Over-hyped!!

Rating: 7/10 (20 February 2010)

OK... from the very outset let me set the record straight by saying that Avatar is a visual feast with the highest production values thanks to it's titanic(pardon the pun) budget. Yes it's reinvented the way movies will be made from hereon (judging by the nos of flicks that are being made in 3D) but I really don't know what the fuss is all about. I can understand people going gaga over it's visuals but isn't that a case of overly stating the worth of something based on face value alone? OK i will not delve into the plot and other details pertaining to the movie itself cuz to be honest this yarn has been done a million times before. Pocahontas and Dances with Wolves come to mind instantly and in terms of bettering such efforts, Avatar succeeds admirably. The photography, editing and F/X (both visual and sound) are top notch and the overall effect is mind blowing but there really isn't a lot to write home about apart from it's technical brilliance. That's not to say that Avatar sucks in the acting and storytelling department but what i mean to say is that there really is nothing to warrant any greatness and thus claim a place in the highest echelons of modern movie-making alongside movies like Fight Club,Goodfellas or Pulp Fiction.
The most telling point is the fact that I really don't see a plausible reason as to why anyone would want to indulge in repeated viewings of this movie (unless of course to drool over the visuals). Another parameter I use to judge a movie's greatness is the lasting effect it has after a viewing and Avatar fails miserably in the department. I don't mean to say that the emotional quotient is no-existent but it feels clichéd and forced. Add to that the movie is so predictable and means that there's no intrigue which for me is a requisite in order to satisfyingly view a movie. The lack of suspense was very frustrating and I couldn't help but feel 'here we go again!!!!' All in all, it's no doubt that Avatar is a technically brilliant piece of cinema but leaves the rest to be desired due to the lack of creativity in the departments of cinema a true lover of movies would still hold as indicators of greatness (i.e acting, dialogue, screenplay). Time will tell just how great a movie Avatar really is after the whole juggernaut of 3D fades and when it has to measured upto true great James Cameron movies like Terminator and Aliens (based on merit alone). Remember how everyone was blown away by Titanic at the beginning and thirteen years on it's prob a marginally better movie than 2012??? well whether Avatar meets the same fate is for us to find out:)