Really? The DVD version got sanitized? That's awesome- I hadn't heard that.
I'm not the biggest fan of Cameron- I met him in person when I was running my theater, and I wasn't terribly impressed, even though my boss squealed like a fangirl when he saw him. He's a nice enough guy, and he's passionate about movies, but I'm just not that into the way he wants to sell movies- as a shared cultural experience that everyone MUST experience, and pay handsomely to do so.
My wife and Dad both liked Avatar- I wasn't a huge fan of it. It was a recycled plot (Dances with Wolves, although the thing making fun of the comparison to Pocahontas is hilarious), it had lame and cliche characters, and I saw every major plot twist coming.
I will say that it was a beautiful movie- the landscapes are fully realized, with tiny animals, variation of vegitation, none of it explained or quantified. It's just there, in breathtaking beauty. The little animals scurry through the undergrowth, part of the picture but not the story. It's very VERY pretty.
That's what I have to say about it.
-kv