A Motion Picture Masterpiece? No. A Film That Changes Cinema? Not Really. A Solid Good Time at the movies? Absolutely.

Rating: 6/10 (19 December 2009)

Cameron has directed some pretty stellar movies over his career. From Terminator to Alien to Titanic, he really hasn't made a bad movie. But after Titanic he spent the last decade making and trying to build up his new movie which he dubs "will change film making."
If he was intending on changing film making in the way that 3D glasses will be more acceptable in movies then he succeeded. If he was intending on creating new character archetypes and changing the way storytelling is done then he didn't. But despite the obvious "Dances with Smurfs" joke that everyone and their mother has already mentioned, the movie is pretty damn impressive. Sure it doesn't have the most original story but the execution is really well done.
For me this is really the first 3D movie that succeeds mainly because it doesn't feel like a gimmick is being forced on you. It's simply there to give you a more realistic feel and its easily the best looking movie of the year. Cameron's obvious strengths are in directing action sequences and this is easily seen in the final 40 minutes of the movie. As for the acting he did a pretty good job there too. Zoe Saldana is the star of the show and was obviously wasted in Star Trek. All the other actors are maybe a little above average and they advance the story very well.
On the script level, the film feels a bit clunky at points. Most notably is in the opening 20 minutes of the film where everything feels rushed. It jumps almost immediately into the story instead of easing us in. Also the last 40 minutes of the movie which is just a big action movie essentially, the script also feels dumbed down a bit. But despite this problem the script works more often then it doesn't.
As for the characters, although most of the acting is good, the characters are very two- dimensional. They're characters you seen in other movies before and nothing new is added to them. But the movie is really plot driven or character driven so it is easily overlooked.
Really this movie is all about the visuals and more importantly the 3D. I have had a really bad hatred for 3D in the past so when Cameron pulled this off by creating a subtle effect, it proved that 3D can work for a movie, even though the movie doesn't actually need it. But it's proof that it doesn't need to be shoved in your face. All the colours and effects of the movie make it feel more like a roller coaster. I won't spend to much on the story other than saying while not original or extremely deep, it is very well told and keeps the movie going.
So is it worth it? Don't go in expecting the most intelligent film of the year but you should expect the best looking one. Technologically Cameron did succeed on making his movie, changing cinema technically and even if it is slightly empty in the middle it is one hell of a good time at the movies. Especially in 3D.