Director Jim Cameron’s Avatar is fun, but it’s not great. (The only thing eventful about it was how neat it looked.)
I miss the ultra-violent Cameron of futuristic hardware and needle-like tension. Today, the hardware behind the scenes bloats the budget, and the tension is whether it pays off. Cameron ups the ante on popcorn flicks, but the corny, self-important Avatar shows that he’s gone soft. His B movies now come with an A-sized loftiness.
And though it is imaginative and richly detailed, the script is leaden. Midway through, I knew I would see this film but once. The exposition is clumsy, the dialogue flat. Whole characters are cliches, from the colonel who spouts nothing but military slang to the wise earth mother who looks grave and says little. As eye candy, the movie soars. As narrative, it underwhelms. No space western should be this message-y.
Cameron’s gift is almost totally visual. And that’s fine. For a time, Avatar was the best light-show in town.