From Craig Detweiler of Purple State of Mind:

A couple of weeks ago, I saw 30 minutes of the most anticipated movie in years. It is reportedly the most expensive feature film ever. James Cameron has wanted to make it for a decade, but had to wait for the technology to catch up to his vision. I thought it had so much potential to revolutionize entertainment that I entitled my next book, Halos and Avatars. I am fascinated by the cultural implications of avatars and virtual worlds, especially in the word’s derivation from the Hindu notion of divine descent.
Not since the first time I saw Star Wars have I felt so giddy, so transported by sheer visual splendor and delight. Viewers will call friends and family, describing scenes with boundless enthusiasm. Teenagers will be recreating scenes in their backyards. Few will be satisfied seeing it just once. James Cameron and his team have created an eye-popping spectacle that will enthrall filmgoers. Avatar is the real (digital) deal.
Like many, I was not impressed by the teaser trailer. The big blue characters were off-putting. The action sequences resembled video games we’ve all played. But the 3-D, big screen experience is another story. I quickly forget I was watching digital characters. The performance capture technology blows away any lingering doubts created by the creepy humans in The Polar Express or Beowulf. Avatar delivers on all the hopes and promises of a technological breakthrough. But it never calls attention to the trickery. It is rooted in a compelling story, sweeping us up in an epic journey.
For those who want to experience the film with as much ignorance as possible, do not proceed. But for fanboys and girls who cannot resist the urge to know more, slight spoilers (but mostly ravenous raves) follow:
To Cameron’s considerable credit, Avatar doesn’t depend upon 3-D tricks to wow the audience. Things rarely pop off the screen into the viewers’ space. Jim Gianopulos described Avatar as “not poking things out, but bringing the audience into the world.” A space shuttle approaches a distant moon, Pandora. But not with the original “wow” factor of Star Wars’ famous opening shot. Why duplicate or imitate that which has gone before. Cameron seems confident that Avatar has plenty of thrills to come. So sit back, relax, and get to know the characters.
We are introduced to a wheelchair bound Marine, Jake Sully. Aussie actor Sam Worthington brings considerable presence to the role. He seems weary, wise, and eager to experience a virtual escape. His commanding officer, Colonel Miles Quaritch, briefs his soldiers on all of the volatile threats on Pandora. While we’ve seen the crusty army veteran berate the troops before, we haven’t seen the land they’re about to sneak into. In the lab, Sam comes face to face with his avatar, a blend of his DNA with the native Na’vi. It is an enchanting first encounter with timely connections to the recent announcement of 13 new stem cell lines. Scientists like Dr. Grace Augustine introduce Jake to the procedure. (So great to see Sigourey Weaver on screen in another James Cameron movie!). The researchers’ computer monitors float across the screen in glorious 3-D. It makes the future seem quite attractive.
Avatar really starts to take off when Jake wakes up in his new Na’vi body. Finally freed from his paralysis, Jake relishes the bright blue, 10-foot version of himself. He is swept up in this new creation. He cannot wait for instructions or tests. Jake breaks out of the lab. We are equally eager to join him on his adventure.
The jungle of Pandora is remarkably vivid. The attention to detail poured into each frame is thrilling. The insects, the leaves, and the creatures all shimmer and glow. Grace serves as Jake’s spirit guide, talking him through the environment. The monsters they encounter resemble nothing we’ve seen before. While Jason and the Argonauts offered a single stop-motion creature to battle, Avatar teems with entire families and abundant species that must be outfoxed.
The dark vision of The Matrix was fascinating. The abundant splendor of The Lord of the Rings was enchanting. Avatar combines the best of both those worlds. It is scary and beautiful, wild and wonderful all at the same time. Jake is discovering how to move, how to fight, how to survive in a foreign land. We are equally disoriented, not knowing whether to laugh or scream at any given moment. Pandora feels deliriously alive, a throwback to the garden of Eden, or at least the rain forests as we’d like to reimagine them—unspoiled, untamed, limitless in their secrets and species.
There is some irony that Avatar employs the most rigorous technology in a story about saving native cultures and habitats. Cameron’s digitized world makes us value God’s glorious creation anew. Some critics may carp at James Horner’s score that echoes world music we’ve heard before. Plenty will complain about Cameron’s clunky dialogue that is easily translated for filmgoers around the world. Native peoples may not appreciate the comparisons that will be drawn between themselves and the alien Na’vi. Yet, Avatar clearly wants to offer a warning and wake up call. Our allegiance (and Jake’s) will side with the Na’vi rather than the humans.
I will not speculate on how much emotion audiences will invest in the characters. I saw only 30 minutes of a ripping two and half hour yarn. But I would never bet against James Cameron. Titanic combined romance and wreckage, soul and spectacle. It started modestly and built tension and attention (at the box office). There appear to be plenty of bullets flying in Avatar’s final battle sequence. We saw flashes of tanks, spaceships, and soldiers facing off against spears. As a parent, I will respect the PG-13 rating. There are far too many beasts to haunt the dreams of younger viewers. But for anyone wanting to experience visceral thrills, Avatar is your movie. For those who want their imaginations reignited, Pandora is your place. For people who want to remember why they first fell in love with the movies, James Cameron serves up a roaring mnemonic aid.