62.

I know you can't go a day without hearing about the phenomenon that is Avatar, but I feel almost obliged to write a short review after catching it when it opened a few days back so...

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Avatar marks director James Cameron's first feature film since the box office behemoth that was Titanic 12 years ago (which till today holds the record for the highest grossing film of all time!). One of the more anticipated movies of the year, it delights me to say that Avatar certainly has lived up to the immense hype that has surrounded it and is without a doubt one of 2009's best movies.

Having only had a passing interest in Avatar before and only deciding to go watch upon the suggestion of a cousin, Avatar pleasantly surprised and wowed me in the end.

For the uninitiated, Avatar tells the story of paraplegic ex-marine Jake Sully who goes undercover, assuming the body of a genetically engineered avatar in an attempt to blend in and learn more about the Na'vi (the inhabitants of Pandora), whose natural resources are highly sought after by the humans.

Most of the movie is spent following Jake's adventures in his avatar as he explores the Pandoran landscape, which unexpectedly turns out to be the star of the whole movie. Pandora's lush jungles and unique botany are a stunning display of aesthetics and creativity on part, and this is where Avatar shines as a movie with an outstanding display of rich and diverse visuals.

Apart from its superlative visuals, Avatar at the same time is an aural treat. Explosions ring loudly in your ears while shrapnel from human guns and the sound of arrows piercing the air from Na'vi bows are crisp. The actors are all at the very least semi-convincing (with the exception of Michelle Rodriguez, whose pilot character had me cringing at times) and the sounds of Pandora are all of the highest standard.

The only thing left to be desired from Avatar was the story, and it is unfortunate that this is where the movie fell short. On the whole, the story was fine; it was interesting to explore Na'vi culture and beliefs but I felt the story could have used a bit more fleshing out. The human characters were boring at times with nothing really to endear them to the viewers and I found the whole thing rather predictable.

On the other hand, had the story been any longer, the movie probably would have become somewhat of a drag (the movie is over two and a half hours in length, my bladder nearly exploded) so in that sense this slight flaw may be forgivable.

Overall, Avatar I think is an amazing technical achievement that definitely has raised the bar in Hollywood. The story sometimes leaves some things to be desired but you will rarely - if ever - notice that because you'll spend half your time enthralled with Pandora.

As a final note, I want to add that Avatar is a movie that absolutely MUST be caught in 3D. Having seen clips from the digital version, I can say that it almost completely loses all of Avatar's appeal as a movie touted as a breakthrough in film making, and it's an inferior experience at best. Should you have the chance to catch Avatar on IMAX 3D, then seize that opportunity, for it is in 3D where the dazzling visual spectacle that is Pandora is truly allowed to shine.

Hands down, Avatar is THE ultimate movie to catch this December; a perfect way to cap off 2009.

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I know, I sound like I'm being paid to write this (I wish), but really, go catch it! If you didn't like it, then your mother didn't love you as a child!