Average, only because of the visual effects

Rating: 4/10 (3 January 2010)

Well I saw Avatar last night. Only the 2D version, but I can see why they chose to do a 3D version as well. I'm not that worried that I missed the third dimension stuff, except for the technical aspect.
Anyway.
The story had absolutely zero twist, and as my wife pointed out the plot was simply an extended and updated Fern Gully. The analogies were so thick that it was laughable: | indigenous race | vs technology and human greed. Insert American Indians, Australian Aboriginals, Inuits, Amazons etc for the indigenous race, and replace muskets/rifles with giant planes and walking machines. The mention of "shock and awe" was hilarious (I actually laughed out loud, while my soul screamed in pain) but was so blatantly just another use of ham-fisted analogy that James Cameron must have jizzed himself when writing it.
Plot devices that had me shaking my head:

Sam Worthington can operate an Avatar first go, no problems. Wow. He's a natural. Who woulda thunk? - Love interest rescues him, then is forced to teach him. - Love interest is the chief's daughter who is the next witch doctor, so people believe her when she says Sam's special. - Only one other person has tamed the big bird thing. Oh wait – Sam did it too. Surprise. - Only one other person has united all the tribes. No, I stand corrected – Sam gets to do it. - It's handy that there aren't any alien injuries that need healing because Sigourney Weaver(who would be seen as worse than a traitor) gets first dibs. - Hometree is destroyed, hundreds of natives (if not more) die, but nobody thinks of revenge until Sigourney Weaver dies.

The story was such a rehash of so many other plots that I was actually very disappointed in what Cameron had stolen and re badged as his own. There was nothing at all that surprised me. Even the creatures were pretty lame – hell-hounds, dinosaurs, dragons (non-fire breathing). There was nothing really original in the film. The glowing effects were nice though.
Visually it was a treat, and the graphics were rendered pretty much perfectly.
If this film wins awards based on anything other than special effects or sound, then I'd feel particularly ripped off if I was involved with making a superior, yet less technical, movie.
When I go to the cinema I like to watch films that I haven't seen before. I didn't get that with Avatar. Instead I watched a generic Spiritual Natives vs Heathen Greedy Industrialists movie. The special effects were glorious, and for that reason the score is rated higher than it may normally have been. I'm glad I saw this film, mainly for the chance to see it on a big screen which I think makes it easier to appreciate the skills that were used to create the visual effects.