From NetFlix:
Disabled Marine Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) travels to planet Pandora to become an avatar, ingratiate himself with the natives and help Americans mine lucrative unobtainium. But he finds himself in an interstellar conflict after falling for Na’vi warrior Neytiri (Zoe Saldana). James Cameron writes and directs this Golden Globe-winning CGI odyssey that has broken box office records. Sigourney Weaver and Stephen Lang co-star.
To see this film in IMAX 3D is an unforgettable experience in sight and sound. After three hours of pounding sounds my ears were numb. Also after the three hours I was physically tired, probably from the tension and never ending fast action. Bt it was worth it. According to the Wikipedia article, work on the film started in 1994. I can appreciate why it took 15 years to produce. The amount of detailed graphics are overwhelming. It took a wonderful creative imagination to invent such a beautiful planet and amazing creatures.
As for the content, possibly less said the better. Gosh, in 2154 we nasty humans are treating the Na’Vi just the same way we treated the American Indians. Gosh aren’t American corporations greedy bastards ? Gosh aren’t U.S. Marines unfeeling brutes ? Gosh will Sigourney Weaver ever escape her “fighting strange monsters” pigeon hole ? And who on earth is Sam Worthington ?
Personally I wouldn’t mind a ride on one of those dragon critters.
OK for kids as long as you don’t mind them losing their hearing and having nightmares.
I didn’t get to see this in IMAX but did see it in 3D. Precisely the same sentiment as you, Tony: visually stunning … breathtaking even at some points. But the plot is a clunker, the dialogue stilted. I honestly can’t believe this is seriously being considered for best picture, nor that it’s become the highest grossing film of all time. I imagine it will be truly terrible on DVD/ TV, until we can get affordable 3D TVs, by which time the revolutionary 3D imagery will already feel old hat, and people will wonder why on earth (on Pandora?) so many people went to see this … perhaps just because they knew that, unlike most films, this one *had* to be seen at the cinema.