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And the film falls very flat when it comes to its story; it’s predictable and heavy-handed and riddled with cliche. Even if you agree with Cameron’s politics — and there’s no denying there is a political and ecological point-of-view here — there’s not an ounce of subtlety in how he delivers the message. The whole idea of the noble savage (which is what his alien Na’vi finally are) is…well, I hesitate to call it racist, as some have rushed to do, because I think that’s a pretty heavy charge that the film doesn’t deserve. But it is problematic, and an unfortunate (if often well intentioned) stereotype, one that doesn’t just border on, but actually ventures a good distance into the forests of being offensive. The Na’vi are clearly stand-ins for Native American (and occasionally African) tribes, enjoying a pristine and symbiotic relationship with the land that civilized man lacks and therefore can’t help but want to destroy. The problem is, this simplified depiction doesn’t just paint civilization in a bad light; it also makes the alien more fully other and animalistic — lacking civilization. You can celebrate the nobility in the noble savage all you want, but you’re still calling them a savage.

But I don’t want to read too much into the film, because despite its obvious technical achievements, I think it’s actually rather shallow. It’s entertaining, especially in its climactic and rousing action sequences, and it certainly doesn’t feel like a nearly three-hour movie. But it’s nothing I feel even a little compelled to ever see again. (Except maybe to compare how it looks out of 3-D.) Cameron’s movie is very pretty, and the product of some impressive computer animation, but I really don’t think it’s one for the ages.

That Pirahna remake they showed the trailer for, however…You know, with all these new innovations in 3-D, it’s almost refreshing to see a trailer for a movie that’s content to use the technology for the crappiest and worst-looking scare tactics circa 1983.