All style, very little substance

Rating: 7/10 (14 January 2012)

In its core, Avatar is a mediocre movie, a retold Pocahontas story in a futuristic setting, the sci-fi element adding very little to the message that screams at the viewer on a minutely basis. Character development is minimal, the dialog trite and recycled. While it could be argued that T2 - still Cameron's greatest movie - was more or less the same, that movie excelled in pacing its action scenes, and in incorporating style and humor in a way that Avatar never does, rather than just in visual effects.
Having said all that - none of it can reduce anything from the technological and visual triumph Avatar achieved. which is so much more impressive when viewed on a big screen with the 3D goggles. Cameron and co. created a fully formed world, more convincing and more real than anything seen before, with gorgeous fantastical landscapes and atmosphere, and incredibly imaginary yet totally realistic creatures and plants, and draws the viewer in completely, just like the main character is drawn into a reality that's not his own. Too bad none of the characters are compelling enough to give that connection any real meaning.