James Cameron's lead character Sully

Nothing is rational about the movie itself, and that seems to be what the audience enjoys about Avatar and its other-worldly sets. With all of the stress people cope with throughout the holidays, it is a treat to take a few hour break and be transported to another place and time such as with this instant classic movie.

Certainly one could say that this movie is based partly on science, and partly on art. My first impression of the movie was that James Cameron basically had an orgasm on film — not literally of course. Every minute detail of the imagery is controlled to create the kind of total fantasy world that took me away for the duration of the movie.

My one headscratcher during the movie is that there is a particular flying critter, the largest in the land, that appears made of silk materials. Perhaps it was intentional to distinguish the role the critter would later play in the climax of the movie? It just seemed a little less natural of a skin than the other creatures brought to life from Cameron’s imagination.

The story is just ok enough to not matter too much as compared to the staggering shock and awe of the visuals. The plot is somewhat tried and true and I cannot blame the studio and James Cameron for playing it safe, since the special effects are such a monumental leap forward for Hollywood.

Go see Avatar in IMAX 3D to see the whole movie. Without the 3D, some of the grandeur of the movie is not present.