A visual masterpiece !

Rating: Null/10 (18 December 2009)

I saw Avatar at a preview screening two days ago and I have waited until now to comment on the movie because it left me in a state of shock and wonderment. As a technical achievement in film making, James Cameron's new visual masterpiece follows in the footsteps of Metropolis (1927), Forbidden Planet (1956), 2001: A Space Odyssey (1969), Star Wars (1977), Alien (1979), Bladerunner (1982), TRON (1982), The Abyss (1989) and Jurassic Park (1993) as an absolute benchmark in visual effects.
James Cameron has pushed motion capture and computer generated imagery to its current full potential, previously only hinted at in the last decade in films such as the Star Wars prequels and the Lord of the Rings trilogy. The last two years have seen impressive visual effects work in films such as Transformers and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, but Avatar makes such leaps ahead that it is truly unlike any movie I have ever seen. Its world is so immersive (helped by great and subtle use of 3D) and its characters, alien wildlife and futuristic war machines so detailed and larger than life, that I feel this movie will set the gold standard for the entire decade to come.
It may sound like I am merely judging this movie on its incredible visuals alone, but my emphasis on discussing the look of the movie is only because that is the main draw on first viewing. Beyond its effects, the film has much more to offer. Whilst somewhat simplistic and drawn in very broad strokes, the story is a timeless one that deserves to be retold in such grand fashion for this new generation. I have heard criticism of the film's dialogue, but I loved it. Several lines, especially those delivered by Stephan Lang, had me giggling in a good way. Speaking of Lang, he makes a truly great villain, and his final battle against the film's protagonists is one of the better fight scenes I have seen in the last few years. It isn't as drawn out and entertaining as the fight in They Live (1988), but it is pretty damn epic !
See Avatar on the biggest screen possible in 3D. It is the must see film event of the year. What an experience !