Avatar

James Cameron's Avatar is probably (sadly) the defining blockbuster of 2009.

Whilst it is good, extraordinary even, one can't help but feel a bit sad about the other great movies which it is trying to eclipse with it's enormous $200 million dollar budget, hi-tech special effects and lame two-dimensional storyline.

OK. It's not that lame. I like this film, I really do, I revel in the sumptous graphics, delight in the fantasy of the movie, try to appreciate Cameron's rather simplistic message about ecology and respecting other cultures, but it does seem a little formulaic, and when compared with his ex-wife (Bigelow's) 'The Hurt Locker' one does wonder if Hollywood is catering too much to adults who want to have the luxury of idealistic values, without having to take responsibilty for the grim reality of ecological collapse, aggressive foreign policy and rapacious over-consumption of natural resources.

Avatar has been nominated for 'Art Direction', 'Cinematography', 'Directing', 'Film Editing', 'Music Picture', 'Sound Editing', 'Sound Mixing', and 'Visual Effects'.

It definitely deserves some, particularly 'Art Direction', but I will be sad when, inevitably, District 9 loses out to it on 'Visual Effects'.