HOLY SHIT. GO SEE THIS MOVIE.

Right now, and if you already saw it, do yourself a favor and see it again. This is an experience that is as immersive as it gets, and I wasn't even watching the 3D version. During the first few minutes you think to yourself, "Oh damn, this was really overblown... I've seen effects like this before." And then the minute the shuttle crosses through the clouds onto Pandora it's just like "OH SHIIIIIIT!" The first shot you see ofthe human base has a scale that feels real and overpowers everything that's come before it, and it just keeps getting better from there. I personally had seen the IMAX 3D preview back in August, so right from the get-go I instantly recognized what I was missing out on as far as the new perspective it adds, but this movie swept me in before I got hung up on it. Still seeing it again in 3D, though. Can't wait.

The scale is like nothing you've seen before, the 3D you've never seen before, and the CGI, my God, the CGI, you have never seen before. Maybe in split second bursts here and there, but NEVER in perfect quality for every single thing on screen at the same time for virtually the whole movie. You'll be watching the spray of water or the way something drags through mud and you'll be saying to yourself "This is real". It's ridiculous. Then to top it off, James Horner comes to the table to wrap it all up nicely in a musical score that draws from almost everything in his resume. You don't even have to listen carefully to hear where it echoes Titanic , Apocalypto, and Troy.

The only comments I've heard for this movie that weren't positive were about the story, the dialogue, and some of the characters. Well, although you've seen the story a million times before, there's a reason for that: It's a classic conflict. The only place you'll be seeing it more than in movies in your future is in your world. Whether it's a neighbor's eviction or whole countries fighting to protect their land from invaders, this is a timeless struggle, and it'll always be popping up from time to time. No reason it shouldn't here. Dialogue? Back in August I would've agreed with you 100%, as it was something I had noticed myself. After Parris Island, I'll just flat-out say that's exactly how Marines talk in real life. While I was watching it this time through, it didn't stand out because I was already used to it. Characters like the military badass and the corporate pig? Hey, if a motherfucker's got a job to do and he's too distant from the situation to interact with the people whose lives he's affecting, he's not going to give a shit and he's going to do everything in his power to get that job done. Life Parker Selfridge says "The only thing worse than bad press is a bad quarterly report." The most he knows is that he has bigger, closer problems to deal with involving his superiors if he doesn't. You grow up in New York City, you pick up on that shit pretty goddamn quick.

Final word of advice: Make sure to ask for a ticket to the 3D theater to get the full experience!