by Wilson Morales

It may have taken him over ten years since he won the Oscar for Best Picture with 'Titanic,' and also for the right technology to come along, but the long wait was worth it as James Cameron's 'Avatar' is finally in theaters and audiences will find it to be a brilliantly, stunning entertaining fantasy!

Playing in a 3-D format with part live-action, part CGI, and starring Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Michelle Rodriguez, Giovanni Ribisi, Joel David Moore, CCH Pounder, Peter Mensah, Laz Alonso, Wes Studi, Stephen Lang, and Matt Gerald, the film is never boring in its over two and a half hours time frame.

Set in the year 2154 on the planet of Pandora, humans are looking to find ways to extract mineral from there to save Earth's ecology system. In order to so, they must communicate with the Na'vi race, ten feet tall indigenous blue-skinned individuals who live around a big oak tree that the humans want to bring down. Before the military, led by Col. Quaritch (played by Stephen Lang), can come in and destroy their land, botanist Dr. Grace Augustine (played by Weaver) creates an 'Avatar,' a hybrid combining the human mind with a Na'vi body, so that they can reason with the Na'vi and explore their culture. Joining Grace's team is Jake Sully (played by Worthington), an ex-Marine who has lost the use of his legs after an accident but can walk and run once he becomes an Avatar.

With the use of the legs again in an alien form, Jake's confidence gains once he comes into contact with Neytiri (played by Saldana), a princess of the Na'vi tribe, who reluctantly has to teach him the ways of the clans. After periods of time where's he reporting on the Na'vi's strengths and weaknesses to Quaritch and bonding with them, Jake finds himself torn between two worlds. When his cover is blown and war breaks out between the two sides, Jake has to decide where his life belongs: with the humans, where he would still remain a cripple, or settle with the Na'vi, where he can make a difference among the people.

While Cameron has never been known for his writing, his films are more recognized for its technical aspects. There is no original story here, as the film is filled with clichés from 'Dances with Wolves' to 'Braveheart' to 'Aliens' and many other films we can probably think of. Nevertheless, the visual look of the film is breathtaking.

As the lead hero of the film, Worthington holds up his own as human/CGI. Saldana is just fierce as the warrior Na'vi and romantic element of the film. It's also good to see Weaver back in a Cameron film after the 'Alien' franchise ended. Other notable performances come from Michelle Rodriguez and CCH PoJames Cameron Titanicunder. As one-noted his character is, Stephen Lang is quite effective as the drill sergeant that wants to get the job done by any means necessary.

It's been reported that 'Avatar' is the most expensive film made (close to $500 million), as was 'Titanic' when it came out in '97. Rest assure that fanboys and new audiences will come back twice or three times to see this easy going romantic action film. The battle sequences in the film are just jaw-dropping and never disappoint.