Movie history is filled with "Wow!" moments.

In 1902, "cinemagician" Georges Melies blew audiences away with the sight of a rickety spaceship hitting the eye of the man of the moon in the short, "Le voyage dans la Lune."

Fast-forward to 1939, when "The Wizard of Oz" "Wowed!" moviegoers on a whole new level with the Technicolor marvels of the munchkin world.

Now comes "Avatar," a film that leaves these seminal experiences and others of the 20th century buried in the dust.

Thanks to a budget that reportedly zips past US$300 million, "Avatar's" state-of-the-art 3-D technology has raised the bar in Hollywood for years to come.

It also leaves 1997's "Titanic," James Cameron's last epic, feeling like a tanked memory.

Cameron's new technological marvel brings to life Pandora, a jaw-dropping jungled Eden of the future inhabited by blue-skinned, golden-eyed aliens called the Na'vi.

With its superlative bag of 3-D tricks, moviegoers are drawn into this eye-popping paradise alongside hero Jake Sully (Sam Worthington).

The wheelchair-bound ex-Marine travels to Pandora on a mission to save Earth's energy problems. What the paralyzed soldier finds there is downright astounding.

Strange, winged creatures soar above the exotic terrain ripe with waterfalls and scents that almost waft off the screen.

Floating mountains and wispy little sea-anemone-like spirits command Pandora's pristine skies with equal strength.

But, like a rose with protective thorns Pandora also boasts an atmosphere that is toxic to mankind.

The message: mankind better change its ways

That's no biggie for "Avatar's" cunning human scientists.

These geniuses fuse together human and Pandorian DNA into 10-foot-tall hybrids that can run and leap just like the Na'vi.

These avatar hybrids also do some pretty smooth reconnaissance work for their greedy human masters. These mercenary entrepreneurs can't wait to push the natives off their land and swipe their resources.

The moral dilemma doesn't bother Jake as "Avatar" opens. Once his mind is imported into an avatar body, the legless Marine happily rats on the Na'vi to his bosses.

Things change, however, as he befriends the Na'vi beauty Nevtiri (Zoe Saldana).

Just like "Titanic's" Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, Jake and Nevtiri fall in love. Their ill-matched union adds to "Avatar's" allure.

Thanks to love, informant Jake suddenly see Pandora's peaceful, spiritual inhabitants as beings to be admired, not pummeled into the ground for a few truckloads of rocks.

"Avatar's" long ride is worth taking

Does it matter that his transformational journey comes with corny dialogue, or that "Avatar's" story of imperialistic evil sounds old and one-dimensional (sort of like "Dances with Wolves" in space)?

Not so much.

"Avatar's" greatness is about visual grandeur. That Cameron achieves thanks to newly-developed stereoscopic cameras that simulate human sight -- and some clever strategizing.

Here are the facts.

Cameron reportedly concocted this film idea 16 years ago. Instead of cashing it in then, he shrewdly waited for technology to catch up with the majesty of his vision.

Shrewd move No. 2 came with Cameron's decision to sign new-comer Aussie actor Sam Worthington.

As Cameron has said, he felt Worthington was "game for anything" because he had no fixed Hollywood image. That fearlessness makes Jake so much more real to audiences and more worthy to the Na'vi he encounters and befriends.

When Cameron does pepper "Avatar" up with star power, he trusts Sigourney Weaver to do the job right.

As Dr. Grace Augustine, the botanist who mentors Jake, Weaver keeps Cameron's old love for strong female characters burning strong and true.

Finally, despite its somewhat stale story of human greed "Avatar" has jacked up the stakes in Hollywood. As a result, who knows what golden era of filmmaking lies ahead?

That fantastic quandary alone makes Cameron the king of the world for me and "Avatar" a film experience not to be missed.

Three and a half stars out of four.