James Cameron’s Avatar - Hyper-Advanced or just Hype?
Author: Chris B.
So, some folks have finally gotten to see Avatar's footage and have started a plethora of comments about it, and as part of my first day at Phil's site, in my mind, there can be no better way to start than talking about what may - or may not - be the next evolution of Sci Fi (but not SyFy, because we all know that just doesn't work) like Cameron says it is.
In thinking about this, I wanted to ask questions of myself - What has defined the Sci Fi genre, really? From the old 50's classics till now, Sci Fi is an always-evolving thing. At its core, when it is at its best, as Harlan Ellison is always saying, Sci Fi is about reflecting human nature back at us, and making us think. Granted there are lots of 'Sci Fi' movies that don't do this, but the core of Sci Fi was always to exaggerate a flaw in human nature and make it a key point of the story.
What movies have done this best? What movies have got us thinking and revolutionized the industry? Star Wars, obviously, started the trend. In an era where Sci Fi was about to die out, where musical scores were being replaced by disco/electronic groups, he brought back the Sci Fi serial, put John Williams to work on it, and opened our eyes to what could be great about Science Fiction again, and no matter what you think of Lucas now, how 'offended' you are by the prequels, the man changed how the Sci Fi epic was perceived.
More after the photo:
The list continues of course. We continued the trend with Alien, Blade Runner, Wrath of Khan, Aliens, the Last Starfighter, but none of those were game-changers (Blade Runner may have been a small game-changer for the movie industry but it was based on an already well-known subject matter to Sci Fi fans). None of those changed how we see Sci Fi. So fast forward a few short years... to The Terminator. A low budget sci-fi thriller expected to peak and drop, nobody, not even Cameron, knew what they had on their hands when that film was made. Suddenly it became the summer blockbuster that overshadowed even bigger budget films. It was a complex story, a well-thought-out story (with a nod given to the ubiquitous Harlan Ellison for similarities to his vision of a machine future), a driving, terrifying pursuer that would not stop, ever, until you were dead. The elaborate yet still basic vision of a future controlled by machines, and the horrific image of a chrome skeleton rising from the fire to kill you were something that *stuck* in the collective subconscious for years.
Then Terminator 2 came, and changed the game again. Most people agree Terminator 2 was the seminal Sci Fi film of the early 90's, or at least had a significant impact on the people who saw it. It asked lots of questions about the nature of humanity, whether or not we could get over our petty jealousies and become something greater - it dealt with love and principles and how often the two come into conflict. It stuck as well, resulting in comic books, novels, and horrible sequel movies. But with Aliens, Terminator, and Terminator 2, James Cameron had set himself up with a very treasured place in Science Fiction history.
The last epic set of movies that changed Sci Fi were the Matrix trilogy, and they're charged with debate about whether or not they're any good. I happen to believe they are, but either way you look at it, they changed how we perceive Sci Fi, action, and thinking movies. You can't even see a complex wire action sequence without flashing back to Trinity taking down those police officers.
So now, according to Cameron, we have the next evolution in Sci Fi coming, Avatar. The automatic assumption is that he will create a brilliant picture and once again change the landscape of Sci Fi as he'd done before - however, times have changed, and so has Cameron. While millions of people may object to my saying this, Titanic was hardly a revolutionary film. Yes it still holds all the box office records, and it did have a good story, but all it did was tell a tried-and-true love cliche in a different way.
So James Cameron believes that 3D movies and computer graphics are going to change how the industry sees movie-making - maybe they will, maybe not, but this site doesn't exist to discuss the future of business, we exist to discuss our love for Sci Fi. We may love it for different reasons, but there are a very small, but very key number of ingredients necessary to make a truly great Sci Fi epic - Great characters, a solid plot, and a sense of reflection on the human condition. At no time can *any one of these* take precedence over the others, because as soon as it does, it becomes a weaker film. Terminator 2 balanced them all until perhaps the last scene above the molten pit. Star Wars balanced them all with a sense of fun and style. But as soon as the 'reflection' becomes more important than either characters or plot, you end up with a movie like District 9. As soon as Characters become more important than plot, you end up with a movie like Independence Day. As soon as the plot becomes more important than anything else, you end up with Star Wars Episode II. All of these movies are very enjoyable from a certain perspective, but they all lack a little something which could have led them to true greatness - District 9 had too few sympathetic characters, Independence Day had a literally unbelievable ending, and the prequels spent so much time setting everything up, most of the characters had no room to grow or breathe. In order for a true reflection on humanity, you must first reel (forgive the term!) the audience in with characters they can sympathize with and a plot that truly wraps them up.
So far, in Science Fiction films, Cameron has managed to deliver all three, all the time. And, I suppose, Titanic perhaps did the same thing, but it did it in such a cliched and predictable way that most Science Fiction fans found it a bit flawed. So the question is, can Avatar live up to what Cameron's saying it will be? The plot we've heard so far is that typically, the "American" way is to bully other people out of what it wants. He wants to see a species that fights back. So our space-faring selves will travel to the Na'vi world to try to harvest resources from it, and the primitives will show that they aren't just another primitive race, they're ready to fight back. Well, we've nailed the concept of reflecting on the human condition, but what about the characters? Reviews of Avatar Day so far have come in saying that Worthington's lines consist of mostly smack talking - then again that could be because his character needs to grow, who knows? But how is a smack-talking jerk going to rope us in to watching him grow?
I am staying cautious, not saying one way or another. The reason I'm taking a cautionary standpoint is this - Everyone believed Jim Cameron was the second coming until he paused, and on reflection, created Titanic, which was just a bit off from his other films. Hugely successful, yes, but not really what his previous fans wanted to see. Now he's doing what, to me, boils down to a re-telling of Star Trek: Insurrection, where we're about to bully a race and they're about to fight back, possibly with help from inside our race. The thing is, nobody liked Star Trek Insurrection because nobody in America likes thinking about what we did to the Native Americans. We were a dark species when we came to this continent, and we did dark deeds. Sci Fi is about elevating consciousness while also having fun and escaping for a few hours. Is this what Sci Fi fans will want to see, or will this be another Titanic where the non-Sci-Fi nuts will flock to it in droves, and we will once again wait for Cameron to bring us another Terminator 2?
I don't know yet, obviously. I will not damn the film before it comes out, there is no need to be negative, but there's a lot of potential for this to be a gravely depressing movie if it's not handled correctly. The humans here are obviously going to be the bad guys - but that worked in Aliens. There was a time that I would have had faith that Cameron would see us through a dark plot and show us hope, but he is clearly not the same man he was 20 years ago.
Let's find out if that's a good thing or not.
--Chris B
Tell me your thoughts in the comments below!
 |
 THE EXODUS DECODED ~New DVD~ James Cameron, Documentary  US $11.99
|
 James Cameron's ALIENS Special Ed. DVD VG COND. L@@K! US $4.56
|
 Aliens (2004 WS 2 Disc Collectors Ed DVD) James Cameron US $.99
|
 James Cameron's * TITANIC * 1997 Drama DVD US $14.95
|
 GHOSTS OF THE ABYSS - 2 DISC SET -JAMES CAMERON NEW DVD US $9.09
|
 KEYS TO TULSA JAMES SPADER CAMERON DIAZ DVD 1997 R1 N&S US $.90
|
 ALIENS OF THE DEEP DVD James Cameron Steven Quale US $16.99
|
 LAST MYSTERIES OF THE TITANIC DVD JAMES CAMERON UN-CUT! US $24.95
|
 Ghosts of the Abyss -DVD -James Cameron US $3.99
|
 Aliens of the Deep, Excellent DVD, James Cameron, US $2.33
|
 Aliens of the Deep DVD 2005 James Cameron Disney US $9.99
|
 James Cameron's Expedition - Bismarck, Acceptable DVD, US $72.47
|
 Dark Angel Season 1&2 DVD NEW JAMES CAMERON ALBA sci fi US $69.86
|
 The Abyss DVD plays fine James Cameron Ed Harris US $6.00
|
 GHOSTS OF THE ABYSS James Cameron, Titanic Story DVD US $8.98
|
 Dark Angel First Season DVD DISC James Cameron USED US $15.99
|
 SOLARIS George Clooney NEW DVD James Cameron US $7.99
|
 GHOSTS OF THE ABYSS - 2 DISC SET -JAMES CAMERON NEW DVD US $9.09
|
 The Abyss - DVD - Ed Harris, James Cameron - NEW US $10.99
|
| Powered by phpBay Pro |
Related Posts
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed or sign up for daily E-Mail updates!
Welcome to NFD, Chris (I hate you, btw j/k).
You’ve made some excellent points, that I agree with. Cameron’s raving about how 3D will revolutionize the industry reminds me a bit too much of Lucas’ froth over digital cameras. Both of the seem to have missed the point: filmmaking technology only revolutionizes things for the film-maker: whether or movie is filmed digitally or in 3D doesn’t make a movie inherently “better.” A great movie on Blu-ray isn’t a better movie because its in HD, it just doesnt’t look like ass on a 52″ screen. It’s just prettier.
I don’t know what happened to the old greats, Lucas, Spielberg, Cameron. However, I miss the days when they were storytellers who could capture the imagination. Maybe “Avatar” wont’ be another misstep for this classic filmmaker, but like you, recent news have left me thinking that maybe the old guard just need to retire.
So, welcome to NFD. *drops an orbital colony on thou* heheh. Anyway.
I am forced to agree with some of what you`ve said. All he’s harping on is ‘OMG NEW TECH WILL CHANGE FILM-MAKING’. No it wont. It very seldom has. Actually, off-hand I can only recall one huge change that fundamentally shifted how directors, writers and such did their work:
Sound.
Its been that long. Everything else has been incremental improvements, save perhaps for CGI, which still hasnt been ironed out or lived up to the hype(perhaps it never will). Black and white movies filmed decades ago are still watched and loved, movies from the 70’s and 80’s are still considered classics. Its not the graphics…ok, in some ways it is…nor the pretty designs. Its the writing, the characters, the style. Those make or break a real science fiction movie. Everything else is just ‘Popcorn Movie in Space’.
Not that there’s anything wrong with that, of course.
For the most part I agree with many of those points, not all but most.
As for Barachiel’s curiosity about the old greats losing their flair and ability: They became overly successful. It may sound like a cliche, but after a certain point of success was reached by each of them they seem to have fallen to the belief that they’ve Midas’s touch on their work.
This of course is personal opinion derived from various interviews I’ve seen and read with each of them… though none of them have exactly pulled Kevin Costner’s foot shooting interview statement many years ago of “I don’t make bad movies.”
I can hold out hope, and will do so though as normal I will walk in trying to expect the absolute worst of the movie so any disappointment will be a positive thing.
Thanks for the comments guys, it’s all been interesting feedback.
Don’t worry Barachiel, you’ll still have a chance. Soon I’ll be asking for a second writer!
*discreetly cancels hit*
Leave your response!
Who’s so far being consider for the NFD 2009 sexy celebrity title?
Recent Film Reviews
Subscribe to NFD
Categories
Yesterday's Movies
Original Articles
Scores & Soundtracks of the Week - Total Recall
Photos of the Week: Total Recall
LOL Friday: Funny photo of the week
Concept Artist of the week
SciFi & Fantasy Art of the Week (NSFW)
Fan Art of the week