The heavens also gave us Perfect Dark.
As for the movie, completely awesome. I loved every bit of it. Most particularly the Na'vi and the Pandoran wildlife, the whole concept of the Avatar, the visuals and the themes.
Frankly, hte whole Avatar programs is in the Awesome but impractical territory.
Oh blow it out your ass. Do you think the Moon Landings were practical? The original goal was to beat the Russians to the moon for fear of lunar militarization. As time has proven, we don't really want guns and bombs in outer space. But we did it anyways, because politically the time was right and the technological benefits outweighed the impracticality. As for the Avatar program, while the concept might not be 100% practical, the R&D potential of such a program would greatly outweigh the impracticality. In addition, would you rather be in a human body when a Thanator tries to kill your ass or would you prefer to be in a Na'vi body? From what we've seen, the Na'vi body is stronger and can carry more firepower (reference Jake carrying the door gun of his chopper like an assault rifle, while the other marine gets a little smg). Regarding the possibility of wearing an exosuit, the exosuit deprives you of sensory perception and motor precision that the movie's level of science requires.
To all who believe Quaritch was cartoony, you haven't been paying much attention to history and current events. I found the most terrifying thing about him to be that he is a perfect representation of the nightmares within the human spirit. He is us at our worst--intelligent, cruel, and apathetic. Sure, say he was unbelievable, but he has existed in the past (conquistadors, European settlers, Americans, Hitler), exists in the present (Taliban, Al-Qaeda, previous US generals), and will exist in the future. I find him imposing because he commands a force which the Omaticaya Na'vi alone cannot rival, and he is vengeful, angry and threatened enough to consider using it. And when he's contemplating such a use of force, he is incapable of showing compassion for anyone or anything that is not part of what he represents and desires. He perfectly mirrors modern-day extremism, and not just that of terrorist organizations. He utilizes preemptive strikes and "Shock and Awe". Unbelievable? I ask you then to start thinking about the past eight years. What the **** has the United States been doing?
Beyond Quaritch, all of Avatar's human characters represent a part of the current human personality. The scientists are our compassionate and rational side, focusing on preservation, understanding and cooperation. The corporation and its lackey Selfridge are our self-centered and arrogant side, obsessed with the quarterly statement, unconcerned for others, and careless in regards to all else. Quaritch is our destructive and militaristic side, the result of our fears and angers left too long to fester and given the intelligence and power with which to do irreparable harm.
Even with such a seemingly predictable storyline, Cameron has created an excellent dialogue between the forces currently at work within human society today.
