Twelve years after Titanic hit our screens, director James Cameron finally returns with what looks like ending up being the most expensive film ever made. It started life almost fifteen years ago when he wrote the script, but held off from filming it until the technology could realise his CGI world displayed in 3D.

It’s set on the lush planet of Pandora, home to the Na’vi race; a tall, athletic and Smurf-blue people. They live a simple life, with simple weapons. They are also big on spirituality; if this was Earth, we’d be calling them Native Americans.

Their peaceful, harmonic existence is disrupted by the arrival of the military from Earth. They’ve turned up to mine for Unobtainium – despite sounding like a spell out of that wizardry oik Potter’s book of cheap tricks, it’s actually a mineral worth its weight and then some to the bolshie Earthlings. It’s also found in the heart of the Na’vi’s community, under their Hometree.

Scientists have managed to genetically create the physical shape of the Na’vi, with the ability to allow humans to remotely control them with their minds. The scientists hope that this will help them understand their culture, whereas the military see it as having more tactical benefits for them.

Arriving on the planet is Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), a soldier who has ended up in a wheelchair, due to being a casualty of war. He’s been sent to Pandora as his twin brother, who has since died, was a scientist working on the Avatar program. As they shared the same genes, Jake has the ability to control his brother’s Avatar. On a personal level, this also gives Jake the ability to walk again, albeit by occupying his nine foot tall Na’vi Avatar’s body.

It’s not long before Jake finds himself deep in the heart of Na’vi country, on his own and up to his blue pits in trouble. Luckily for him, he is soon befriended by Neytiri (Zoe Saldana), a slinky, attractive Na’vi who just so happens to be blue-bloodied as well as bodied. With her royal help, Sully learns the way of the Na’vi. The more he learns though, the more he’s racked with guilt as he then reports his findings back to not only the scientists but the dastardly military as well.

With the information they glean from Sully’s trips, the military decide that the only way they will be able to get their grubby hands on the Unobtainium is by using brute force. There may well be trouble ahead...

So despite it being roughly fifteen years in the making, James Cameron was unable to write anything remotely original for his highly anticipated comeback. There are so many elements from other films here, that after five or so, it’s time to give up counting. At its core though, it’s essentially a hybrid of Arthur Penn’s 1970 western Little Big Man (starring Dustin Hoffman) and numerous westerns directed by John ford. Add a little of the Star Wars mythology (those Ewoks on Endor in particular, may well be on the phones to their lawyers as we speak), and a sprinkling of the battle speech from Braveheart – replete with the blue fighting face - and you have Avatar.

Much has been made of the technical power behind the film, with more computer power generated than there was to run the Death Star. Yes, CGI is clever stuff and the idea of creating worlds and realities that wouldn’t ordinarily exist is impressive. However, although the world of Pandora is undoubtedly a pretty one, it never quite takes your breath away and run away with it. Even more disappointingly, the 3D version is even less immersive. Some of the animated features of this year, most notably the delightfully silly Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, managed to create some truly awesome effects in 3D. After half an hour on Pandora, what initial magic there was, rapidly wears off. Even some of the creatures created are merely colourful rip-offs of rhinos, dragons and the like, and nowhere near being spectacular.

The real question the film raises is this: should any of us really be surprised? After all, the last truly watchable Cameron film was Terminator 2: Judgement Day back in 1991. Since then he’s only directed True Lies (1994) and that dreadful boat film (1997). Yes, it may well have been popular, but so was Transformers 2 this year, but it doesn’t make it Citizen Kane.

Perhaps Cameron has been too wrapped up with his digital vision. As all the greats have proven before him, all you need is a compelling story to drive a film. You can add bells and whistles to enhance the overall experience, but if you’ve got nothing of any substance to attach them to, even your bells and whistles will end up looking and feeling flat – even in 3D.

Obviously Avatar will be the wearing the Emperor’s new clothes for the foreseeable future. But, after a while, one by one, people real realise that there really is nothing new to see here. It will not change the future of film. If anything, it will serve as a reminder that gimmickry will only get you so far; without an engaging story, Avatar is nothing more than a tediously long tech demo.

Someone needs to be brave enough to tell Cameron that he really isn’t king (of this world or any other for that matter) – story is.