entertaining way to spend an afternoon, but a big part of that was seeing it in a theater. I could just take it all in, and the film definitely did not require me to do any thinking.
Full review at MacGuffinFilmReviews.blogspot.com