--- title: "Avatar: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/avatar/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/avatar" critics_score: 74 critics_reviews: 13 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Avatar (2009): what the critics said Critics' score 74 from 13 reviews: 10 positive, 1 mixed, 2 negative. Most critics are won over, and the praise gathers almost entirely around one thing: the world. Pandora’s design and the 3D photography are singled out again and again as immersive and richly detailed, and several say the film restores a sense of wonder to going to the cinema. The romance between Jake and Neytiri persuades more of them than not, with Zoe Saldana’s performance credited for making a computer-generated character feel real, and Stephen Lang’s villain earns a mention too. The reservations cluster on the script. Clichéd dialogue, thin characterisation and a familiar story are noted even by admirers. The spread is wide, from outright raves to two hostile notices. The Guardian calls it baggy and long-winded and thinks Cameron has lost his taut edge; Time Out finds the script dire and the technology put ahead of the storytelling. Variety adds the irony of a technology-driven film preaching a return to nature. ## Total Film — Andy Lowe Fi1m's normalised score 95/100 (inferred from the text). 11 December 2009. The critic hails Avatar as much more than a film—an audacious, awe-inspiring work that reinvents cinema and achieves a rebirth of the medium through its immersive 3D experience. He singles out the emotional core of Jake's inner odyssey and the performances, especially Zoe Saldana's as Neytiri, for making the CG characters feel weighted and real. [Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/avatar-3-review/) ## Empire — Chris Hewitt Rating 4/5 (5/5 in 3D). 11 December 2009. The critic calls it a flawed but fantastic tour de force from Cameron, rich, soulful and exciting, with staggering scale and emotion in its action sequences. He singles out the immersive 3D world-building and the effective central love story between Jake and Neytiri for particular praise. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/avatar-review/) ## Los Angeles Times — Kenneth Turan Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 17 December 2009. The critic hails Avatar as restoring a sense of wonder to moviegoing, calling it an extraordinary act of visual imagination and the ultimate James Cameron production. He singles out its shock and awe spectacle and adventure as something not to miss. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/blogs/hero-complex-blog/story/2009-12-16/la-times-review-avatar-restores-a-sense-of-wonder-to-the-moviegoing-experience) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Kirk Honeycutt Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 10 December 2009. The critic calls it a titanic entertainment where movie magic returns, praising the fully believable romance at its heart and the richly realized world of Pandora with its creatures and designs. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/avatar-film-review-2-93803/) ## The New York Times — Manohla Dargis Rating Critic’s Pick. 17 December 2009. The critic praises Cameron for creating a glorious, goofy and blissfully deranged cinematic world that is both a song to nature and filled with pulpy action. She singles out the meticulous and brilliantly colored alien world of Pandora for its scope and immersive wonder. [Read the review](https://movies.nytimes.com/2009/12/18/movies/18avatar.html) ## The New Yorker — David Denby Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 15 December 2009. The critic calls it the most beautiful film seen in years, lauding its luscious and freewheeling visual reimagining of nature on Pandora. He praises the continuity of 3-D space that supports the film's trippy belief in the oneness of all living things, while noting the story is a bit trite. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2010/01/04/going-native-movie-reviews-avatar-sherlock-holmes) ## Variety — Todd McCarthy Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 10 December 2009. Festival review. The critic says Cameron creates another world entirely that is very much worth visiting, delivering unique spectacle, breathtaking sights and narrative excitement along with an anti-imperialist theme. He notes the ironic contrast of the technology-driven picture's back-to-nature message. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2009/film/markets-festivals/avatar-2-1200477897/) ## Screen Daily Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 15 December 2009. Praises Cameron for delivering remarkable spectacle and an unprecedented marriage of technology and storytelling that is on the whole remarkably successful. Singles out the astonishing visual effects and resonant contemporary themes for praise while noting some crude characterisation and clichéd dialogue. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/avatar/5008859.article) ## The Guardian Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 11 December 2009. The film looks fantastic with its seamless CGI and landscapes, but tries to cover too many bases with militarist sci-fi, eco-waffle and a love story, resulting in a baggy and longwinded experience. Cameron has lost his taut edge as a filmmaker. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2009/dec/11/avatar-james-cameron-film-review) ## Time Out — Tom Huddleston Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 15 December 2009. Criticises the film for prioritising technology and visual effects over storytelling, calling the script dire, cliché-ridden and lacking originality or emotional resonance. Singles out the immersive visual experience of Pandora as hard to fault while lamenting the absence of fresh ideas. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/avatar) ## /Film — David Chen Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 11 December 2009. The critic finds Avatar a hugely exciting and visually immersive sci-fi adventure with impressive world-building and a masterful finale, but criticizes the stilted script and rushed character development. [Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/506623/davids-avatar-review-epic-filmmaking-epically-bad-dialogue/) ## Collider — Matt Goldberg Rating B-. 17 December 2009. The critic finds Avatar a fine but limited film hampered by an outdated story and technical choices, but praises the strong performances, especially Stephen Lang's villain, excellent pacing, and Cameron's action direction. [Read the review](https://collider.com/avatar-review/) ## Den of Geek — Michael Leader Rating 3 out of 5. 11 December 2009. The critic praises the film's seamless, immersive visual effects and the richly designed world of Pandora as a technical achievement worth seeing on the big screen. They single out the weak, underdeveloped story and heavy-handed themes for complaint. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/avatar-review/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/avatar.md