I saw it twice, once in 3D on a regular-sized screen, and once on a normal screen. Avatar is a great film. I was initially disappointed in the quality of the computer generated images from viewing the trailers. But these trailers don’t reveal the high quality visuals of the film. If your concern is that the film looks too much like a video game for you to suspend disbelief then believe me when I tell you that the cgi isn’t something you need to worry about.

The cgi in Avatar is amongst the best to date. And the Navi themselves are amazing. The textures and cgi for the skin, hair, cloth, leather, war paint, are top notch. Close ups during the film confirm this. And I believe if footage of Jake Sully’s avatar was somehow taken out of the film and put in a live action film like Transformers or X-men 2(X2) it would be shown to be photo-realistic.

The 3D effect was excellent - a potent tool to take the viewer into the film. This was my first experience seeing a 3D film and what a great introduction it was. But the cgi and the 3D aren’t what make the film great, its Jake Sully, Neytiri, and other characters that you emotionally connect with(even Colonel Miles Quaritch, the film’s major bad guy, is well portrayed). It’s because of elements like this that Avatar soars. This is what makes this a classic and not a forgettable special effects film like so many others that have already come out this year.

In his absence from directing commercial films James Cameron has lost none of his skills. He is still able to make characters that you care about and put them in situations that excite you, make you happy or sad. And in Avatar he uses new tools in the form of cgi and 3D to assist in the film-making process but never forgets its story and characters first. Bravo.

Avatar is highly recommended.