Avatar sets a new standard for visceral entertainment

Rating: 10/10 (23 December 2009)

Let me start this off with a few words on originality in film. I like to judge movies on a purely subjective level, so the originality of a plot or idea is is only relevant to me insofar as it begets predictability. So, while I criticize Avatar for being an extremely predictable film, I don't consider its supposed lack of originality, probably its most universally criticized aspect, to be relevant. Cross-medium adaptations don't catch any flak because they acknowledge their intent to re-film the same plot. Instead they are judged on how well they are able to capitalize on the storytelling strengths of the new medium while retelling said plot. No Country For Old Men is a perfect example of this. And I'm telling you that Avatar is an example of this as well. The 3D film is used so well in this film, it transcends "gimmick" status and becomes an amazing tool of immersion. It sounds like a studio-issued tag-line, but really, you have not experienced a film the way that you experience this one in 3D, on a large screen. You have seen this story before, but with Avatar you really feel like you are experiencing it through a whole new medium.
Okay, that was more than a few words. Sorry. Here is my actual review:
There are two things that this film does so well that its flaws are completely overshadowed (flaws such as frequently weak dialogue, a handful of cheese, predictable plot, lack of secondary character development).
First, it shows Jake Sully's gradual immersion into Pandora and Na'vi culture, and brings us along for the ride. His character arc is sublimely executed, and the world in which it occurs is mind-blowingly cool and fully realized (It is also worth noting that the love story is almost embarrassingly sincere, which I consider to be a plus, but can be kind of awkward to watch with friends). By the end of the film you will feel like you yourself have spent time living among the Na'vi on Pandora, and it is a truly intoxicating experience (I want to fly around on a dragon too, damn it). Leaving the theater, I had the feeling that you get after waking up from a very pleasant dream: genuinely disappointed that it isn't real, but still high from the experience.
Seriously, I would kill for either: A: a zombie apocalypse; B: a trip to Pandora
Second, it sets up and executes the mother of all action sequences. The film gradually builds tension over its 160 min. running time, contrasting Jake's love for his newfound life with escalating displays of imperialist douchebaggery culminating in a couple of tragedies that really hit you where it hurts. I already knew exactly how the final battle would turn out, but god damn did I want to see it happen. Now, some people view any kind of action scene as a flaw for reasons I cannot fathom, but as an action movie aficionado, my eyes honestly welled up at the absolute magnitude of spectacle that I was witnessing. Maybe it was the IMAX, and maybe it was the 3D, but this movie had absolutely the greatest climactic action scene I have ever seen. I mean, better than the hospital sequence in Hard Boiled or the church scene in The Killer, better than anything in the Matrix trilogy, better than the last 20 minutes of Raiders of Wu-tang or the last 10 minutes of The Mystery of Chessboxing, better than any of Cameron's previous action scenes, and certainly better than any of Michael Bay's incoherently edited crap.
Avatar is a remarkably focused, entertaining, and well-paced epic. Never have I seen a film of this length that felt so short. There Will Be Blood, probably my favorite film of the decade, is about the same length but feels twice as long. Not once during the running time of this film was I bored. Yes, the film has a few flaws that would be enough to cripple a lesser film, but in the face of what this film achieves, they seem negligible. This is not a film that tries to impress you through its plot; it focuses entirely on visceral entertainment. Aside from the initial exposition, any time that is not spent on some sort of immersing spectacle is spent setting up some sort of immersing spectacle, and yet it never feels like empty entertainment; we are always emotionally attached to the characters and events. Avatar is a remarkable achievement and sets a new benchmark for blockbusters that I fear not many will be able to meet.
I give it a 9.5 out of 10, but I think it deserves a 10 more than it deserves a 9.