[Editor's Note: This review is by CL Atlanta's Curt Holman, who handled reviewing duties on Avatar for the print edition of CL. (The film screened earlier for the vaunted Atlanta critics then for us after-thoughts down here in Tampa.) I'll have my own take on Avatar up at the end of the week, but for now you'll just have to take Curt's word for it ]
Every 3-D movie has at least one pokey part. Even a smart, visually intriguing film such as Henry Selicks Coraline or Robert Zemeckis Beowulf eventually goes out of its way to thrust something like a conspicuous needle or spear tip at the audience. As if the glasses werent reminder enough, the filmmakers invariably make a big joke of the fact that youre watching a 3-D presentation. But 3-D effects seldom transcend gimmickry they cant literally touch audiences, and they cant figuratively touch them, either.
Director James Camerons long-awaited Avatar depicts an alien race with a fondness for bows and arrows, but keeps the 3-D jutting clichés under control. Even when bloody arrowheads stick out at your face, Cameron ensures the stunts dont distract from his otherworldly story. Avatars innovative imagery affirms that some kinds of cinematic special effects can indeed touch audiences, if not on the emotional or intellectual level. If rendered properly, make-believe places, characters and events can have a seductive, escapist appeal, from King Kongs Skull Island to Star Wars alien landscapes.