Avatar ***

"Avatar" is a technically dazzling, seamlessly crafted sci-fi adventure tale set on a far-off planet where a paraplegic marine is able to inhabit and control the body of a specially-engineered native, who can not only survive, but thrive in the poisonous atmosphere. In his avatar body, he befriends the natives to advance the aims of the company that brought him there to extract a valuable mineral. The marine learns the ways of the natives, and comes to understand and respect the interconnectedness of life on this beautifully-imagined world. The movie is great fun and emotionally engaging, even if you do wonder if you're cheering a tribe that has disturbing parallels to the peoples and cultures that the U.S. has fought, or is fighting, here and abroad. See it for the superb special effects, battle scenes, and the best transfer of actors to animated images to date.

Rated PG-13. 162 minutes. James Cameron - Director / Writer / Producer / Editor, Jon Landau - Producer, Mauro Fiore - Cinematographer, James Horner - Composer, Rick Carter - Production Designer, Robert Stomberg - Production - Productiion Designer, John Refoua - Editor, Stephen Rivkin - Editor. Produced and distributed by Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation.

Principal actors: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Michelle Rodriguez, Giovanni Ribisi, Joel David Moore, CCH Pounder, Peter Mensah, Laz Alonso, Wes Studi, Stephen Lang, and Matt Gerald