James Cameron continues his proud tradition of overcoming glaring deficiencies in writing, acting, and directing through the use of breathtaking visual effects.
While the images on the screen gained a dimension, the characters lost one, reducing each one to little more than a cliche with all the complexity of a secondary character on Dora the Explorer. From beginning to end, the story is unoriginal to the point of feeling plagiarized, predictable to the point of being boring, and insulting in the heavy handedness of its' cheap morality play.
Calling this science fiction or a war movie is a joke. This was nothing more than a formulaic attempt to build a new fanboy holy grail to replace Star Wars.