Predictable plot, but very enjoyable and visually breathtaking

Rating: 8/10 (19 December 2009)

Who ever saw the trailer will be able to predict the plot of this film (such as it exists) in detail - no surprises here whatsoever. But, reasons to watch the film go well past excellent special effects, masterfully choreographed battle scenes and tastefully employed 3D enhancements. Imagery of Pandora (the planet where the story takes place) and its life is breathtaking, and ecology is well thought-out and remarkably consistent. Even "planet as a deity" aspect has a convincing explanation.
I don't blame Cameron for "lifting" the plot from, say, _Dances with Wolves (1990)_ (qv), as some reviewers do (a more appropriate plot comparison would be to Ursula Le Guin's novel "The Word for World Is Forest", anyway). There is a small number of "archetypal" plots that get interpreted over and over again, and this is one. Likewise, some reviewers blame Cameron for introducing a "great white hero" as a "deus ex machina", as if the locals were incapable of fending for themselves. Again, wrong: sometimes it takes an outsider, someone unencumbered by the traditional way of thinking, to find a solution by doing the unthinkable. In this case, it was Sully asking Mother Eywa to take sides.
One commenter trashed the film as "Eko-pacifist propaganda". Well, I guess he prefers Fascist propaganda; I don't.
Cameron is quoted as saying he had stories for two sequels ready. I believe they will be used - this film is material for a "Star Wars" successor.