If you haven’t already, treat yourself to a holiday present and watch Avatar.

Is it the best movie ever made based on the best screenplay ever written? No, of course not. But it’s certainly one of the better movies I’ve seen in a long, long time. Though it’s wrapped in the most mind-blowing special-effects package, the true gift inside is the no-gimmicks heart-felt action-packed story — it’ll satisfy your mind and heart long after you toss the goofy-looking 3D glasses that the box-office attendant hands you before you enter the theater.

If you’ve been living under a rock lately or swamped with holiday shopping, here’s a rundown: Avatar is set in the far future when humans have consumed Earth and is looking to extract minerals from the planet of Pandora for fuel. But aliens called Na’vi live there and refuse to make way for bulldozers. Enter Jake Sully, a paraplegic ex-Marine (played by Sam Worthington) who volunteers to control a Na’vi-human hybrid to inflitrate and influence the natives. One problem: Jake realizes he’s playing for the wrong team when he falls in love with a Na’vi princess.

Writer-director James Cameron has been working on this movie for 12 years, and his hard work and persistence pays off plenty of dividends. His script combines so many great elements (action, sci-fi, romance, politics, and history) in one unified, poetic tale.

It’s not Cameron’s most subtle script (the aliens in Avatar are clearly a parallel to Native Americans), but it’s certainly his most ambitious. Twelve years and $300 million later, he still doesn’t let that all that overshadow the action-packed love story.

Sure, I’m a little biased, as Cameron is probably my favorite writer-director out of the myriad of filmmakers I admire. Aside from also being a Canadian-born Southern Californian like me, Cameron is one of the rare auteurs who can handle both visuals and story, action and drama.

He’s never made a bad movie. (OK, I’ve never seen his first one, Piranha Part Two, but I’m certain if I did watch it, I’ll think it’s the greatest B-movie ever.) From the original The Terminator to Aliens to Terminator 2: Judgment Day to Titanic, every one of Cameron’s movies are epic entertainment.

Why?

Because he understands how to use intense action to further a compelling story, rather than the other way around.

So sprinkle a little holiday cheer on yourself and watch Avatar.