Comments on: James Cameron, “Avatar” (2009).

By: wcsminorcircuit

wcsminorcircuit — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 21:59:57 +0000

Okay, maybe visuals make a good film. Avatar is a good film. It’s not 1.6 billion dollars good, though.

By: wcsminorcircuit

wcsminorcircuit — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 21:59:07 +0000

I don’t think I’ve ever agreed with one of your reviews more than this one.

Many, many people are hailing Avatar as the greatest film they’ve ever seen (at least according to Facebook status updates I’ve seen). Though Avatar was fun as hell to watch, visuals alone don’t make a great–or even good–film.

By: Benito Vergara

Benito Vergara — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 18:57:43 +0000

Probably… either that or it was off some comment I posted on my page on Facebook.

Found Dan’s quote: “It’s like folklore; it’s a story that’s worth repeating. Originality can be overrated.” No quibble with that regarding Avatar‘s sources — which is why the existence of something like Sheena isn’t surprising (it sure looks good though) — but it’s Cameron’s by-the-numbers execution that I found lacking. Other than the visuals, the most exciting element that Cameron brings to that archetypal narrative is the whole avatar business, but it’s way under-utilized in the film itself.

I was going to question as well whether the story really was “worth repeating”, until I remembered that Terrence Malick’s The New World was one of my favorite movies of the last ten years. =)

By: Dan

Dan — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 18:31:41 +0000

Was your comment on regarding myth at all inspired by my post on Pivotal Film, or were you, as usual, light years ahead of me?

By: links for 2010-01-20 « The Mustard Seed

links for 2010-01-20 « The Mustard Seed — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 14:02:06 +0000

[...] James Cameron, “Avatar” (2009) — Flim, Eyeballs, Brain "Much of my disappointment can be blamed on the irritatingly trite screenplay. While I understand that Cameron’s project is explicitly foregrounded as a retelling of the romantic “first contact” story – and hey, maybe we can start invoking Joseph Campbell as well to raise the comparison on an even more macro level – it’s done so in a terribly predictable fashion, with events proceeding in automatic lockstep. Surely myths, with their corresponding narrative elements, don’t have to be retold in such a banal manner? Sure, no one believes for a minute that Jake Sully, played by a lifeless Sam Worthington, would actually carry out his military orders, but his effortless decision to go native happens almost as if… it’s what the motif demanded." (tags: blog northamerica media) [...]

By: Happy

Happy — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 11:12:33 +0000

Disappointed you haven’t seen “Sheena”. Read the wikipedia synopsis. I think they have a case as “Best Avatar Avatar”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheena_(film)

By: Benito Vergara

Benito Vergara — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 06:36:06 +0000

There, Happy -- #FFFFFF good enough for you? Didn't see Sheena, sorry, but I think I remember what Tanya looked like in it. I have this sinking feeling that Avatar will win the Best Picture Oscar as well; kind of like Barb above, though, I'm rooting for The Hurt Locker. If both The White Ribbon and Summer Hours (probably my favorite film of 2009, period) get nominated for Best Foreign Film, I'll have a hard time choosing.

By: Happy

Happy — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 03:49:12 +0000

Have you seen “Sheena” (1984) with Tanya Roberts? Like “Pocahontas” and “Fern Gully”, it’s a similar re-telling of “history repeating”, albeit in a altogether different world. If the Golden Globes are any indication, can you say “Oscar-worthy”?

By: Happy

Happy — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 03:43:35 +0000

Good points all around, but the retina burning yellow background is killing me.

By: BJR

BJR — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 16:53:00 +0000

Thanks for this! We just recently saw T2, and while I enjoyed the revisit, I thought about how Linda Hamilton’s dialogue was about the weakest thing ever.

So, as with much sci fi I view (and it’s probably my favorite genre), I think of Cameron as attempting to transcend his subjectivities, and being limited by these. This is the failing in AVATAR. I think, like George Lucas, crappy writer with a vision that can have potential: Can’t they just hire good writers?

I am really disappointed AVATAR won the Golden Globe for Best Film, especially after watching The Hurt Locker.