Avatar - All Style And No Substance

Avatar

By: Noah Newcomb

        Before Avengers: Endgame, Avatar was the highest-grossing film of all time. To be honest, I'm not sure why. I'm not going to lie, this is one of the most beautiful films of all time. It's right up there with 2001 and Inception as one of the most beautiful films of all time in my book. Unlike those films, however, there is nothing about the story that is special or any special symbolism that is well made or draws you in like 2001. With 2001 there is some incredible symbolism and things that draw you in. With Avatar, the story is rather bland and uninteresting. I'm not even going to bother going behind the spoiler wall. You can see where this story is going instantly. There's nothing special about it. The best way to watch this movie is to take it as an experience. You are going to have to look past the story because it's just not good. As an experience, this movie works on that level. This is well-acted, Zoe Saldana being the standout. Then there are the rules of this futuristic world, and Cameron does a good job at world-building. We understand how this world works and why the government is here. The characters are not that well made, however. Each is rather one-dimensional and we don't really care about them. It makes the third act weak because we don't care about the character in question. The main antagonist is one-dimensional like all the other characters. I do like the way the Na'vi work and how vital their tales are (except for the way they make love, which is kind of weird).

Final Thoughts

        Why did this movie make so much money?! If you ask me, there are better-looking movies out there with stronger stories and characters. Inception is the strongest case I can make against this movie. It has better visual, better characters, and a better plot. It is one of the most confounding things why this is one of the most highest-grossing movies. However, I don't hear this movie being talked about amongst people or even being highly regarded. I think I'm not alone in saying this isn't a fantastic film. James Cameron has four sequels lined up and that is disappointing to me. Cameron is a film genius and this isn't him at his best. The fact that he plans on cranking out a bunch of sequels is disappointing because we know that Cameron is better than this. I am going to recommend this movie, however. It's a very small recommendation. I don't want the sequel to do very well so I won't have to see these but whatever.

Avatar Official Trailer