Five Reasons You Should See Avatar (If You Haven’t Already)

Or, at the very least, five reasons I was grateful a friend convinced me to see the movie. I strongly advocate seeing it in 3D in a theater before it's too late.

1. The casting.
   Parker (the “corporate white collar” guy of the movie) was PERFECTLY casted. And Jake Sully was very well chosen, too. Trudy and Miles may have been a bit typecast, but they played their parts exactly as needed.
   
2. The fact that the writer managed to direct the movie—or vice versa—and a) didn't screw it up with poor editing or b) stunt its creativity.
   Having watched someone else direct a play I wrote, I highly respect this ability. In cinema, having this sort of full control is likely even more difficult. Imagine being wedded to a really bad line and having no director to edit it out for you. Maybe a line like, “You're not the only one with a gun, bitch!”….
   
3. 3D technology.
   Granted, I’m no technology junkie and consequently am not on the up-and-up of current technology, but this movie demonstrated an extraordinary improvement in 3D visualization since my last experience at Disney World some 10+ years ago. Cameron’s world was beautifully and intricately imagined, and I think it will prove a hallmark for future filmmaking.
   
4. The relevance of some of the movie's messages.
   Never mind the blatancy with which those messages were made. Some people may mock Avatar by claiming that it is a movie about loving and cooperating with nature (which, in many ways, it is—and should be, considering our impending global warming crisis!), but Cameron also includes many criticisms of our own government: our insistence upon ruling with force; our ignorance of other cultures; and our refusal to take the time to learn things before we act in ways we think are “best.”
   
5. The movie’s surprising emotional poignancy.
   Frankly, I didn't expect to feel any emotional connection to a futuristic alien/nature-lover-turned-war movie. Usually, these types of movies really aren't my bag. However, due to the aforementioned points, Cameron gripped me with his movie’s emotional bond, forcing me to tense in anger as Pandora came under siege, to wince away as beloved characters died in battle, and to smile in pleasure as I exited the theater, ready to spread the word about his impressive cinematic work.