I can't give this a score. That will have to wait for the sequel.

Rating: Null/10 (8 February 2011)

I have often seen two trains of thought regarding avatar: "this is the next Star Wars!" or "this is trash!" I think it's far too hasty to jump to either conclusion. When will it not be? When the sequel comes out of course!
Half the actors were great, while the other half were kind of dry. There was no point when I didn't know exactly what was going to happen next, and what little moral ambiguity did present itself was downplayed as much as possible. The dialogue wasn't corny, but it too was entirely predictable.
So let's get one thing straight. Avatar is a B-Movie, plain and simple, with every nearly every trope you'd expect from a B-Movie. Although being a lover of B-Movies myself, I didn't mind this.
James Cameron himself said Avatar was the film he wanted to see when he was fourteen, which is obviously code for, "this film is meant for teenagers." But in spite of all of this, I do have to admit that the visual and sound effects, music, pacing, action, and editing were all virtually perfect. That, plus everything I've said above, pretty much summarizes the viewing experience of Star Wars in 1977.
But those of both trains of thought: "this is the next Star Wars!" and "this is trash!" forget one very important thing. The very best part of Star Wars, was The Empire Strikes Back! Star Wars had an entirely predictable pot, dialogue, and virtually no moral ambiguity. And if that movie stood alone, it would likely have been forgotten despite being the movie that coined the term, "blockbuster." What made Star Wars extraordinary, and what cemented it as an icon of American cinema, was the sequel and ultimate conclusion. The Empire Strikes Back wasn't predictable. You couldn't tell what exactly was going to happen during Luke's training with Yoda, or to Han Solo and Princess Leia at Cloud City. There was moral ambiguity in the form of Han Solo and Lando Calrisian's interactions. And in 1980, "No, I am your father!" was the most stunning plot twist ever! Star Wars was idolized for its visual and sounds effects and damned for its plot, just as Avatar is now. But as I said before, The Empire Strikes Back made A New Hope what it is today.
So I can't pass judgment on Avatar just yet. That will have to wait for the sequel. Hopefully it *will* be unpredictable, it *will* have moral ambiguity, and it *will* be more character drivel than plot driven. If the sequel has all of these things, and does them well, Avatar may be cemented as something truly great. If not, I will likely call the whole franchise, "trash!" Any movie buff out there who says, "how could you possibly reserve judgment for a movie based on a sequel that's at least two years away?" I respond, "How could you have done that in 1977?" There was no cognitive antecedent for it back then, but there is now.