Avatar Movie Review: Part 1

This is going to be a two part review of the movie Avatar! The first one is the original, not in 3D and the second will be in 3D which I'll be seeing soon.

Avatar's $237 million budget makes it one of the most expensive movies ever produced. The hype for this movie was insane and if you're worried that it won't live up to it, don't be. James Cameron manages to not only use groundbreaking technology for visual effects, but he does it well and lives up to the hype surrounding Avatar. This movie is incredible.
Like I said, the visual effects are what really make this movie as great as it is. From the beginning of the movie, it is very clear that Avatar isn't like anything you've seen in a movie before. From handheld computer screens to the Na'vi people to the world itself, everything was stunning to look at. Everything looks so beautiful that you actually feel a connection to the world and everything in it.
The story is basic but far from bad. Some plot points have been done but it's not a major flaw.
The acting was good. You can feel the connection between the characters. A great performance from Zoe Saldana (also in the Star Trek movie) who plays Neytiri. She acts as a Na'vi the whole time and does a great job. Sam Worthington as Jake Sully also did a great job. I think his voice was perfect for the role as he had to do a lot of narrating.
The movie is long. Just under three hours, but I saw this movie at 9:30 and got out past midnight and I was entertained throughout the whole film.
Anyway, Avatar is definately a must see. One of the best films of the year. Come back for my review of the 3D version of the movie in a couple of days!

-Josh CV

PS: To those of you who said I probably didn't like Paranormal Activity because of the hype, this movie had waaaaaay more hype than PA. The difference between this movie and that one is that Avatar is actually good and could live up to that hype. If a movie goes around saying its the scarriest movie of the last 30 years, it should probably be at least the scarriest movie of the year. It wasn't and anyone who thought it was probably saw The Exorcist as a kid and hasn't watched a scarry movie since... Just sayin'.