The technology is a dazzling achievement; mostly one can't tell where real action ends and animation begins. However, at the heart of any good movie is a good story, and this one is formulaic and predictable. For an unusual visual experience, I expected a more creative story line. The other major flaw is the running time: close to 2 hours 40 minutes; deft editing could have chopped 30 minutes. Remember the 1977 Star Wars? Two hours and one minute and fabulous. If you're simply looking for a visually transporting experience with action, go see Avatar.