Here's a quick review I wrote on my Facebook page:
This film was excellent: the plot was derivative, but not enough so that it fails to carve out its own identity. The visuals and 3-D were incredible, and I greatly enjoyed thy fact that James Cameron created Pandora, a world that is more or less plausible, especially when considering that the planet itself is a consciousness, making the film seem that much more real. The villians' stauntch imperialistic natures are reminiscent of the actions of Britain and other European powers in the 17th and 18th century, and the fact that stories not too different from this actually occurred between Western settlers and American natives makes this a plot rooted in history. My only complaints would be that the dialogue was occasionally awkward or misplaced, and that the environmental message gets slightly out of hand for a second or two. Still, this is by far the greatest film of 2009, and proves that James Cameron, unlike some of his collegues, still has what it takes to create a resonating, feel-good blockbuster. Well done, sir!
Also, for those who think this is just Dancing with Wolves,
http://www.mcnblogs.com/thehotblog/archive...vatar_does.html