It's been my view since the film's release that a large amount of viewers have a skewed reaction of the film. Individually, I think we can admit that while the story is cliche, it's one of the best tellings of it.
Beyond that, the story, characters, music, themes, presentation of Pandora/this wonderful world/the 3D, all that, is meant to interact with one another seamlessly to offer a singular experience, they aren't meant to be analyzed on an individual level. They visuels and story are very much the same thing, and people seem to miss that.
It's a beautiful film, one that offers an unbelievably moving experience on a multitude of levels. Feelings of being swept off your feet, of truly seeing something you never have before, of the endearing love story at the core of the entire production.
The first Avatar is a lesser A New Hope. Terrible dialogue, generally, the performances aren't that great, but the experience of seeing so much you never have before elevates it beyond anything you've seen before, and somehow, the flaws vanish the further you get into the narrative. No, Avatar isn't nearly as good as Star Wars for a multitude of reasons, but still.
Avatar has a true sense of wonder, it's amazing.
-Vader
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