Visually Amazing But Not Without Weaknesses

Rating: 7/10 (23 December 2009)

This is a movie like no other in the realm of visual experiences. The CGI segments rang true and rarely did the realization they were not real encroach.
This is simply not a film to be missed. It is groundbreaking in its technological achievements and also entertaining enough to carry it all along.
The not so good: The story was a bit heavy handed. I could not agree more with the message but I think the way it is delivered is not so useful.
The flow was a bit rushed or even choppy in some spots as though scenes had been deleted or shortened. Perhaps a director's cut will fix that.
I eagerly await a non-3D version as I thought the glasses and effects detracted from, rather than enhanced the experience. Perhaps I will feel differently if I see a 2D version.
The visuals sometimes reminded me of those black-light posters from the '70s. The neon-color thing just got pushed over the top in a couple of scenes.
In a few scenes, the clarity and reality of the CGI really rose above the rest of the movie and it made me notice that in many others scenes they were a bit muddied in comparison.
This is no Star Wars - I saw Star Wars when it came out and this simply does not have the story power it had. The improvement in visual technology is not as great or profound either - this film is a big leap, just not of the magnitude of the first Star Wars.
The human characters, especially in their non-CGI persona were a bit flat in my opinion and/or rehashes from the standard Hollywood character bin.
This is a great film and deserves to be seen but it is just not the be-all, end-all of modern cinema some are making it out to be.