I know AVATAR has proven to be one of the most polarizing films of the century (so far), but here's where I stand:

Rating: 10/10 (25 December 2019)

While the theatrical cut itself is pretty long, I still found it to be worth every single minute. I saw AVATAR three times in theaters when it first came out, and it was truly one of the best cinematic experiences I've ever had at a movie theater. I'm lucky enough to own a Blu-Ray 3D player, and I must say that my most recent viewing of the film perfectly reminded me why. It is literally everything you could possibly want in a blockbuster. In fact, as I was watching the film, I kept wondering "how did this not win in either sound categories at the Oscars?". I understand that THE HURT LOCKER is a war film, and those of course do pretty well with the sound awards. Though as Tom O'Neil (the editor-in-chief of Gold Derby) keeps reminding us, the loudest movie tends to win the sound categories. I would've loved to have seen AVATAR take home Best Sound Editing and/or Best Sound Mixing on Oscar night to go with its three (well deserved) wins.
As for all the complaints people had with the film saying that it was just a science fiction knockoff of DANCES WITH WOLVES, FERNGULLY, and/or POCAHONTAS, so what? Almost every science fiction movie has been inspired by other stories. Even the original STAR WARS had inspiration from several stories George Lucas happened to have been fond of.