Superb visuals but...

Rating: 6/10 (2 January 2010)

Avatar is a quintessential example of style over substance. There's nothing wrong with style and imagination, especially when Cameron does such a fine job of it. Avatar is a feast for the senses, overwhelming the viewer with a fully immersive, completely imagined world. It is a truly impressive achievement and sets the benchmark for all future movie worlds. (BTW, we didn't see the problems some other reviewers described in 3D theaters; our image was MOST impressive.)
But...someone really needs to teach Cameron how to write dialog! Terminator and Aliens were better than his later efforts, most likely due to co-writers Gail Ann Hurd and David Giler. Unfortunately, Avatar suffers from simplistic plot devices and truly juvenile dialog that really left us cold. (JuJuBees? Unobtanium? - GMAB!)
And while we know this movie is fiction, the visuals were good enough that they demanded a consistent ecosystem and evolution, at least for us. The 'floating mountains' and the English-speaking natives didn't bother us all that much; at least there was an attempt at explanation (large 'Unobtainium' deposits, the scientists' native school). But we really had a hard time with some of the biology. For example, why did the Na'vi, Banshee and Leonopteryx evolve with two arms (wings) and two legs while the Direhorse, Viperwolf, Hammerhead and many other creatures have four forelegs and two rears? That makes absolutely NO evolutionary sense and bothered us almost as much as the weak plot.
With a little more work (and a little less hubris) Avatar could have been so much more. Unfortunately, it is truly stunning wrapping paper surrounding a rather disappointing gift.