You could do worse

Rating: 6/10 (22 January 2010)

Hailed as a "game changer" for movies going forward, this really just feels like a Disney movie helmed by the guy who did Aliens. And that is what we get.
Pocohontas in 3D. That is what Avatar is. There isn't much else to be gleamed here. Sure the film is a near apology of the militaristic and weaponry worship James Cameron peppered his other films with. But at the end of the day, it's still just Pocahontas.
Don't get me wrong. There are one or two wow scenes, and they are not dependent on 3D. But it really feels like Cameron wrote the final battle, then worked backward to make sure all his pay-offs fit just right. Kinda thin folks. And though it does keep you going to the credits, I won't be paying to see it again and this is in no way a "game changer."
As for the benefits of 3D? By this point I've seen half a dozen movies in 3D theatrically in the last couple years and Avatar has not changed what I felt about the experience. With some exception, after about 15 minutes, the sensation of 3D wears off. Your eyes adjust and you are still left with a somewhat lumbering two and a half hour movie. Also, in 3D, the imagery is soft and in 90% of the movie, it contributes nothing. But hey, its worth it just so you can say you saw it in 3D right?
Not bad, not great. James Cameron definitely takes to his characters a lot more than George Lucas does, but like the new Star Wars, it seems the toys, not the story are what his films are about now.