A very enjoyable movie, but not Shakespeare.

Rating: 6/10 (4 January 2010)

*Warning, contains spoilers*
I went to see this movie with an open mind, expecting a blockbuster from the genius who directed Terminator 2 and Titanic. Now, the first thing to notice is that the graphics are excellent. Easily the best special effects i have ever seen, anywhere. But, unfortunately for this film, special effects do not make a movie. The story left much to be desired, being the old recycled story of "Soldier goes to live with oppressed natives, comes to love natives, turns against his own people and fights with natives" (See: Pocahontas, Fern Gully, Dances with wolves). The acting was 10/10 and very believable, the CG characters especially showed lots of emotion. The action is great, and there are lots of adrenaline-fueled fight scenes. I often see this film compared to District 9, and, after seeing the film i cant help but bring this comparison to question. On a budget of 30 million USD, District 9 told the story of alien refugees, stranded on earth. The tale was gritty and realistic, with a compelling story and excellent action sequences. I cant help but compare the "Na'Vi" of Avatar to the "Prawns" of District 9. Graphically, they are very similar (one being realistic, the other being fantasy of course) and in both "species" emotion was very well represented. But the Prawns were so much more believable than the Na'Vi, they felt like a genuine race, a culture, whereas the Na'Vi feel like what they are, computer generated, blue cat people. Despite the excellent special effects, i would have expected more on a budget of 500 million USD. All in all, it was a very enjoyable film, but lacked substance and originality. If you want to see a riveting tale of love and war, don't watch Avatar, but if you want to see a sci-fi action thriller, then go ahead. 6/10