A cornucopia of visuals and subliminal messaging

Rating: 6/10 (13 January 2010)

'Avatar' is simply astounding. The unfathomable volume of detail work that went into the creation and realization of Pandora and its beautiful inhabitants will blow your mind in almost every scene. Pandora's biology and interconnectivity instantly make it one of cinema's premier believable universes by Jake's first excursion. I saw the film twice in IMAX 3d and once without the 3d effects. While the normal version is just as pretty, the 3d version (without being gimmicky) is certainly worth the price of admission. Its gorgeous aesthetics aside, the technical innovations utilized to make this film happen are just as fascinating, and deserve consideration.
That being said, 'Avatar' is also the most elaborately gilded film I've ever seen. I rate it at an 6.5 merely for the superb inventiveness, beauty, and physics of its visuals. Aside from that, nearly every other aspect is ludicrously underwhelming.
While the thespians give solid and plausible performances, both its antagonist and politics are paper-thin, making for a very hollow experience. The story at 'Avatar's' core was long ago flogged to death by Hollywood, and the script is barely passable when considered by its parts. A multitude of hackneyed lines had me squirming in my seat too often for comfort. Its score, while mildly effective, is unoriginal.
Regardless, the visuals, especially the enchanting Na'vi, make this a "must-see" film. However, due to a few questionable facets, some of which were noted above, don't expect much stimulation outside of the visual, art direction or sound effect departments.
*Warning, there be spoilers here* On a completely subjective level, however blatant I consider it to be, this film is very racist. As a matter of fact, it is emphatically racist, and even uses the term "race" in lieu of the more appropriate "species" at least twice in the film. Its derivative "white male invades indigenous faction, bests them at all of their own livelihood, achieves hegemony" formula is repulsive in retrospect, and brings to mind films such as 'Dances with Wolves,' 'Fern Gully,' Disney's 'Pocahontas,' 'Dune,' 'Last Samurai,' et al. Perhaps this was intended by Cameron to stir controversy by making an absurdly high investment in something so laden with white guilt. Then again, he simultaneously takes stabs at industrialized white nations, with lines such as "we will fight terror with terror," a main character with the surname "Sully", or central plot points consisting of unjustified mining prospects. These all highlight problems America herself has incurred, such as the Middle Eastern conflicts, the impossible endeavor of "going green," or the inherent greed of capitalism (respectively).
Ultimately, this visually peerless film, featuring a cliché-riddled script and familiar story, is far more than meets the eye. See it yourself and make these considerations, or don't. These are just the opinions of a single lover of cinema.