A Christmas flurry of "culture" brought the universally seen Avatar 3D followed by the latest production at London's Donmar Warehouse, Red, starring film actor Alfred Molina as the American painter Mark Rothko.

Both are in many ways epitomising of the great core traits of each of their forms. Avatar uses and extends the visual possibilities of the moving image to a truly groundbreaking end - the adage of being able to watch good films with the sound off is entirely apt for the visual wonder of the technology. But also a good idea in helping you avoid the clunking script and major plot holes littering many parts of the film.

Red, a new play by screenwriter John Logan, is a tight two hander, a verbal battle of wills and minds of Rothko, the abstract painter, and his new assistant, superbly played by Eddie Redmayne (a peer of mine from university days). It's a talky piece, with nearly all the drama in the wordplay.

For me, there's no denying the grand spectacle of Avatar is truly astonishing. But will its story, its characters, the questions it raises and the thoughts it provokes stay with me? No - they're paper thin and as simplistic as possible. After T2 and Aliens were so adept at making action so astute too, it's a shame that, in a way, Cameron has gone backwards.

For all its stillness and limited visual scope, Red is the power player of this face-off because of its intensity, its authenticity. Ultimately, spectacle shouts louder, but true drama can whisper and still be heard.