Spielberg on 'Avatar': the most evocative sci-fi movie since 'Star Wars'

James Cameron (pictured left) held a private screening of "Avatar" on Dec. 4 for a few friends of his. Among the attendees were Arnold Schwarzenegger and Steven Spielberg (pictured right), a filmmaker who is also experimenting with motion-capture technology. (Spielberg and Peter Jackson are in the middle of mo-cap pic "Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn.")

At the premiere last night, I heard that Spielberg's reaction was overwhelmingly positive.

Today I was able to confirm through his reps that after the screening, Spielberg called "Avatar" "the most evocative and amazing science-fiction movie since 'Star Wars.'"

Not too shabby of an endorsement, eh?