You tend to assume, and rightly so, that the visuals overwhelmed me. You are right. They did. The three-dimensional view helped significantly. However, as I watched, I realized that no filmmaker had ever tried to create a completely different alien world from scratch with such splendor. There is a point during which most filmmakers move to the studio, mostly due to cost. Cameron threw off those impulses and took us into the heart of this jungle. He made us feel it was worth saving. Therefore, when they attack the big tree, this moment alone becomes a heartrending moment in the film. You might say this was expected, because you and I are jaded by past films whose similar themes have played out on a less grand scale. But for my son, this moment was as painful as me watching Kane slowly reject his beautiful wife in that brief yet poignant montage Welles made to reflect his changing attitude. We are moved by those images. I let go of my learned mind and let Cameron take me away during a "child-like" moment, where I had not seen a thousand movies, studied film, film theory, and film criticism... where I was just a boy, seeing something new and wonderful. That scene tore my heart out, for I discovered I still had one, one not stiffled by cynicism.