An epic visual journey to the world of Pandora where we see James Cameron make a wondrous spectacle out of a pretty standard plot line. Visually and culturally, it is one of the very few truly alien worlds seen on the screen (not pseudo Earth-like in the least), revolving around bodies that are genetic mockups of the locals fit for the minds of earth humans to inhabit in order for them t converse with the Na'vi, who are ten foot tall aboriginees with no care for what the evil Earth corporation has to offer them. Throw in the expected Jarhead Colonel with only one way in midn to ever solve anything, the corporate worm, and the female naturalist cut from the same mold as the Chimp Lady, and there you have it. The entire plot you can figure out just from the trailers, but I must say it's still fun getting there.

The core part of the world's design, the whole thing about all life on a world united telapthically or such, is not new; just read the first book of the Death World Trilogy. Though in this case it is not a concept that has been over-used- quite rarely in fact- so I'll give it points for that. As far as the visuals of the world Pandora itself, it's like a painting by Boris Valejo or Frank Frazeta just leaped out onto the screen.

The Na'vi aren't just dime-store aliens, nor is Pandora merely an Earth-like world that's been tweeked a bit, the boulders moved around somewhat to appear alien. No, this is a world that Cameron took some time to work out, yet the film, for all it's nearly 3 hours, doesn't get bogged down in the weight of such details, but rather is enhanced by it. There are a couple of characters that are rather one-dimensional, though those seem to be the Humans, and only one nit-pick I would make.

The nit-picking: They make a point of telling us that Pandora has a lesser gravity than Earth, yet if you look at the musculature of the natives, the armored hides and density of the creatures, there is no way this could be anything but a higher gravity world than Earth. I guess someone told Cameron that a world needs to be lighter to have 10 foot aliens, without realizing that that would be assuming earth-based physiology (they even say there are carbon-steel fibers in their hides and such, which would be more than enough for survival in higher gravity). Not to worry, however, as this is a rather common presumption in most of Fantasy and SF literature and movies. Light-gravity creatures would be generally weaker that higher-gravity ones, but beyond that you cn have tall and short in either case (high-gravity necessitates a denser structure, not merely a more compact or squat body). Anyway, that's my nitpick of the day.

In a world of wait three weeks for the DVD to coem out, a film like this is one of those you have to see in a theater, and I mean a good one. Unless your home theater involves a 60-foot screen, then see it now while it's out there. 3-D is good, but don't go for those AMC pretend-IMax screens; either the real McCoy or standard 3D. It is out in non-3D, but for all that you could then wait the three weeks to see it on your 20-inch screen at home. Me, I'll scrounge up my pennies and stick with the 60-foot 3D.