This week we take a look at the much-hyped James Cameron project, Avatar (PG-13).

In his first film since 1997’s Titanic, Cameron shows us a distant planet (Pandora) 140 years in the future where a (presumably) American corporation is attempting to displace the planet’s native, humanoid species in order to mine a valuable natural resource. Sam Worthington stars as a marine who is placed in a genetically engineered “Avatar” of one of the natives in an attempt to infiltrate their community. Sigourney Weaver costars.

Ryan: It seems premature to argue whether or not Avatar is a great film this early in the ball game. But with all the hype and buzz surrounding Cameron’s first major feature in twelve years maybe a rush to judgment is somewhat justified. In a lot of ways I do believe that Avatar has lived up to its hype. Visually speaking it’s near-perfect. As a sci-fi movie this is one of those rare films where the special effects are seamlessly integrated into the live action filming. But after only one viewing I’m not convinced yet that Avatar is truly a transcendent movie.

Andy: Any conversation about the good things about this movie must begin with the visual effects. I don’t know that this is going to revolutionize filmmaking as many people are claiming, but I will say that I watched it in 3D, and it was unlike anything I’ve seen before. Most of the movie takes place in the lush forests of Pandora, where most of the creatures seem to have extra legs and most of the vegetation lights up when touched. What could have simply been weird for the sake of weird visuals, in 3D becomes the film’s crowning achievement. This world is amazing to look at, and Cameron’s use of the 3D technology gives you the impression of actually being there more than any other movie I’ve seen.

Ryan: Cameron’s skill as a filmmaker is in full-effect here. As I said earlier Cameron is a master of bringing his vision to light. With a combination of motion-capture technology and traditional CGI effects Cameron has created cinematically a beautifully fully-realized exotic world. But even more than that, I give Cameron a lot of credit for producing an action spectacle that is clean in regard to its effects but also with its action as well. Unfortunately most current big action epics are nothing but noise. It’s nice to watch a big action flick where one can actually tell what’s going on with regard to the action on the screen.

Andy: While the landscape is nothing short of amazing, it goes a long way to distract the viewers from how ridiculous the native giant blue cat people look. It also distracts us from a storyline that tries way too hard to seem important, and ends up being a minor league version of the allegory so artfully done earlier this year in District 9. Cameron’s movies have always come across as interesting ideas that don’t quite pan out as narratives, and once again it is flat dialogue that stands in the way of the story. For the most part, however, it is easy to tune that out and enjoy the visuals.

Ryan: My only issue with Avatar is that the storytelling is not quite on par with the visual splendors of the film. That’s not to say that the narrative isn’t compelling; more to the point it just doesn’t seem to measure up to the rest of the film. The movie runs a little long and gets bogged down at times with its themes dealing with space-age imperialism. I also would have liked to see a little more development with the main characters. There’s a little too much one-dimensionality with the main players.

Andy: The 2:40 runtime is a bit of an issue for a movie with underdeveloped characters. It is also strange how desperate the movie is to feel contemporary when it is supposed to be set so far in the future. Allusions to 20th century culture (we’re not in Kansas anymore) and references to the war on terror (winning the hearts and minds of the natives) help to betray the suspension of disbelief that Cameron spent so many millions ensuring with his spectacular special effects. At the end of the day, however, it is a marvelous visual film that is at least trying to have important substance, and that’s enough to make it a pretty good movie.

Avatar is not the game-changing movie that it was hyped to be, but it is still well worth watching. Final grade: B.