Avatar Rocks the House!

Avatar… n. [Skt avatarah descent fr. Avatarati he descends fr. Ava – away tarati he crosses over….] (1784) 1 : the incarnation of a Hindu deity (as Vishnu) 2 a : an incarnation in human form b : an embodiment (as of a concept or philosophy) often in a person 3 : a variant phrase or version of a continuing basic entity 4 : an electronic image that represents and is manipulated by a computer user (as in a computer game or an online shopping site)
[From Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, Eleventh Edition]

I saw James Cameron's Avatar a few days ago. It has breathtaking special effects, and is a pretty good story. I thought it had a brief slow period in the middle, and almost got just a little too Disney, based on the amount of time his avatar spent orienting to the native way of life. I suppose it was necessary for the story development. However, the climactic ending is superb! Disney on steroids! It will probably be the first movie to gross over a billion dollars. It is an absolute must-see. Be sure and see it in XD 3D. It is very, very cool.

Avatar is a spectacular movie, a great achievement for James Cameron, and a milestone in movie making. All the hype is for real and well-deserved. The XD 3D version comes so close to actually putting the viewer in the jungle with the characters. I wonder if the next innovation will be infusing the theater with the aroma of the jungle, so that the viewer smells the flora; or infusing the theater with the humidity of the jungle, so that the viewer feels the atmosphere. Who knows? I'll stand in line to buy a ticket for that milestone, too.

Avatar is a beautiful movie: part science fiction, part action-drama and part love story. James Cameron, the man who has been called “the scariest man in Hollywood," has once again set the bar very high for other filmmakers. I know I will have to go see Avatar again, in the same way a poem should be read twice.