I've yet again collected some backlog in blogging about the films I've watched, so it's time to start doing some overdue work. The first film I've watched this year was none other than Avatar, more specifically the 3D version. I only have one word for this film: Fantastic.

The story of Avatar is probably one of the most often used stories in the history of film-making (other examples include Pocahontas or Dances with Wolves), but with a science fiction twist. Jake Sully is a handicapped US Marine who happens to be a perfect genetic match for his brother, a recently deceased PhD working on a secret mission on Pandora, a moon inhabited by the Na'vi, the indigenous species of Pandora. Pandora contains vast amounts of Unobtanium, a rare element that is worth millions but requires the Na'vi to be relocated, something they have resisted for years.

Jake's brother was conducting research on the Na'vi in so-called avatars, genetically engineered bodies that can be controlled remotely by a human. Since these bodies can only be controlled by a person with a specific DNA set, Jake is asked to control his brother's avatar and help relocate the Na'vi either peacefully or by force if needed.

On his very first mission, Jake gets lost in the nighttime wilderness of Pandora and is rescued by Neytiri, a female Na'vi. Neytiri takes Jake to her tribe, where the Na'vi decide to teach Jake the ways of their species. This is when Jake starts to fall in love with the Na'vi and Neytiri in particular, and turns on his superiors and his original mission.

Like I said before, the film is just fantastic. I personally don't like 3D films, because they tend to use the same cheap 3D tricks you normally always see in amusement park 3D theatres: extreme close ups, making you feel like something is going to hit you due to the 3D effect. However, Avatar uses 3D the way it should be used: to give a deeper effect to a film that's already good without the 3D gizmos. The story might be a bit old-fashioned, but the cinematography, the music, the characters, ... everything about this film has been worked out so perfectly, it must be the best film I've ever seen in the cinema. Which probably explains why it's also the only film I've seen (and hence paid for) twice in the cinema.

Congratulations James Cameron, you are the first guy who gets a 5/5 rating.