... still speechless and completely overwhelmed...

Rating: 10/10 (17 December 2009)

We've been waiting a long time for this to turn up on the big screen... well, here it is, AVATAR, the new blockbuster by James Cameron, having devoured some 300 million dollars... was it worth it?
The Marine veteran Jack Sully, now handicapped, joins a research group on a moon called Pandora. These researchers employ so-called 'Avatars,' genetic reproductions of the Pandora natives, to win the natives' trust. These natives, the Navi, are physically superior beings, blue in color, and catlike in their motions; humans can connect with these clones and control them as if they were their own bodies. Reason for this whole endeavor is, of course, some rare resource that is beneath the natives' tribal home. Having learned to control his Avatar, Sully soon infiltrates the tribe - yet has to struggle with his conscience as he falls in love with a Navi huntress and the Navi highly complex traditions. In order to protect the natives, Scully will have to betray his own race...
Admittedly, Cameron's plot isn't very original: it sounds like a Western at first, where Native Americans fight to protect their lands against the imperialistic settlers, pushing the Frontier westwards. Also, you could easily employ the movie's plot onto the colonial times, where colonists exploited the native tribes of Africa, depriving them of their resources, leaving only barren wasteland behind.
The idea of the Avatar, however, is something that has never before been used so perfect: whereas it naturally offers a lot of potential conflicts and other problematic issues, the tension is rising with every passing minute - will the humans in charge just pull the plug? And although there are scenes which have been on the screen before, it never tires you.
Not a single boring moment in 166 minutes - that's a new record, I reckon. There are no lengths whatsoever - every grand landscape shot is exactly where it is supposed to be, and the movie never attempts to substitute some intrinsic deficit with its excellent computer animations. The CGI is indeed revolutionary; and it is used to compose the movie's essence. Trust me, you have never seen anything like it before. James Cameron has created a fantastic world second to none - he has created a whole new exciting, thrilling universe that you won't want to leave once you've been sucked into it. After the 166 minutes I wouldn't have bothered to watch another two hours.
Let's make this quick: if you are a fan of sci-fi and fantasy flicks, you are COMPELLED to watch this! Several times!
Cameron's Avatar is by far one of the best sci-fi/fantasy movies in years; even the late Star Trek cannot compete with this one... it is just so compelling, so forceful in its aesthetics and tone... it is THE perfect sci-fi/fantasy movie! It was worth to wait this long! Ultimately, I can't think of any other director who could've developed such a visual masterpiece from a mere vision from 15 years ago.