It started with one simple fact: James Cameron, director of Titanic, was due to put forth an epic he’d been crafting for over a decade. The film was dubbed Avatar, and it’s scheduled release was during the winter of 2009. From there, the hype began to spread like a plague. Some folks stationed themselves on the fence, unsure of Cameron’s foray into science fiction territory. Others chose to stake out the polar opposite camps of “no thanks” and “I can’t wait.” However you may have interpreted the chatter and adjusted your idea of what would come of Avatar, there’s no denying the bombardment of spectacular visuals accompanying the most grandiose adventure to light up the silver screen.

The premise of Avatar, as well as its plot line, are neither hard to follow nor hard to explain. In a universe roughly 200 years from our time, a disabled Marine soldier named Jake Sully mourns the loss of his twin brother as he makes his way to Pandora – a massive planet only just unable to sustain human life without oxygen support, despite its rich atmosphere. Pandora is home to the indigenous race of vibrantly blue, tiger-striped humanoids known as the Na’vi. Per the usual routine, human interest in Pandora is strictly linked to the collection of a valuable mineral worth small fortunes per kilogram. The hoarding of this mineral is made difficult by the uncooperative nature of the native Na’vi, a people mostly disinclined to assist the intruding humans.

In order to create diplomatic relations with the Na’vi, and thusly gain access to the otherwise unobtainable unobtanium, the Avatar program was sanctioned by Parker Selfridge (Giovanni Ribisi), head of Pandora’s mining operation, and led by Dr. Grace Augustine (Sigourney Weaver). The program consists of bioengineering human-Na’vi hybrid bodies which are inhabitable by specific humans via genetic similarities and mental links called “sleeps.” Jake Sully’s deceased twin brother Thomas was a scientist working for the Avatar program prior to his demise. Fortunately for Jake Sully, Thomas’s Avatar is usable by Jake due to the twins’ shared genes. Unfortunately for Jake, he’s a Marine, not a scientist, and as a result the military commanding officer Colonel Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang) seeks to use him to infiltrate the Na’vi for reconnaissance of an area thought to house the largest deposit of unobtanium on Pandora. The story unfolds as Jake explores various Na’vi customs, hoping to be adopted into their culture, and the eventual clash between races forces Jake to choose between his human counterparts or his would-be Na’vi brothers and sisters.

I have to applaud James Cameron for his patience. It can’t have been easy sitting on top of this premise for almost fifteen years, but the payoff was well worth the elapsed time. Computer generated characters have never looked as lifelike walking amongst humans, let alone each other, nor has there been a collection of such behemoth structures to realistically illustrate the utterly massive size of an environment. Even if you choose to forgo the three-dimensional version of the film, or if that sort of thing tends to make your head spin, you’ll still find yourself with eyes peeled, reeling at the sheer awesomeness of every sight and sound Avatar offers. The magnificently creative flora and fauna alone left my mouth agape in awe several times throughout the movie, and far from seeming over-produced, Pandora explodes with a realistic luminescence that makes our own nature’s jungle creations look morbidly dull in comparison.

As I’m sure you’re all aware, it takes a lot more than a pretty picture to garner attention in a film nowadays. Long gone are the times when slow-motion bullet dodging was enough to keep moviegoers entertained. A film requires substance to be truly appreciated, both in characters and storytelling. While Avatar unabashedly boasts the former, the latter could’ve done with some punching up. That’s not to say the story was even close to lackluster. Far from it, Avatar’s tale progresses fluidly with gusto, nailing each story beat and never ceasing to relinquish your interest. Even so, dialog occasionally suffers from a mild case of cheesiness, once exemplified by the antagonist’s uttering of lines like “come to papa” or “that’s how you scatter the roaches” during the tenser conflicts, in addition to several similar one-liners delivered coinciding a closeup of the speaker’s face. Avatar may not have the intellectual integrity of genre-alike hits Star Trek or Watchmen, but the fact remains that it’s no less fun to watch. On the contrary, the performances of cast members may prove more endearing than either of the aforementioned films.

Speaking of Star Trek, Zoe Saldaña stands alone as Avatar’s most-followed protagonist who is completely computer generated (with the assistance of motion-capture technology). Despite this potential pitfall, Saldaña shines brighter than the CG bioluminescent body her Na’vi character (Neytiri) inhabits. As a native of Pandora, she’s tasked by the Na’vi to teach Jake Sully their ways of life. Although first disenchanted by the outsider, Jake eventually gets through her terse exterior to find a spiritually insightful Na’vi underneath. Observing Neytiri and the other Na’vi interact with the many life forms of Pandora is both fascinating and enlightening. The Na’vi’s ferocious hunting prowess is matched only by their Buddhist-like understanding of the symbiotic connection between all living creatures. Truly the Na’vi are the film’s wiser protagonistic race, and it’s incredibly joyous to watch them interact with our species, as most Na’vi tower three to four feet over the relatively puny humans.

When it comes to gut-busting action, Avatar takes the unobtanium medal. Spurts of intensity are scattered throughout the film’s plot, culminating in a half-hour long finale that appears to be unceasing. The mind boggles at the mere thought of how Cameron managed to capture the colossal scope of Pandora without sacrificing an ounce of viewing pleasure. I can’t make a blanket statement for Avatar 3D, but as far as the 2D iteration is concerned, the fast-paced action sequences are easy to follow and a delight to take in. Not once did I find myself questioning who’s who or what’s what, even during the most crowded action sequences. Don’t buy into the naysayers’ comments; Avatar is a sight for all eyes.

Cameron’s intention to produce a story of redemption and revolution was mostly successful, although I imagine a vast majority will overlook those premises in lieu of the film’s beyond extraordinary visual aspects. Complimentary to those visuals is a thoughtfully crafted race of tribal-tongued natives, a solid cast of characters to look forward to seeing in sequels (the small number of those who survived, anyway), and a gripping story that’s not excessively complex. Avatar demonstrates Cameron’s domineering capabilities as a science-fiction writer and director, not to mention big picture thinker. There may be a few small creative gaps worth filling, but hardly anything to deter one from experiencing a dramatic masterpiece of visual cinema. The film evokes a wide variety of emotional responses, ranging from the utmost enthusiastic joy to fleeting sensations of empathy and sadness; Avatar is a landmark achievement and a most unforgettable experience.