Avatar (2009)

Let’s get two things clear: The plot of “Avatar” is lean. As others have said, it’s “Dances With Wolves” in space. Sam Worthington ("Terminator: Salvation") is akin to the Kevin Costner soldier of conscious, Zoe Saldana of “Star Trek” plays his culture-(dare I say star?)crossed lover. We have tall blue aliens replacing Native Americans, and corporate soldiers-for-hire steeping in for 1860s Union troops. There’s even a winged-horse similar to Cisco that heroically dies in a hail of bullets.

But all that doesn’t matter, because of the second thing: Director James Cameron is the king of the world. Well, cinema. Hands down. Because what "Avatar" lacks in story-telling, it breaks new ground and tops untoppable expectations in special-effects and eye-candy cinema. As in “Aliens,” “The Abyss,” and the "Terminator" films, “Avatar” drop-kicked the child inside my brain, the one who still wants to be Spider-Man. (In addition to DWW, Cameron also borrows -- ironically and quite well -- from the climax of his own "Aliens.")

The CGI aliens in here, created by a new high-tech motion capture camera developed by Cameron, have full, real personalities. The aliens’ eyes are deep and glisten with the spark of life. Skin has pores, cracks and creases. Blood smears sloppily. Other than Gollum from “Lord of the Rings,” I’ve never seen that before. Mountains float, as do hairy little jelly fish that glow florescent bright. Plants, mountains, strange creatures and moons abound, all in seemingly photo-realistic clarity. The stunning battles, especially in the 3-D version, left me breathless. (Cameron also redesigned the entire 3-D process.)

And as with “Titanic,“ Cameron has toppled my movie-snob brick wall to the ground. I literally cared about every alien, shrub, flying horse and tree from start to finish in this openly "tree-hugger" film (Republicans will cringe). In 3-D and the 2-D version, both times. No "Avatar" isn't as deep as "Hurt Locker" or even "District 9," but it's the purest cinematic experience I've had all year. Cameron makes films that belong in theaters. Huge cinemas. To be seen with an audience. Not at home on DVD, safe in the living room with the lights on. That’s out-of-this world movie-making talent. A-