On the Same Playing Field as:  Three Days of the Condor or The Conversation.

Commentary:  This movie immediately feels like a classic.  Beautifully acted, well-written, and visually intriguing.  Also, it is worth mentioning that George Clooney is the only man alive who can pull off a butterfly back tattoo and retain his masculinity.

Just as Funny as:  Shaun of the Dead

Commentary:  Easily the most entertaining and fun movie I have seen all year.  It is irreverant, silly, and hilarious while maintaining a solid fast pacing that never leaves you checking your watch.

Worse than:  Anchorman, Talladega Nights

Commentary:  Extremely funny in its absurdity.  The most original comic character Will Ferrell has played since his consistent variations of Ricky Bobby.  A return to form.

Worse than:  How to Train Your Dragon, Despicable Me

Commentary:  Very funny, entertaining, and sweet – I must give this movie credit for not resorting to any poop or fart jokes.  Also, as a bonus, there is a new original Wile E. Coyote short cartoon attached!

Slightly Less than or Equal to:  The Dark Knight (I may be biased, as I am a huge comic book movie fan)

Commentary:  Fresh and original, this movie succeeds in engaging the viewer in such a way that you can’t help but truly experience it.  A truly breathtaking movie.  DO NOT MISS THIS UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES!

Not quite as Good as:  Any Pixar feature.

Commentary:  A co-worker said it best – If you take the sweetness of ‘Boo’ from ‘Monsters, Inc.’ and multiply it to the power of cute, you will have this movie.  It is truly adorable and heartwarming.

Worse than:  Joe Dirt, Happy Gilmore, or Grandma’s Boy

Commentary:  Amusing throughout, often times even hilarious.  The very funny cast squeeze every bit of comedy they can from the so-so script.  A harmless, fun comedy.

Commentary:  Frosted Mini-Wheats time – The adult in me loved the darker tone and complexity of plot, however the kid in me was fairly terrified by some of the more villainous characters and disturbing situations.  Think ‘The Shawshank Redemption’ meets ‘Toy Story’.

Worse than:  The original series

Commentary:  Fun and mindlessly entertaining – the best part of this movie is the superb chemistry between Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper, Sharlto Copley, and Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson.

     Moviegoers buying a ticket to “Avatar” are going to be divided into two groups – those who are devoted James Cameron and/or sci-fi fans who cannot wait to see it and skeptics who would love to see it crash and burn.  Admittedly, I was the latter.  I do not dislike James Cameron; in fact I love all of his movies, which is probably what fed my doubt.  He is due a dud.  No love would be lost, he is still a master filmmaker, but every Spielberg is allowed his “Hook”, so to speak.  With “Avatar” I found the initial trailers confusing and overly cartoony, the final price tag insulting, and the nearly 3-hour runtime daunting.  I was setting it up to fail.  The thing is, it doesn’t. 

     The plot revolves around a paraplegic marine who, due to a cruel twist of fate, is selected to participate in a program on the distant alien moon Pandora.  In this program, Jake Sully is neurologically linked to an ‘avatar’ or genetically created alien body so that he may explore and study the planet, and more importantly infiltrate the native race, the Na’vi.  An evil Earth corporation wants to relocate a large tribe of the Na’vi in order to strip mine their village for a rare and valuable mineral, the unfortunately named unobtainium.  Jake Sully begins to question his loyalties when he successfully integrates himself with the suspicious natives and even begins a romance with the princess Neytiri (Zoe Saldana from “Star Trek” – who is still gorgeous even as a ten-foot tall blue cat-monkey).  The story is the weak point of this movie.  It is predictable, hackneyed, and even flat-out cheesy at times.  ‘Unobtainium’?!?  It is like they hired a ADD-riddled 5^th grader to come up with the names.  Why not Awesomium or Badasstonite?  However, even though the dialogue can get distracting and pretty lame, what you see through Sully’s surrogate eyes tends to make up for this shortcoming.

     “Avatar” promised visuals that would defy imagination and special effects that would set a new gold-standard in filmmaking.  I am proud to say it soundly delivers on both.  The world of Pandora is so stunningly beautiful and lifelike it is astounding that it doesn’t actually exist.  You see it live, complete with interactive, bioluminescent flora and an entire diverse ecology of unique and fascinating creatures.  It is breath-taking.  It is because of this I found “Avatar” to be the only 2+ hour movie this year that didn’t have me yawning and checking my watch.  There is simply so much to take in it is impossible to see everything in one viewing.  Everything from the unique language of the Na’vi to the mechanics of the futuristic Human warships have been painstakingly crafted and completely realized.  It is flawless – there is not a single moment reminiscent of green screens or computer generated imagery. 

     The trip to Pandora is one every PG-13 appropriate moviegoer should take.  At best it is a humbling film experience that will leave you breathless and at worst it is an eye-opening exercise in the future of epic filmmaking.