It is truly something when you see a movie that is a technological masterpiece and halfway through you are more involved with the story than anything else. The 3D brings everything to life, and makes the characters seem so real it is remarkable. I've seen a few 3D movies before Avatar, and none were able to get 3D feeling realistic, but Avatar offers depth to the entire world. You begin to forget that what you're seeing is an effect and you are drawn into Pandora, caring more about the characters and the events than you would in a typical movie. 2D is to blame for the poor reviews, since it is the fact these people and creatures seem to take up real space in front of you, and not so much the colors and detail.