Ethnic stereotypes and new-age mysticism

Rating: 7/10 (1 May 2010)

The plot can be summarized as: imperialist invader falls in love with rebellious indigenous girl. He steals the girl from the prince of the tribe, who he beats down several times. By the end he is the tribe's savior and they literally bow before him. Cameron's 'Navi' are a new-age idealized hodge-podge of African and native American, with some Eastern mysticism thrown in to cover all bases. If it weren't all so innocuous it may have been offensive. Some of the dialog and ethnic cliché's are laugh out loud bad.
The corporate invaders are equally one dimensional and mostly serve the purpose of cannon fodder. Thankfully Cameron truly delivers in this area and the action scenes are first rate. Avatar's cgi is as organic and innovative as has been said. The military design aesthetic is reminiscent of Aliens including an army of supercharged mech-suits, an upgrade from Sigourney Weaver's in the final mother alien showdown scene.
Avatar is a movie without a sense of irony that takes itself far more seriously than a sci-fi action movie should. However Cameron has the visual flair to get away with it.