Believe the hype. Well, almost...

Let me get this out of the way first: Avatar is the best 3D movie ever made. Although it doesn't quite deliver on the lofty "revolution in film-making" claims made by director James Cameron, it is definitely the best example of the technology to date.

I went into this movie with quite a lot of expectation and I'm glad to say that I didn't leave the cinema disappointed.There is so much to admire about Avatar, mainly from a technical and visual standpoint. The skill and attention to detail employed by the artists, designers, animators and technicians to bring to life the world of Pandora, and its myriad of creatures, is nothing short of breathtaking. I would say that it's the most complete and believable realisation of an alien planet ever committed to film, surpassing even the recent Star Wars prequels in terms of detail. Science fiction movies of this scale, and with this much ambition, rarely come along, and I doubt one will be made like it for some time. Cameron set himself and his crew a mammoth task in making this film, and they've pulled it off with style.
The Na'vi alien race are a triumph. At times, they are scarily lifelike. At many points throughout the film, I completely forgot they were just data in a computer and accepted them as living, breathing creatures. Following their work on Lord of the Rings and King Kong, the talented team at WETA have now proved themselves to be the undisputed masters of realistic character creation and animation. The range of expression and movement these characters have is head and shoulders above anything seen in other movies.

Sadly, the story of Avatar just feels a little flat compared to the visuals. The film is littered with clunky, almost comic-book-style, expositional dialogue, and the material itself seems overly familiar. Nature Vs technology is a well worn idea, as is the "outsider accepted by the natives" concept. Direct comparisons can be drawn to other films - Dances With Wolves and The Last Samurai spring immediately to mind. And there are echoes of many other movies, from Ferngully and Last of the Mohicans to Cameron's own Aliens.
There are some nice character and dialogue moments, which are mostly saved for the hard-as-granite marine Col. Quaritch (played magnificently by Stephen Lang), and company slime-ball Parker Selfridge (essentially the Carter Burke character from Aliens), played by Giovanni Ribisi.
Sigourney Weaver does well with the material she's given, playing the stern but fair scientist, Dr Augustine, and Zoe Saldana gives an impressive "performance" as Na'vi warrior, Neytiri.
Sam Worthington is a likeable lead, although, strangely, I felt he was more charismatic as a Na'vi than he was in human form. Maybe that was deliberate to help bring the CGI creation to life.

James Horner's score is effective, if a little unmemorable and hackneyed. At times, he seems to riff on his own score from Aliens. Oh, and be warned, the song that plays over the end credits is horrible - I suspect Cameron and Horner are hoping to score another "My Heart Will Go On" style hit.

My other major gripe with the film is that it's about 20 mins too long. The movie feels a little flabby as a result.
Still, Avatar is movie not to be missed. It has many flaws, but there's no denying the sheer spectacle and enjoyment of it all.