So… guess what, the hype didn’t ruin this film after all. I literally walked out of this movie with that same feelings I got when I came out of Jurassic Park and The Matrix. Liked I’d just seen a film that I’ll still be re-watching decades from now.

I’m not going to talk about the plot. It’s fairly predictable, ticks all the right boxes and doesn’t rock any boats. I’m not going to talk about the characters. They’re well rounded, but lack depth for the most part (fingers crossed that there’s hours of bonus footage on the bluray) I’m going to talk about the technical achievement of this film.

Visually, there is nothing that even comes close to it. If you watch this film in the Cinema, in 3D, you will be watching a cornerstone in cinematography. When your kids ask about the days of animatronics, plastic miniature models and when all that could be left behind, “Avatar” will be the film you mention.

Honestly, as the credits began to roll, I got this gut wrenching feeling like I was being pulled out of a world I’d rather be in. Cameron, in his planet Pandora, has created a people, in the Na’vi, so realistic as to fool the viewer into literally believing they exist. Their facial expressions and movement are flawless, it’s hard to describe as, at this point in time, it’s completely unique. It really needs to be seen to be believed. It sucks you in, with levels of immersion that I’d never previously experienced.

The 3D is used brilliantly throughout, and I feel it is this constant sense of depth and space that gives the viewer the memory that they where actually standing in that world, watching the scenes happen. When I remember this film I don’t remember looking at a 2D image projected onto a screen, I remember it like I was standing in that Jungle, looking up through the canopy, or being present, watching the Na’vi in person during one of their rituals.

Overall, the film is lacking in a number of areas that I’m sure you’ll be able to find plenty of cynical reviews detailing, but as an experience it can’t be paralleled. I think this is a point that is frequently forgotten. Film isn’t about ticking a set criteria of boxes, but also about creating an experience for the viewer that they will never have in the real world. When you think back over films like E.T. or any of your childhood favourites, you didn’t critically review it based on how well the characters where developed or how unique the plot was, you evaluated it on how it made you feel as the credits rolled, and Avatar brought this sense back, I felt happy and literally elated. It made me feel like a kid again, in that I’d been given an experience I will be able to share with my children and they with theres.

Avatar is amazing. It is what film is all about. Don’t listen to the reviews, don’t worry about the hype… see it, and see it in the cinema while you can. It’s an experience that should not be missed.