jemcgarvey

I was quite impressed with the audio/visual aspects of the film, the creatures and scenery, but I was really let down by the story. I mean it sort of had a "The New World" feel to it in my eyes (which I liked) but the characters never got the chance to develop very far, and seemed to get lost in the physical action. The ex-Colonel was as shallow a meat-head as they come, and it seemed a little contrived how far he went with his vendetta against the Na'vi. I guess it does make more sense if you realize that they are contractors, not military, and have a mercenary mindset.

Overall, my greatest satisfaction was in seeing that the animated characters displayed excellently the actors' facial expressions and gestures. My biggest fear was that (as in many CG films) the characters would have action figure syndrome, and look goofy. However, I found that it wasn't hard not only to sympathize with, but to actually feel an attachment to these characters who were completely animated and not even human.

I was lucky enough to screen this in a newer AMC theater. McG's audio department has, in my opinion, raised the bar on soundtrack and audio effects quality. I was absolutely blown away. The first scene where Marcus and Kyle are hunted by a large terminator is now my primary track for benchmarking home theater systems.

I also agree with the comments about "Rooster"; it was a clever way of tying in the world of Terminators with our own society.

Overall, I was thoroughly impressed. Christian, Sam, and Anton give exceptional performances, and Michael Ironside is a classic touch. The story wasn't as impressive as Terminator 2: Judgement Day or the original Matrix, but sequels rarely can rival their genre originals. I rate this 9 stars because there is room for improvement, but it is also quite underrated by a public which takes fluidity of action, interesting characters, and pristine audio for granted.