The result is more than the sum of the parts

Rating: 8/10 (27 December 2009)

This is a very subjective review so it reflects my own views. I don't expect or demand that you're going to agree with everything I say. ;)
Avatar uses a quite well-known core premise – a man who comes from one people encounters another and gradually learn their ways, gain their trust and become one of them. Then something occurs that puts his native people and his new people at odds and he's torn between different loyalties and forced to choose a side. (Similar stories can be found in C.J. Cherry's SF stories, particularly the Foreigner series, the Chanur saga and the Faded Sun trilogy. It's also similar to Dances With Wolves and Pocahontas, which uses similar core stories. No doubt there are many similar stories even older as well.) Now, I could rag on Avatar for not being more original by using this formula but I'm not going to. In fact, I think it's a strength of the film that it doesn't try to be completely original or have a complicated plot. It follows to KISS principle, and really, that's fine. (The Star Wars prequels did not, and suffered for it.) The characters could perhaps have been deeper, but the story is still plenty engaging, the visuals are fantastic and it has enough original little twists in the details that it stands very well on its own.
The concept of the avatar clone-hybrids is perhaps not completely original but it's an intriguing one. Also, the Na'vi neural interface to their planet and living things is perhaps the most plausible and serious take on a 'besouled nature' I've seen so far. I'm also very happy that the film team included the detail of ear movements into the Na'vi body language.
I mentioned that the visuals were stunning, and they are. Both the panoramas as well as small details like plants and animals. It's easy to share Jake's wonder as he sees and learn more about the planet and its life. The team who worked on the film made a very good job indeed on bringing an alien planet and its ecology to life. True, sometimes the glowing gets a bit obvious as a visual aid to show that the planet and nature is alive, but it's not too anviliscious.
The story like I said is simple and predictable. We get a bit of exposition about why the humans are there and what they want, then the main plot begins. Both heroes and villains are quite obvious, but neither is completely flat. The corporate minion isn't really happy about destroying the Na'vi's home and killing them, and to me at least it didn't seem just because it might generate bad press. He talks tough and play callous, but when the shots actually are fired, he isn't that happy about it. The security chief is a hard bastard, but he does care about his troops and he doesn't slaughter the Na'vi or bring down their home because he enjoys it, he is just very ruthless in getting the mission done. Of course, once Jake the Idiot (it makes sense if you've seen the movie ;)) start to oppose him and cause trouble, it gets personal.
Jake and Neytiri are played well by their respective actors, especially Zoe Saldana. Sam Worthington does a good job on portraying a physically crippled man whose spirit is anything but crippled and which drives him to try and do what he can despite his disadvantages. It makes they way he encounter and deal with the Na'vi and his conflicting loyalties quite in tune with his personality. Their characters aren't that deep as such, but they don't need to be for both the story and them to be engaging. Their romance is predictable but handled well in both pacing and how it's portrayed. Perhaps because it doesn't really take the focus except for a few occasions it doesn't feel too sugary, but it's still touching and they have good chemistry, particularly when Neytiri meets the human version of Jake.
Although the Big Corporation and its mercenary goons are quite unambiguously the villains of the film I was pleasantly surprised that the film on a closer scrutiny actually isn't a big bash on corporations. It's only when they let their greed take over and go too far by using force that they turn into the Bad Guys. Before that, they're just people doing a tough job a long way from home, and the film doesn't bash that. A small but significant distinction I think.
Alright, I do have one gripe. Why in the cold Hel did the horse clan do a frontal charge against people with that much ranged firepower? Haven't they heard of flanking and/or raiding tactics? I suppose it's because a frontal charge looks more impressive on film...
A mention also goes to the supporting cast. Trudy the pilot, Dr Grace, Norm the linguist and Tsu'tey's actors all put in a solid performance and helps fill out the film. Again, it's not that their characters are very deep, they're basically archetypes, but the performance they put in does make them seem like well-played archetypes and not just padding.
It might seem slow in parts but I think the pacing is actually done well considering the time compression they do, and the fact that things happen that we don't get to see is handled both well and subtly. The way the other two prospective ikran riders cheer Jake on when he's trying to subdue and bond with his ikran for example, shows that he's made connections to others in the clan besides Neytiri, and the way Dr Grace and particularly Norm treats Jake over time indicates how they interact with Jake outside of what we see too.
In conclusion, Avatar uses stunning visuals to tell a simple story, and the two enhance each other rather than letting either one trying to carry the film on its own.