Review: Avatar

In order to review Avatar, I first have to take off my pretentious-movie-reviewer-guy hat and put on my I'm-a-nerd-and-just-want-to-be-entertained +2 fire defense cape.

Yes, the film is written and directed by James "Let's Blow Shit Up" Cameron. And yes, the story is obnoxiously predictable (One scene, I swear, is ripped straight out of Fern Gully. Yes, THAT Fern Gully. And "Unobtainium?" Seriously?). And yes, some of the dialogue and acting is atrocious. But, honestly, I have a hard time complaining when I'm having this much fun.

I finally got around to seeing the bajillion dollar epic in IMAX 3D on the largest screen in the state and, so help me, I thoroughly enjoyed myself. The nearly three hour run time flew by as my brain was bombarded by so many beautiful images I'm now mad at the real world for being so bland.

The pace is quick and you actually care about the characters making up the stereotypical love story at the heart of the tale. Zoe Saldana as the female lead, Neytiri, is so fierce and passionate, you can't help but have an emotional reaction to many of her scenes. And she's a freaking CG 10-foot-tall Smurf, so that's saying something.

Avatar is a triumph of technology, an action-packed adventure and an experience any movie fan should have, even at the cost of forgetting themselves for a few measly hours so they can just sit back and enjoy the damn ride.