James Cameron’s “Avatar” is a slow simmering smash.
The film is earning mostly raves for movie audiences, even though some on the right aren’t too happy with its political subtext.
Or, just plain text. Cameron is not a subtle storyteller.
A movie fan can appreciate a good film despite messages he or she disagrees with, which is why I gave a very qualified rave to the film over at PajamasMedia.com.
But it’s a shame Cameron couldn’t hold back on his tin-eared dialog or his penchant for stuffing his screenplays with bald ideological bullet points.
(Photo: Sam Worthington stars as Jake in “Avatar,” the new film by James Cameron./20th Century Fox)
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{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ….I had to watch “Aliens” after this to remember what Cameron was once capable of before he was possessed by the Demon of Technology and skipped quality characters and story over CGI.
Saw it in IMAX 3D last weekend and was bored to tears. Great 3D and technically impressive…for a movie that decries the evils of capitalism and technology. Cameron is one walking bag of hypocrisy isn’t he?
Sure is, Paul. It’s like Michael Moore appearing on every other talk show to make sure people go out and see his latest film – and he gets paid.
I found the story in “Avatar” very well told — I’m increasingly grumpy at how the art of storytelling is being lost. Cameron sets his pieces in motion quite well … but it is too long and the ideological sledge hammering was tiresome.
I LOVE James Cameron. I even enjoy Piranha II The Spawning but for the first time I was let down by one of his films. I was surprised by how lazy it was. The story was exactly as I’ve seen it told in other films. The most obvious being Dances With Wolves but also The Last Samurai and even Witness. The cliche villains were so badly done I found them almost laughable. I appreciated the technical achievements of the film. However I appreciated them only on that level. The 3-D was incredible. The depth and the use of it was stunning. The visual effects, especially in the environments, was mind boggling. I kept looking at the water falls and thinking how far particle generators have come to make a waterfall look so real. None of this had anything to do with the story. And I never had the one awe moment. No queen alien or water tentacle or T-1000 coming out of the fire. Nothing. This just did not seem like a James Cameron film to me. I guess every great filmmaker has at least one film that falls flat. I suppose this is his (in my opinion). I hope for his next one he gets back to the great storyteller I know he is.
The film’s message – humans bad, aliens good. But not all humans are totally bad. Scientists are good. And humans who decided to leave the race and become aliens are also good.
The message was so loud it started to overshadow my enjoyment of the film. My husband, however, was easily able to ignore the message and focus on the film as an artistic and 3D masterpiece.
It made for a pretty heated arguement on the way home from the theater.
I’m looking forward to when we look back and “Avatar” and say, “wow that looks so out-of-date.”
I’m hoping next time they try one of these epic movies they will hire writers as highly qualified as the graphics people.
Shoot! Sorry for the typos.