Avatar

Way in the future... maybe like 70 years from now, after proposition 8 was finally revoked, and thanks to some genetic engineering, the blue man group has finally been able to marry amongst themselves and reproduce like rabbits. After touring the world for a few years, the planet finally runs out of oil, and due to lots of lobbying and red tape, their vehicles which still ran on diesel, aren't able to take them out of the rain forest and so they are stranded there for life, which at first is kind of a bummer, until they figure out their life is no different than that of Ewoks from the Star War series and so they embrace the lifestyle with a tree-hugging spirit....

Meanwhile, back in good old USA, satellites are tracking images throughout the globe in search of illicit drug plantations and/or some sort of material that will make the Holy Grail seem like some silly religious legend from the Middle Ages. And so it is that they find the properly named "Unobtanium" in, where of all places?, deep inside the Rainforest, which is now believed to be thousands of light years away (which is about right now that all the engines have run out of diesel), and is also properly named "Pandora".

And so the same old story of cowboys vs. Indians, civilization vs. local organic farmers, big government vs. running around naked anarchists, etc. etc., begins:

If you haven't watched Avatar, do not take my synopsis literally; only later on... (maybe 15 minutes into the movie), you'll find the similarities. The story works well, it's another one of those David vs. Goliath formulaic Epics, it's worked for David, why not now. On the other hand it has your typical underlying love story, and we know we're all suckers for a good love story so let's face it, James Cameron is a genius when it comes to film-making, he knows what works and he uses every resource available to put it in there.

The story touches on subjects that are politically correct without going into any really controversial issues. It promotes the protection of some sort of rain forest or natural reserve, it encourages equal employment opportunities for the handicapped and it faces the truth about current or previous wars being imposed on cultures that are "not up to standard" with ours or countries that happen to have some resources able to fuel the current pace of progress and growth.

As a technological breakthrough, it is well worth watching in 3-D. The visual experience is OUTSTANDING, and, when you come to think of it, movies are about visual experiences. I think I enjoyed watching Avatar even more than going to the zoo. I would say this movie is the equivalent to this decade's Star Wars or Matrix, (I've thought of this and heard it from other people too). Don't expect too much out of it in any other sense than the visual one, (like say, acting, story-telling, etc.), nonetheless I encourage everyone to scrape some $14 dollars from under the sofa and go Watch it at the theater, cause if you don't experience this one to it's full extent, then it kind of misses the point!