I thought Avatar was pretty decent. I mean, James Cameron didn't exactly go out on a limb and make the story complex or thought-provoking, but he had $280 million of his investors' money on the line. So the hero was a boy scout defending a tribe of innocent natives and their breathtakingly beautiful habitat from a corporate tool who would foreclose on his own grandmother and a cookie cutter military villain who practically started the picture with his puppy stompin' boots laced up. I agree, the film ignored the nuances of colonial exploitation and the interactions between two cultures meeting for the first time. But it was still really pretty, and when I saw it, most of the audience was on board with it from start to finish. All told, I got about as much out of the movie as I expected--an exciting, enjoyable, and stunningly rendered adventure story that entertained me for two and a half hours--and I guess you can't knock that. I don't think film theory PhDs will be writing any thesis papers on the thematic and narrative elements of Avatar, but it was worth the $18 for an IMAX ticket.
