Director James Cameron's masterpiece "Avatar" is visually sumptuous and emotionally engaging. Using cutting-edge technology, some of which was developed specifically for the film, "Avatar" broke new ground in filmmaking with its 3D effects and set a new standard in the industry for 3D films. The sci-fi film was also written by Cameron, whose futuristic story tapped into the prevailing zeitgeist. Set in the year 2154, it pits the Na'vi tribe of Pandora, a habitable moon in the Alpha Centauri star system, against the militaristic RDA Corporation from Earth that is trying to extract a valuable mineral from the densely forested Pandora. The humans from Earth are able to infiltrate the blue-skinned and long-tailed Na'vi by inhabiting "avatars," or Na'vi-human hybrids, which are operated by genetically matched humans. When the Na'vi, a race that lives in harmony with nature, rebel against the exploitation of their sacred land, it galvanizes all of the moon's creatures to unite as one against the humans. One of the most expensive films ever produced, the sci-fi spectacle opened at Christmastime 2009 and went on to become the highest-grossing film of all time, becoming the first film to ever earn more than $2 billion at the box office.