"Avatar"

We finally got around to seeing the James Cameron movie "Avatar" yesterday. I have to admit that seeing this was not a priority because I am not a sci-fi guy; the genre is not my cup of tea. I saw the original "Star Wars" when it came out back in the 70's. I only saw it once, and I have never seen another one. Nor am a Star Trek person. All that said, the word of mouth that Avatar has received, recommendations from friends, and the buzz about the 3D technology used in making the movie, had me intrigued, so off we went to the Robinson Cinemark.

The verdict: We both really liked the movie. The plot is not a new one - bad guys come into alien territory intent on pillaging the native resources and mowing down anyone who stands in their way. You've seen this story in any number of westerns over the years. Marilyn even drew a parallel to "The Lion King." So, if you accept that fact that an alien life form can exist on another planet -Pandora - you can "get" this movie.

And the movie-making technology used here really is amazing. Spend the extra couple of bucks and see it in 3D. It's well worth it.

I suspect that it sweep the Oscars in any number of technical categories. Whether it will win the Best Picture and Best Director Oscar will depend on whether or not Hollywood is willing to acknowledge that a "commercial" success deserves such honors, and whether they think they already did this for James Cameron once ("Titanic"), and they don't want to do it for him again.

One other thing: I'm not sure I've ever seen the "bad guy" in a movie so broadly drawn as the mercenary leader in this flick is. No ambiguity or shades of gray for this dude!