3 out of 5

Director: James Cameron

Oh, James Cameron, how I wish to hate you. Look: everything you read about Avatar’s simple story is true. But that’s a cheap criticism, considering that the majority of films mine the same plot points over and over. When you get to big budget extravaganzas like this, the real question is: does it entertain? And while Avatar is totally over-long, darned if it don’t. This IS worth paying for. The 3-D I could take or leave, and these may be “ground-breaking” effects, but when two CG-ish creatures start making out, it still doesn’t quite seem real. But still – solid, exciting entertainment, with great battles and a nice enemy you can hate. (You know, because he’s so one-dimensional.) So if you hated on Titanic, go see this fully satisfied that it’s not a “great movie.” But if you later watched Titanic and wiped away a tear when realizing that that dern Cameron knows how to spend money, then don some stupid clunky 3D glasses, empty your bladder for the 3-hour film, and let some snazzy popcorn movie ethics thrill ya’.