Stunningly beautiful

Rating: 10/10 (6 February 2010)

Never mind the three D bit. Never mind the relatively predictable story. Never mind the arguments about racism etc. Did not Lawrence of Arabia, a famous Englishman, inspire and lead the Arabs in revolt against their rulers? There are precedents for the idealism that inspires people to support the other side.
But the one thing I took away from this film was the extraordinary vision of the Pandoran world. The creativity behind the imagery and visual beauty is stunning: Who cannot be rendered breathless at the first appearance of the seed of the tree of life, floating delicately through the air like a jellyfish? Or the fabulous floating mountains? We leave the cinema, always a modern building, surrounded by our modern architecture, and we are disappointed. We want so much to visit the all too real world that Cameron has created. That is the test for a truly brilliant film. Well done Cameron! And a note of support for Lang. He portrays a brilliant, ruthless baddie. Sadly, while the military needs such people, he rightly represents what people fear in colonialism with its military, political and cultural insensitivity.
This film deserves, and is achieving, every success. It has raised the bar for cinematic standards.