The world flips for AVATAR, a movie quite unlike anything we've ever seen before
Critics say Cameron has delivered on his promise for an out of this world movie experience that simply has to be seen.
20th Century Fox have wisely lifted the Avatar review embargo after every critic in the U.K. and U.S. unanimously fell in love with James Cameron's film and felt compelled to forgo sleep to get the word out on what an amazing experience the visual masterpiece is. Rarely do these nights ever happen in this business. Only once in a blue moon is there a case of 100% agreement on such a high profile movie being a game-changer and presenting an experience like nothing we've ever seen before. I can only recall The Dark Knight last summer and those first reactions to Peter Jackson's The Fellowship of the Ring in 2001 where critics, fanboys, and anyone lucky enough to have stumbled into the screenings, came out with a euphoria and an emotional connection to a film, that is written all over their choice of words. 
The knives have been out for Cameron ever since Titanic became the highest grossing film of all time, and over the past 12 years, and none more so than in the last four months, Cameron has had to take a hell of a lot of stick from the critics community but when it came down to the ball game, Cameron delivered on his promises, and hit it out of the ballpark. From the looks of things, Cameron wasn't deluded at all when he said that Avatar would be the most amazing thing your eyeballs have ever seen, and he will be the happiest man on the planet this morning. I bet he hasn't enjoyed a night sleep's as much as he enjoyed on Thursday for many a month. There's no sweat that the $300 million that Fox reportedly gave Cameron for this movie is going to be paid back with box office receipts. The movie is certainly going to be a commercial hit and if everyone's reaction to this after coming out of the theatre is the same as the 100% unanimous praise below (there is not one bad review or scarcely a bad word said about the picture yet) then the Titanic style word of mouth over this festive period really could see the movie hit new heights. 
We'll start with the trades and Todd McCarthy in Variety...
The most expensive and technically ambitious film ever made, James Cameron's long-gestating epic pitting Earthly despoilers against a forest-dwelling alien race delivers unique spectacle, breathtaking sights, narrative excitement and an overarching anti-imperialist, back-to-nature theme that will play very well around the world, and yet is rather ironic coming from such a technology-driven picture. Twelve years after "Titanic," which still stands as the all-time B.O. champ, Cameron delivers again with a film of universal appeal that just about everyone who ever goes to the movies will need to see. Cameron reportedly wrote the story, if not the full script, for "Avatar" at least 15 years ago but decided he had to wait until visual effects capabilities advanced sufficiently to credibly render his imagined world and its inhabitants. On this fundamental level, the picture is a triumph; it's all of a piece, in no way looking like a vague mish-mash of live-action, CGI backdrops, animation, performance capture and post-production effects. On top of that, the 3D is agreeably unemphatic, drawing the viewer into the action without calling attention to itself. The third dimension functions as an enhancement, not a raison d'etre, so the film will look perfectly fine without it. (When it opens domestically on Dec. 15, approximately 2100 screens will feature 3D, with another 1200 in 2D.)
Kirk Honeycutt at The Hollywood Reporter... A dozen years later, James Cameron has proven his point: He is king of the world. As commander-in-chief of an army of visual-effects technicians, creature designers, motion-capture mavens, stunt performers, dancers, actors and music and sound magicians, he brings science-fiction movies into the 21st century with the jaw-dropping wonder that is "Avatar."The movie is 161 minutes and flies by in a rush. Repeat business? You bet. "Titanic"-level business? That level may never be reached again, but Fox will see more than enough grosses worldwide to cover its bet on Cameron.Neil Miller at Film School Rejects...
I cant imagine someone walking out of a screening of this film and not being in awe. Not necessarily of the film as a whole, but of the technical achievement. James Cameron has truly delivered something that weve never seen before. And this achievement isnt that Pandora looks real or that we believe the Navi could exist and connect with them as much as we do the human characters. His achievement is that hes shown us a glimpse at what filmmaking could be in this century. Whether or not it will change the game" is irrelevant (and frankly, impossible to predict), but he has shown us a realm of possibility that was previously thought to be impossible. And when you think about it, thats really all he promised to do in the first place.
Brendon Connelly gives the movie an 8 out of 10 score at Slash Film, in what might be the most restraint piece I've read so far. Maybe it's because he decided to write up an FAQ instead of a review, but it's certainly the calmest and most considered piece on the web as of right now. Connelly clearly enjoyed Avatar but hated the dialogue, calling it as memorable as Look at his use of colour and This is bad were memorable in Titanic. He does however make it a big point that you simply have to see this movie in Imax 3-D, no question... You need to see Avatar in 3D just as much as you need to see The Red Shoes in colour, Apocalypse Now in surround sound or Casablanca on a screen larger than an iPod. Its about experiencing the full set of controls, for want of a better word, that the director has laid in wait for you, and in the best possible way. You might think youre missing nothing if you see the film in 2D, but that isnt true at all. Whether or not you even notice the 3D is not the point.
Jeff Wells at Hollywood Elsewhere even flipped for it. Man, if Jeff's got a hard-on for it, the way he spoke about Cameron and his early reactions to footage from Avatar, then this clearly is the movie to end all movies... All the energy and the madness and the money are right there on the screen, you bet, and the "yeah, I guess I'll see Avatar but I'm in no real hurry" phase is over. This is too much of an adrenalized eye-popper not to see it as soon as possible, and absolutely in 3D and most desirably in 3D IMAX.This is probably the goofiest, craziest, super-budgeted CG romper-stomper I've ever seen. A friend said it was three video games rolled into one instead of a movie, which is somewhat true in that the story and action-fantasy elements are aimed at your inner 14 year-old (whom I'd forgotten about until tonight -- now I feel pleasantly re-acquainted).I was in fact open-mouthed -- faintly grinning but pretty much agog -- during the big-ass finale. As Bruno Ganz's Adolf Hitler said in that YouTube satire, the 3D is so good it's like your eyeballs are having sex. The only problem (which wasn't a problem for me) is that it's aimed at teenagers. I was wishing, in fact, that I could somehow revert to age 14 or 15 so I could see Avatar in the proper frame -- then I'd really have something to do double-backflips over. I'm a little older than that, unfortunately, so instead of sending me into wet-dream action heaven Avatar gave me the wet-dream action heaven giggles, as if I'd toked up before it started.Empire give it 5 stars, but only if you can see it in 3-D... Its been twelve years since Titanic, but the King of the World has returned with a flawed but fantastic tour de force that, taken on its merits as a film, especially in two dimensions, warrants four stars. However, if you can wrap a pair of 3D glasses round your peepers, this becomes a transcendent, full-on five-star experience that's the closest we'll ever come to setting foot on a strange new world. Just dont leave it so long next time, eh, Jim? Kris Tapley at In Contention absolutely flipped for it, and as he is an Oscar columnist he talks about three categories it's almost guaranteed to walk home with in March...
The visual effects race, if you couldnt guess already, is over and done with. In all likelihood, the sound races as well. And there is a compelling argument to be made for the film editing as well. But thats the expected tech bliss the film delivers. Wait, let me not undersell that. This is the most amazing cinematic experience Ive ever had.
Sasha Stone at Awards Daily... My take on it is that it is one of the best films Ive seen this year. It is great in a way that no other film can be: years of dedication, out of Jim Camerons imagination in that way, its unique. I sat there for two and a half hours completely enthralled. I never knew what was coming next (how often can you say that?). I saw things I could never have imagined seeing on film ever. Yeah, it has its cheesy moments, but it is far less cheesy than Titanic. I was moved by the story, caught up in the drama of it, surprised by where it took me. It is unlike any cinematic experience Ive ever had. And it will blow your fucking mind.Sam Rubin's thoughts...
Just left the 'World Premiere' of "Avatar," and while the standing ovation the film received at its conclusion is probably just the requisite politeness; I can report that this is another rare example where the quality of the movie does indeed exceed the hype and "Avatar" will most certainly be among the 10 'Best Picture' nominees for the Oscars; and James Cameron will also be a Best Director nominee. I think it is also possible that actress Zoe Saldana, who has the most challenging of roles in the film, may rack up an additional acting nomination as well.Avatar is currently scoring 9 out of 9 hits on Rotten Tomatoes. The film is on commercial release from next week!