Avatar

James Cameron created a landmark in film with Avatar.  This film has special effects that has not been seen in any other movies and is truly a breakthrough.  Something like this has not happened since 2001 A Space Odyssey in 1968.  Everything about the movie is completely original, from the world of Pandora to the animals, characters and even language.  I found this to be extremely refreshing to watch something new that was not another remake or adaptation.  There is thankfully not an insane amount of action or dragged out conversations, but is so perfectly evened out you do not realize the movie is over three hours long.  It is largely CGI but it all seems realistic.  Although this film had many accomplishments, best picture was not one of them.  I personally felt that The Hurt Locker did deserve to win, but Avatar will by far be remembered and loved by many more people.