I'm sorry,but Avatar looks stupid in my opinion,but I like james cameron's other movies.

@madman25 it hasn't been released in Italy yet either. So it actually has 3 big markets left (and Poland aswell).

I'd contest that Aline > Aliens. Also Cameron did bring Terminator, which was a pretty damn good movie as well. Not defending Cameron, just trying to be fair here.

The movie actually pulled in a very strong number on Sunday, and based on the weekend tally, I suspect it is going to have some amazing legs:

http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=daily&id=avatar.htm

Friday: $26,752,099
Saturday: $25,529,036
Sunday: $24,744,346

For anybody who knows about movie box office numbers...That's a stunning hold, for the weekend. We will have to see how it does this week, but I suspect it's going to be at close to $100 million domesically by Friday, and at $130-140 by next Monday. The film will probably top $400 million WW...so it looks like Cameron has a monster hit on his hand.

Amazing movie. Some of my following comments may seem like hyperbole, but they're really not.

I went into it having read/heard very little about it, though I watched the trailer (which was a very remote taster of the actual movie).

It didn't take long into the movie for me to really fall into it. It's extremely well paced, and I've never felt so convincingly drawn into the movie world and characters before Avatar, despite the relatively quick transition to the core aspects (the movie wastes no time with lengthy introductions).

Technically the effects and CGI are simply unprecedented. Every aspect of Pandora and its creatures feels as real as possible without actually taking you there.

The colors and picture are also truly unique. They're beautiful and leave a lasting impression.

As if that wasn't enough, the camera work is perfect. Despite being an action movie with fast scenes, we're never left wondering what just happened or how a particular fight move happened. Many of the latest action movies have action scenes where we struggle to understand what happens and how characters move, which didn't happen once in this movie.

The story, while nothing out of this world, is very tastefully pulled off, and it pulled me in as well.

PS: If you go see this movie, do see it in 3D. If there's only one movie that is worth a visit to the cinema, this one is it. For me it's probably going to be one of the biggest encouragements to set up a 3D TV at home later on.

*facepalm* If you think ANY story is original, you simply haven't read/watched enough.  Every story has been done before.  What makes individual stories remarkable is the way they're told.  I thought this one was told wonderfully.

I somewhat agreed that there aren't many original stories anymore, but I do think Cameron could have don't a better job adding some original flair.  First off, all you have to do is look at the OP title to see what I thought of the movie, as I think Cameron derserves Oscars for not only sFx, but cinematography and quite a few others....hands  down.  With that said, the story was basically Pocahantas in Space...nothing wrong with that, but I think more original though could have bee applied to adding more variety than an American History class.

That's exactly what I wanted to write in the thread a couple of days ago. Was waiting for someone to post it so I can just quote for truth.

You are right in that it's colonialism-focused, but to call that Pocahontas in space isn't very accurate.  This type of story is practically its own genre (see: Things Fall Apart, Heart of Darkness, Pocahontas, Speaker for the Dead, etc.).  Original flair?  You mean besides creating an entire world?  Yeah, I TOTALLY see what you mean.  Let me copypasta what I said in another forum in my general impressions:

The story telling wasn't as good as the visual experience, but it'd have to be Hamlet for it to even come close. However, I felt the visuals added to the story, made it better than it would be on its own. That world was so real, so full of life, it's destruction becomes much more meaningful than it could ever be in concept alone.

It's funny, I was thinking about Heart of Darkness a couple of hours before the movie, and realizing what an advantage literature had to cinema in certain respects.  You've got a narrator that can be manipulated to change the way the reader interprets and pays attention to things.  You can take things much more slowly, and you've got a lot more to work with considering how much more can be included in a novel.  However, Avatar demonstrates the largest advantage cinema has in response to literature.  Imagery.  In a movie like this, a picture is worth far more than 1000 words.  Not even the most briliant prose could create such a rich and beautiful world.  In a genre such as this, where understanding the value in the native way of life and nature itself is critical, the living, breathing world Cameron brings to life is an invaluable tool.

Well...basically, the story was very similiar to that of Pocahontas...I agree that the visual heavily aided the story telling...for example, the dog-like creature with her cubs.  I had never felt a sci-fi to be so real, as I did with this movie, which provided a massive boost to the storytelling.  I didn't think the plot and writing was bad, it was just subpar to what I believe were the greatest visuals in a motion picture...ever.