After having the movie Avatar recommended to me by just about everyone, I decided to give it go. I rented it in HD, sat back in a comfy chair and started to watch. Note: I tend to lower my expectations to avoid disappointment and I generally do not let other people's opinions affect my own (as far as that is possible).
Within the first half hour, I was already bored and wanted to switch it off but I persevered. After an hour I was wondering when the good part would happen. After an hour and a half I said "fuck it" and stopped watching.
I really really tried hard to like the movie but I couldn't. It's not bad but ... well ...
a) the story is so predictable and old. They made the Na'vi a blatant mix of Native Americans and Africans. A people in touch with nature talk and act like Indians? Wow, original (!) And who c
b) not just that but the whole story is ripped straight from history with some alterations. The New World was a place of wonder to the Spanish explorers who came across "savages" who guarded riches and wealth and who got slaughtered out of greed while trying to impose their culture and religion on them. Hmm, why does that sound familiar?
c) the world is well made but graphics aren't meant to be the basis of a movie just like they aren't meant to be the foundation of a game. As pretty as Pandora is, it's also a bit silly and designed as if it was meant to appeal to 5 year olds with all the pretty colours and funny creatures. Because of the exaggeration of colours, the world felt like a cartoon to me and it just didn't seem real because of this.
d) the characters are so two dimensional. The stereo typical army bad ass, the greedy corporation bastard, etc. etc. Yes they look the part but as 3D as the movie is, the more 2D the characters are. The dialog is so flat as well and doesn't feel real. Typical blockbuster language used to make the movie "cool" at the cost of character development.
Well, I respect people's opinions but, I really can't like this movie. It's stereotypical, leans heavily on its 3D graphics yet has flat characters, a predictable and old plot and ... well ... do people really like it because it looks shiny?

That's the joke. It's just another Hollywood movie, only this time criticizing the Iraq war and the general western politics.
Also, UBERGRAPHIXX.

Agreed, agreed, agreed and agreed. I saw it in the theatre. In 3D. What a mistake that was...

It's an action movie with an engaging environment and beautiful effects. If you were expecting anything different, it's no wonder you didn't like the movie.
TBQH, from your post it sounds like you went into the movie not wanting to like it.

De gustibus non est dispuntandum.

You should put "disputandum" before "est", indeed. So I remember the sentence from my "liceo scientifico" years :-P

The only reason I went to see it was because of the 3D (I'd never seen a stereoscopic 3D film at that point).
I've seen other 3D stuff since, and Avatar certainly got that right. The CGI and the 3D are perfect.
The majority of the rest is average at best.
I got quite bored half way through, and started to take off the glasses so I could see the dual images (quite interestingly, there are lots of scenes where there's almost none of the 3D effect, with the flying stuff with higher depth).

I know latin from reading Asterix and Obelix. And google. Do I get points for that?

I love Asterix and Obelix.

A lot of people hailed it as one of the greatest science fiction epics of all time, particularly people in the television and radio news media.
Just like "District 9" before it, "Avatar" was a rubbish movie that a got a free pass because it was a flat and overly obvious metaphor for topical events. Personally, I find it insulting when such ham handed movies are held-up as great sci-fi; because it implies not only that the genre is good simply for thin allegory, but that its fans have the metal acumen of a child.

You would. They're French. *BA-DUM-PSSSH*

I couldn't agree more. Blade Runner defecates all over Avatar, it's not funny. I expected an entertaining movie that would draw me in, that's it. What I didn't expect is a tired old predictable story with flat characters and a story that drags itself out just to show off fancy 3D graphics. It reminds me a lot of Jurassic Park in that respect except JP had tense moments and likely characters even if they were flat as well. Here it's even more cartoonish.

I didn't really like it either... too preachy, too effects-driven and I just didn't like the design of the alien world.

Oh! And don't forget MMORPG's!