Unless you've been living under a media rock the past month, you may have heard of the new uber-epic semi-sci-fi extravaganza movie called Avatar. It's from James Cameron, that guy who gave us all kinds of sci-fi and grand-scale saga type movies of the 90s.

I'm here to tell you it's worth your two and a half hours and $15 (if you spring for the IMAX). And spring for the IMAX you should. It's worth every penny. You get the true scale Cameron had in mind for the film and the 3D isn't the kind of 3D that makes you want to throw up, it's a 3D that adds the just enough depth to put you in the scene - not up close, but viewing from a safe distance.

For those who don't care for sci-fi and would rather get a root canal than sit through Star Trek, or even The Matrix, fear not. Avatar actually has a story, and a love plot, and socio-political commentary. It's a blockbuster with brains. An action film with a conscience. If I don't sound like a nerdy movie critic way into cliches to you yet, keep reading.

Even at two and a half hours, the movie does not drag. Pay even the slightest attention and the story will keep you moving. It has momentum. Several story threads progress concurrently, you know, just in case one of them bore you. You've got a love story. You've got a species survival story. You've got a war machine story. You've got an internal conflict story. And so on.

Case in point: my mom, a 59-year-old woman who goes to sci-fi flics with my dad only because he has no one else to take, genuinely liked Avatar. I think that speaks for itself.