Definitely see Avatar in 3-D.  The story draws on familiar sources – more on that in a minute – but the look of the film is fresh with 3-D a welcome enhancement here.  I really felt as if I were being drawn into a new world in a way that was more appealing and realistic than simply fantastic.  After awhile, I saw Pandora as a real place, lovely and real.

The story is fairly standard James Cameron with some lines of dialogue that land with a thud and some characters that seem one-dimensional.  The narrative structure is grounded in the familiar terrain of the hero’s journey (Joseph Campbell) and embedded with contemporary touchstones like corporate greed, military hubris, and the exploitation of natural resources.  Those themes fit well with some of the progressive tendencies revealed in Cameron’s work over time.

Most of the time (The Abyss, Aliens, Terminator and Terminator II) Cameron exhibits a progressive bent in terms of gender depictions on screen (I admit that True Lies and Titanic are exceptions that have irritated and disappointed me.   Avatar does offer some expansive roles for women, including Sigourney Weaver, and it’s nice to see her back on board in a strong role.

A close friend of mine said her son described Avatar as “Dances With Wolves in space” (credit here to Jordan Beil).  I had to chuckle because the thought did cross my mind that Cameron may have been in touch with his inner Native American when crafting this story.  Avatar leaves no doubt about whose way of life is better, and that honor does not belong to the usurpers who look like us.

That was not a spoiler! I’m willing to bet you already knew it from the preview trailers.

By the way, if you’ve never see the director’s cut of The Abyss, I recommend it.  Sometimes more is more, and the additional scenes in this film make the fine original even better.  (For the record, I feel the same way about Apocalypse Now Redux – longer but better so that it actually feels shorter.)