Among the vast ambitions, Avatar is partly about colour. It is James Cameron’s first movie since Titanic went down 12 years ago, so you can bet he has a lot to say, but the primary directive might be to make a film so beautiful in its use of colour that it restores our faith in movies.

He wants us all to emerge thinking “I’ve never seen that before”. He’s trying both to invent new technologies and tame them as he goes – avoiding the George Lucas syndrome, where the technology swamped the stories in the later Star Wars movies.

Cameron has made Avatar in 3D because he wants to show the future of action cinema. Along with colour, he wants depth, so that the experience is enveloping. Fifty years ago, 3D was a new way to achieve cheesy thrills – the spear was coming right at you. Avatar has few of these directional gags. It is now possible to make movies that feel as if you have a virtual-reality module on your head. Sound and vision come from all around – almost (even in 3D, the screen still has a limit).

That does mean that Avatar is an overwhelming sensory experience. The colours are extraordinary, the depth breathtaking. More important, the range of emotions in the CGI characters is more subtle and surprising than has been possible before.

Cheers,

Eric