I think I actually hate the idea of what Avatar represents more than the actual movie itself. A colorful melange of acid-trippy environmentalism and anti-imperialism wrapped inside a gorgeous make-believe world that is unfortunately encumbered with one of the most stereotypical of screenplays (Cameron's weak spot indeed) in many a year. The movie itself ends up being nothing more than mere middle-of-the-road multi-plex fodder full of pretty computer-created 3D pictures. The idea that it will change cinema - which it very well may - is what pisses this critic off. This change in the weather as it were, may be a change in the complete wrong direction. Taking the art out of cinema (and yes, much of it is already, and always has been, artless) Cameron's apparent paradigm shift could be what Susan Sontag warned us of years ago - the death of cinema. Okay, I am probably being over-dramatic, but I've been accused of that before. Whatever the case may be, Avatar is, at best, an okay picture - at best. Why all the hullabaloo, I don't know - but then the masses always need something to hang their hopes on.
4 comments:
As much as I disliked "Avatar" I don't believe that this movie will change the cinema as we know it. Probably will consolidate a class of citizens willing to wear 3D glasses all the time. In time "Avatar" will be seen as a novelty, a technical achievement and nothing more. (Of course, this is wishful thinking :-))
I think it will change a certain type of filmmaking. The big budget sci-fi fantasy superhero type of genre will be mostly affected. Then again, Martin Scorsese recently said he was excited by what Avatar was going to bring to cinema - calling it almost as important as when sound came along. Who knows.
For me cinema is not equal big budget sci-fi Hollywood movies, so if this genre is going to change I don't feel threatened as a film lover.
It seems to me that Scorsese (with all due respect) is exaggerating in this case. But, as you said, who knows?
Scorsese is known for pontificating a bit (though I do adore the man). I seriously doubt that Avatar is going to change the way people like Lynch or PT Anderson or Todd Haynes or Wong Kar-wai or Kiarostami or et cetera do business.
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