Avatar

James Cameron’s latest production is without a doubt one of the most entertaining films of the last ten years. The idea was fresh, the plot was engaging, and the execution, at least from a theatrics standpoint, was phenomenal. Rarely are we impressed by “special effects” and CGI characters these days—Avatar manages to impress with flying, alien, 3D colors.

The script was a bit lacking in substance, relying a little too heavily on the beauty on the screen to carry the film. The cast also has its ups and downs. Sigourney Weaver is decent, but Michelle Rodriguez, as usual, was nigh unwatchable, turning in another standard performance, the general outline of which, after more than an hour of watching Lost, any viewer can predict. Sam Worthington does himself a good turn by playing a considerably more polished character than we’ve seen before, complete with the complex emotions he might have lacked in previous films. Giovanni Ribisi is probably the best actor on screen, turning in another in a long line of very solid supporting roles that never seem to push him over the top into the category of star actor, this time offering snark and ambition instead of his usual low-key role.

Thanks to the relentless sensory stimulation that Cameron’s world provides and the cool factor delivered by Zoe Saldana and Co., pointing out some of the film’s flaws of substance seems somewhat derivative. The entertainment factor really is that stellar. Everything looks incredibly real, and the engaging nature of the action is extraordinary, making each scene exploding (if seen in 3D, literally) with excitement and creativity. Pandora itself is a gorgeous place, and the quality of effects make scene after scene impressive on all accounts. The film executes its mission to entertain with flawless precision, dwarfing any less-desirable aspects with its inventiveness.