I still remember sitting in the theater in 2009 watching James Cameron’s “Avatar” and being amazed at the cinematic achievement on display. While the storytelling may not have wowed me, the visuals that Cameron created for the alien world of Pandora were like nothing I’d ever witnessed onscreen before.
It remains one of the only 3D movies I’ve ever seen that warranted spending nearly three hours with uncomfortable glasses on my face, on top of the prescription glasses I wear every day. Subsequent years have made “Avatar” seem slightly less impressive from a technological standpoint, but Cameron’s belated sequels have made its storytelling seem economical and sophisticated in comparison.
