As for the flat-faced blue people you’ve seen everywhere, they’re amazingly realistic, capturing emotions in a more believable and likable way than Jar Jar Binks could have ever done. It’s hard to know whether or not to credit the actors or animators with this, but these guys will tug on your heartstrings and you’ll root for them to destroy the humans. That is an accomplishment.
Avatar’
Director: James Cameron
Stars: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver
Rating: PG-13
Grade: ➊➋➌➍➎
If James Cameron hadn’t spent however many bazillion dollars on “Avatar,” it would still hold up as a kickass action movie. Instead, it’s a kickass action movie with the best special effects you’ve ever experienced.
The only problem with the film is when it takes itself more seriously than a kickass action movie.
Cameron is heavy-handed with his message that Americans always seem to mess everything up with their ignorant brutishness. And his script suffers from dialogue that is typical of his films, with Sigourney Weaver uttering phrases such as “trigger-happy moron.” But by the time you realize that the plot is a bit like “Donnie Brasco” set in the year 2154, you’re immediately distracted by the leaves on the planet Pandora that are so realistic you almost want to brush them off your face.