Avatar would have been better if it had just been a National Geographic documentary on the planet Pandora and the Na'avi people. As it was, I was well entranced by the world and its spectacle. But as soon as the credits rolled, I started thinking of all the giant holes in the paper-thin plot.

The problem with the Hero's Journey is, if you don't explore the character of the Hero undergoing the journey, it's quite shallow. But - paste absolutely mind-boggling visual effects on top of that shallow, and you get something that's still pretty amazing to see. But how much harder would it be to have a better script?

Memorandum to Hollywood: Your script is the least expensive part of production. Spend a little money and get really good writers, and you'll get positive results out of scale to your expenditure.