This is the BIG one.

Rating: 9/10 (18 December 2009)

James Cameron's Avatar is the reason why I love movies. Avatar revolutionized my viewing experience once more just as Star Wars did.
Starting with the plot and characters, others were right about the lack of originality in the story and some underdeveloped characters. I thought the characters weren't for us to know them but to 'feel' them. It was as if I was with Jake and Neytiri every step of the way, it was like a 'bond' as one of the movie's many themes suggests. I thought the story was told very well.
I haven't seen Dances with Wolves but I could compare the film's story to Disney's Pocahontas. You could easily point out who is mirroring who and pretty much what's going to happen to them. Still, this was executed wonderfully that even if you knew where it's all going you still feel the thrill. Somewhere in the middle I lost my way for a while then quickly got back as things started heating up. I pretty much understand now why some people didn't like the movie for it's plot and character development. Overall having seen it my way, it's Epic.
Acting is credible on both the live and computerized characters. The indigenous Na'vis looked and acted so real that you'd sometimes think them as better actors than the real ones. Not that the real actors did a bad job or anything like that.
The visuals are nothing I've seen of before. I almost forgot to take a breath, my brain was stimulated to the awesomeness that is Pandora. A very unique and memorable experience. Ten years in the making resulted in nearly flawless detailing. It's worth every buck. This isn't just eye candy, it's an eye buffet.