Going to the movies used to be such a big part of my life.

If a major movie was coming out, I always used to try and see it the very first weekend, even if it was something that didn't excite me that much. I saw two of the first three "Star Wars" movies the first day they were out, and all three of the original Indiana Jones films. It mattered to me because I wanted to be able to talk about them with my friends. Movies were shared cultural experiences, at least as long as I was in the group they were aimed at.

But I'm not part of that group anymore. I haven't seen any of the "Pirates of the Caribbean" films, or the "Transformer" movies, or any of the three "Lord of the Rings" epics. In fact, I haven't seen five of the top 20 highest-grossing films of all time.

[caption id="attachment_333" align="alignleft" width="200" caption="Avatar"]<a href="http://mikerappaport.net/onevoice/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/avatar-movie-poster.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-333" src="http://mikerappaport.net/onevoice/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/avatar-movie-poster.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="299" /></a>[/caption]

This year, when "Avatar" was such a huge phenomenon, I missed it. As it passed "Titanic" to become the highest grosser of all time, I avoided it. Part of it is that I've never really enjoyed the whole 3D thing, but the biggest thing is that I'm just not that enthralled with movies that are probably 90 percent CGI.

I was happy to see "Avatar" top "Titanic," because it always sort of annoyed me that a movie that I considered pretty mediocre was the No. 1 movie of all time. Not enough to sit through 2 hours and 42 minutes of 3D, though.

But this week "Avatar" came out on DVD, and I'm finally getting the chance to see it.

There is no question it is beautifully done, and if the story seems to drag a little at times, the scenery does a great job of making up for it.

I'm glad I finally got it see it.