Review: Avatar (the movie)

For over a month, now, I've been holding out on seeing Avatar. All the hype just sorta bored me, and I didn't want to be a sheep, like everyone else.

But occasionally, there's a reason for the sheep-herding. And it's just possible that there is a reason for Avatar to have been as popular as it was.

Sure, I bought the hype that it was all about the special effects. I also bought the hype that it was all propoganda for the leftist-antimilitary-environmentalist agenda. I also bought the hype that it was just a war movie with a love story.

Realistically, all true.

But. It was also a really great movie. Is it going to be "the Star Wars of the millenial generation"? Will it be to today's teenagers what "Lord of the Rings" was to me? Hmm. Not sure. That might take me some time to figure out. But I did think that Avatar was worth it. I'd pay the $7 again. Heck, I might even pay $10. I actually thought the love story was well-done. The war was a little over-the-top, and the antimilitary stuff was way over-the-top. As the cousin of a very patriotic soldier, I take offense at that. Straw Man. And unnecessary.

But the environmentalist stuff was dead-on, and I loved the story. All-in-all, I think I really liked the movie. After I have a bit to recover from the whole intense experience, I will probably watch it again. I really liked the characters, and the scenery, and the development. I actually thought it was well-written and interesting. But it is also a war movie. And it will be hard for me to watch for the same reason that the third Star Wars is hard for me to watch. I don't like watching the Empire massacre the Ewoks and their environment. It makes me cry. But I do like it that the Empire loses in the end, of course, so I still watch the third Star Wars. In fact, I just watched it recently.

Anyway, if I had to put a number on it, I'd probably give it 8/10. -1 for cheap shots that weren't necessary. -1 for being too long. Otherwise, I thought it was a stunning movie, and I would definitely pay to see it again.

Oh, and everyone really is right. You do need to see it in the theatre. Yes. You do.