Absolutely astounding fantasy extravaganza. I was entirely immersed in this lush vortex of lively colors filled with floating mountains, living forests, glowing plants, thundering waterfalls, nimble beasts, flying dragon-birds, indigenous unicorns and Na'vis with bows and arrows.
Never before seen such photo-realistic, life-like CGIs. Simply put, we're finally there... Arguably the most celebrated, avant-garde director of our times, James Cameron really did it! Visionary and brilliant, he broke through the motion-capture tech frontier and breathes life into these tall, lithe, sparkly blue horse-cat like creatures with expressive faces and gracefully fluid movements. One of my most favorite scenes was the initiation of the young hunter into adulthood through flying navigation lessons. I felt like soaring and steering along.
Dazzling spectacles aside, the core story has emotional and spiritual connections between the characters and nature. The blazing guns and bombs and robotic machines come charging signify the intense destruction of the planet, and the struggle to preserve and protect its existence and longevity. The war of the two worlds, a hybrid of computer animation and live action, can feel a little laborious at times, but the cartoonish villain captain provides the needed relief. And "Avatar" is not just a technically stunning sci-fi, it also has an underlying love story with real human moments. You'll understand when it gets to "I.see.you" scene closer to the end.
All in all, I was immensely amazed and amused, "Avatar" is magical.