Pre-Teen Disney Plot Wrapped in Spectacular CGI Animation

Rating: 8/10 (9 January 2010)

So this is what all the year-log hype has been about. This is Avatar. This is the Next Big Leap in film-making. Like Star Wars, and The Abyss, and Jurassic Park, and The Matrix, this is the next generation of special effects and science fiction.
I have to be honest: it is a wonderful cinematic experience. The visuals are spectacular, the animation is nearly flawless. This is a movie almost entirely composed of CGI animation. This is indeed a great leap forward in technology, and (being a big fan of animation), I was in awe of the technical achievement. By itself, it's almost enough to carry the film.
I say "almost" because, unfortunately, the film lacks so many fundamentals that have been around since the time of William Shakespeare, fundamentals that, if applied, could have made Avatar a masterpiece instead of a pre-teen Disney flick with stunning visuals.
I'm talking primarily about plot, story, and connection. This is a weak plot, told so many times before you can guess every beat before it happens. You've got a primitive, happy, nature-connected tribe; you've got evil corporations intent on despoilment for profit; you've got their military dogs led by a grizzled Marine vet with anger management issues; you've got scientist-pacifists as their unknown collaborators. Then there's the epic, underdog struggle against a stronger foe solved by a singular plot twist and/or deus ex machina; and the happy tearful ending.
I think what happened is James Cameron had this big CGI vision for this film, but he couldn't invest time or effort on a unique story. Perhaps this is just the way it had to be to make this great technical leap: grab together a simple story told a hundred times before, and use all your effort and energy in design and animation. Perhaps, in the future, we'll see an Oscar-worthy original screenplay told in a CGI universe. Avatar certainly isn't it.
I will spike out the soundtrack specifically in this review. It is AWFUL!! You know what this soundtrack is? It's a conglomeration of music used in Lion King, Pocahantas, and other Disney films. There isn't anything interesting or unique about it, and that's a terrible tragedy. Here we have a new visual experience, and to not couple it with an original, creative, special soundtrack is a damned shame.
I'm still giving it an 8, because it is so stunning it's enjoyable. And I always "mark up" according to level of difficulty.