First and foremost, Avatar, as promised, unquestionably represents the best visual use of performance capture and 3D technology in cinema to date. It has also been treated to one of the best marketing campaigns. Somehow, the phrase that found its way into every pre-release report, article or outright puff-piece was game changer - and that was before anybody had seen any footage. To get everybody talking about your latest project as a film that could change the face of cinema is a difficult thing, but not nearly so difficult as living up to the expectations that bravado creates. ‘King Of The World‘ James Cameron does love a challenge.

　　So, is it or isn‘t it? Has ‘the game‘ been changed? The answer really depends on what game you‘re playing. If we‘re talking about what a film can achieve visually (and in terms of box office receipts), Avatar is unequivocally a game changer. If the game you‘re interested in is the older art of storytelling, character and dramatic narrative, it is not. Looking back at Cameron‘s own oeuvre, the experience of reading the scripts of Terminators 1 and 2 and of Aliens is engaging in its own right, before you add any visuals. The same can‘t be said of Titanic and True Lies, but they do undeniably provide great opportunities for some spectacular action set pieces. Avatar, while more ambitious, leans towards spectacle over script: the story is no dud, but you will come out of the cinema talking about what you‘ve just seen, rather than quoting the instantly classic lines of Terminator/Aliens.

　　It may not be crammed with soundbites, but boy, does Avatar look good. The 3D technology is the best it has ever been, and unlike gimmicky 3D where an audience might lean away from something that appears to project out towards them, 3D in Avatar is overwhelmingly used to create a sense of depth - we‘re looking into an open window on another world, stretching out in front of us. And what a world it is. The fruits of Cameron‘s audacious imagination could not