Avatar

I managed to catch Avatar right before I left for the holiday break. Slightly hesitant at the hype surrounding James Cameron's triumphant return to the big screen, I admittedly braced myself to be disappointed...I wasn't.

By now most people have either seen the film or read summaries about it so I will spare another account of the film and simply jump right into my take:

I felt overall the movie was extremely well made. Plot-wise I was impressed. The characters were well developed, and nothing felt too forced. The political message, while there, was nothing that felt too imposed upon the viewer (though I have read some reviews that disagree). Often there was this tug to side with our heroic troops in the movie, while recognizing that in this particular film they are not the heroes. I particularly enjoyed the development of the Na'vi, the native inhabitants of Pandora. The language, rituals, and the sense of community of the Na'vi being a stark contrast to the militaristic and economic environment of the humans. While I found at times the plot seemed to drag, overall I found myself engaged in the struggle that was showcased on the screen. (side note: while I recognize that the 2+ hour long movie felt long I also recognize that for a film of this size a film shorter in length may not have done it justice)

Visually the movie was astounding and deserves all the praises heaped upon it. I was initially skeptical in learning the movie was in 3-D as my previous experience with 3-D movies have not been the best (i.e. nausea, jumpiness, etc.). I was pleasantly surprised to find that rather than applying the typical "images jutting out of the screen" technique used in many 3-D films Cameron instead chose to use the 3-D viewing as it was intended...to enhance the movie. My favorite part of the movie by far were the luminescent landscapes of Pandora, which was absolutely beautiful.

Overall, I highly recommend seeing this film in theatres, as the stunning visuals will just not be the same on the small screen.