I am amazed to say it myself: I finally saw Avatar (2009). It was playing on television this weekend, and I decided it would be wise to actually see the film so that my distaste for it was justified.
Yes, as you might know if you are a frequent reader of this blog, I am not a James Cameron fan. Granted, I do love Aliens (Did you see it playing on Syfy last week? I love when the alien takes the elevator.), but I partially credit that film’s quality to the fact that it’s a sequel to a Ridley Scott film. I also watch Titanic from time to time if it’s on television solely for the fact that I adore Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, not because I think it’s a good film. Most of my aversion to Cameron derives from his cinematic philosophy. The director believes all movies will eventually be in 3D (an assertion I must disagree with, based on how quickly the fad seems to be getting old for people – finally), and he made millions by rereleasing Titanic in 3D on the anniversary of the ship’s sinking. That’s in poor taste for so many reasons. Cameron thinks the point of filmmaking is to get ahead by using the latest technology and to then make ridiculous amounts of money from narratively thin movies.
I refrained from seeing Avatar in the theater because I did not want to contribute money to such a philosophy. I know, my absence really had a huge effect on his bank account and ego, didn’t it? I came to the conclusion that I should at least see the film before complaining about it. I hate when people judge my favorite movies before watching them, so it was unfair of me to be so judgmental of a film I hadn’t seen.
Well, there’s no reason for me to hold back my opinions now, because I watched the film and did not have a single positive feeling about it. Here’s why.
It’s already been said by numerous audiences, and I’ll say it again. Avatar is a blatant rip-off of countless stories, true and fictional, which came before it. The most obvious rip-off is the story of Pocahontas and John Smith, and particularly the 1995 Disney film Pocahontas. A civilized man invades a foreign land and must be taught to rethink his notions about nature and those different from himself by a beautiful young woman, with whom he inevitably falls in love. Can he sing with all the voices of the mountains? Can he paint with all the colors of the wind? Avatar’s protagonist, Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), even has the same initials as John Smith. There are also not-so-subtle references to deforestation (Fern Gully), the Vietnam War (Apocalypse Now), fantasy sagas like The Lord of the Rings, and even stories like Alice in Wonderland and Willy Wonka, through its bizarre creatures and colorful landscapes.
Even when the film supposedly depicts original concepts, they’re so hollow. What I mean by this is that there is no substance, symbolism, or deeper meaning behind the characters, creatures, and traditions which inhabit the planet of Pandora. Cameron creates arbitrary plants and animals which look like a ten-year-old’s wacky drawing of the cool monsters he invented. I was expecting Napoleon Dynamite’s liger to show up. Everything seems so haphazardly chosen. “Let’s put six legs on these horses. Why? Because it’ll be cool to look at. Let’s have a jellyfish-like creature bring good omens. It doesn’t have any deeper meaning behind it, but it’ll look really awesome in 3D.” I’m not saying that every movie has to be deep and profound and layered with symbolism. The problem with Avatar is that it makes itself out to have such an important, thematic narrative to tell, when really all it has to offer are recycled storylines and weird-looking wildlife.
Speaking of hollowness, can we discuss how literal everything is? Either Cameron just has no imagination or he thinks his audience is idiotic. Unobtainium? Really? At least J.K. Rowling uses Latin words for her spell names. Hometree? All I could think of was Kenneth the Page’s sad story about his “father pig.” If you watch 30 Rock, you might have laughed at that joke. Fingers crossed. The Na’vi have to literally bond with their animals by attaching their braids to the animals’ tentacle-things in a very creepy ritual. Once again, I was reminded of 30 Rock, and Liz Lemon’s assertion about her date with Jon Hamm’s character: “I will put my mouth on his mouth.” I kept thinking, “He will put his braid in her braid.” Everything in Avatar is literal and obvious and without subtlety, which makes for a very dull, insulting experience for an intelligent movie-watcher who doesn’t like the meaning thrown in his or her face like a pie every five minutes.
I suppose this post wouldn’t be complete without a mention of the film’s visual style. I watched this film on an average-sized television. It was visually exhausting. Maybe I’m just not as accustomed to these types of computer-generated visuals as other people, but I cannot imagine how overpowering it must be to view this film in 3D on an IMAX screen. I’m frankly kind of sick of people raving about how amazing this film is to look at. Sorry, but a day-glo jellyfish-thing popping out of the screen at me does not take my breath away. Films which use lighting, color, camera angles, and shot composition in interesting ways take my breath away. Filmmakers like Stanley Kubrick, Bernardo Bertolucci and Terrence Malick have made visually stunning films without the use of motion capture or 3D spectacle. I couldn’t get through Malick’s The Tree of Life (2011) because I found it boring, but I acknowledged that its visuals were beautiful. Watching Avatar, I spent long computer-generated scenes yearning for a shot of a real-life object or person. I don’t want to watch a video game; I want to watch a film.
My final complaint about Avatar is that its characters lacked believability and were unworthy of sympathy or audience connection. This was also a problem in Titanic. Character development and identification get put on the back burner while computer graphics and cliché battle sequences are showcased. Fancy explosions only go so far. If you want viewers to stick with a nearly three-hour film, there has to be some character complexity. If I don’t care about the characters, I won’t want to keep watching the movie.
My favorite part of Avatar was its final shot. This is not just because it meant the movie was over and I didn’t have to sit through anymore, although that was nice. It’s also because it was the most visually arresting shot of the film. The close-up of Jake opening his eyes as a Na’vi had visual and emotional impact, something the rest of the film lacked.
It feels good to get all this off my chest. It’s not often that I write such negative reviews. I make fun of Syfy original movies and even enjoy them to a certain extent, but I allow myself to because no one thinks those movies are good, not even the people making them. James Cameron believes he’s making something powerful and original when he makes films like Avatar, and the public and Academy reward him with money and awards while passionate, talented filmmakers all over the world struggle to get their films seen by one or two people. It’s a shame.
Now that I’ve given my opinion on Avatar, I’d like to hear yours. What did you think of the film? Leave a comment below or tweet me @jillconway with your thoughts.
“Colors of the Wind” is my favorite Disney song. It was written by Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz, and it’s featured in the 1995 film 
Pop and Ceremony 