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Entertainment: 5/5

Cinemtatic: 5/5

I read somewhere that James Cameron tried about ten years ago, after Titanic, to get studios to pick up Avatar, but was waiting for CGI to be a tad bit more advanced. When Peter Jackson's, Lord of the Rings came out in 2002, James Cameron knew the time had come. CG was finally there. And so, seven years later, he graced us with an all-star cast (and when I say all-star, I mean they were all great),and a touching and action-packed movie about destroying home.

If there's one thing I've learned about creating "art", if you will let me indulge, it is that it tells a story. Designers, actors, directors, et all come together to create a story. Theoretically, each element should be as strong as the next. While the computer graphics of this movie totally dominated; I would argue that you didn't walk away with the moral of the story being: CGI has come so far-- there was a deeper meaning to the piece that captured my heart the way I never believed an action movie could.

While the piece clearly had "lead actors", each character (in terms of the writing) became a central part in moving the story along.

I saw the movie in IMAX-3D, twice. Both times, I was stunned. The movie itself isn't a mind-blowing 3D experience, but it definitely amped things up in the theatre. The CGI looks real. Imagine the Disney Classics revamped in 3D.

I don't want to give too much about or of the movie away like some reviews do. There's a plot synopsis that ends just before the climax-- quite unfulfilling. The movie is quite long, so make sure you go to the bathroom before it starts and maybe don't get a large slurpee. But, be smart enough to find the parallels between now and the future (it's not hard) and be sure to enjoy the lasting impression it has made in the history of cinema. Seriously, it's groundbreaking.

Neo-Decadent Value: The piece was fantastical, beautiful, witty and relevant to today. There was a beauty in the way characters spoke to each other, their point of views, the fantastical quality of creating not just another world, but a world in which there are rules to follow. There was a happy ending, but not without sacrifice.

4/5. I believe Neo-Decadents can have work be relevant of today while looking to both the future and the past for inspiration. The movement isn't about "going back" to something-- it's about re-imagining Romanticism in the Post-Modern world.