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Review: Avatar

Rating: ***

Nonna's Rating: $$$ (in 3D)

Rotten Tomatoes: 83%

For the first hour or so of Avatar, James Cameron's long-awaited science fiction film, I was enthralled. The visuals were stunning and the 3D complemented the storytelling (earning my 3 star rating). The movie unfolds as a visual tour de force. Then, about 65 minutes into the film, I came to my senses. The movie wasn't made for me; it was made for 12 year-old-boys. Not that there's anything wrong with that. The little dears will revel in the protracted battle scenes and the noise, and they'll be oblivious to the sad fact that Cameron writes some of the most stilted dialog ever filmed. (We are somewhat saved from groaning because most of lines delivered by the Na 'vi, the natives of Pandora, are in their language -- developed meticulously for the film.)

An even bigger problem, however, is that the storyline is as old as discussions of the "noble savage" -- a terminology wrongly attributed to Rousseau but nevertheless popularized in the 18th century as the concept that unspoiled "native" peoples are inherently more moral than those of "civilized" societies. As one critic pointed out, this film is basically a remake of Dances with Wolves. It's also a rehashing of too many off-world science fiction plots. It is one of the most predictable films I've ever seen.

Nonna's Ratings:

$$$$ = Worth paying the Friday evening price
$$$= Worth paying the Matinee price
$$= Worth a rental
$ = Wait for cable
# = Skip it