Technically brilliant

Rating: 9/10 (22 February 2010)

I've waited a long time for an opportunity to see "Avatar" and I've been eagerly anticipating it. Technically, in terms of the absolutely amazing visual effects and the use of 3D, it was fantastic, I've never seen anything like it. I was mesmerised by the illuminated vegetation and of course the amazing animals. The 3D was superb and really enhanced the film, instead of just being a gimmick. From the point of view of the story, as a science fiction fan of some 50 years, I have to say it didn't strike me as terribly original, in fact parts of it were a pastiche of concepts distilled from decades of SF novels. Some little touches like the six-legged horses came straight from Robert Heinlein's "Glory Road", for example, and I could name a couple of dozen dragon-riding tales. That apart, it was still a thought-provoking film and overall I found it a most enjoyable experience. I wasn't disappointed.