Avatar Made Me A James Cameron Believer

When Titanic came out, I was determined to hate it. And I did. I was a precocious film critic, hoping not to fall for a film that left so many squealing pre-teen girls enraptured. I hated it so much I didn’t shed a tear. I hated it so much that for my birthday, I opted to see Spice World, much to the dismay of my swooning classmates. I hated it so much, I didn’t see the talent (or the sheer physical attractiveness) in Leonardo DiCaprio; current me finds that fact absolutely appalling.

I started to get into James Cameron as a director when I studied film in college, and then, I must admit, Entourage helped me onto a pro-Cameron course. But what got me back into the theater to see a pushing-three hours James Cameron film, aside from the word of mouth, was a profile of James Cameron and the making of Avatar in an October issue of The New Yorker. After reading that piece I knew I was going to love this film.

See it because you want to keep up in water cooler conversation. See it because you want to see ground breaking cinematography (and please see it in 3D). See it because you deeply care about the allegorical messages in the film. Just see it. It was beautiful, and moving, and flawless. And it didn’t feel like it was 2 hrs and 45 minutes, which to me, is the hallmark of a quality film. I was riveted and spellbound, and I shed tears enough to compensate for the desert-like qualities I brought with me to a Titanic screening room twelve years ago.

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In 2000 when Zoe Saldana appeared in Center Stage, admittedly one of my favorite guilty pleasure fun movies, but certainly not a cinematic masterpiece or hallmark of quality acting, I didn’t think anything of her acting abilities. I certainly didn’t expect to see her by decade’s end as one of my generation’s best actresses, and I definitely did not expect for her to be a leading lady in the “see it in IMAX 3D” action movies she’s made her own this year.

Michelle Rodriguez is someone who surprised me in this role. I think she’s a very capable actress, but am not a big fan of the genre of films she typically performs in. And I hated her character of Ana Lucia on LOST. But I thought she was perfect in Avatar, and can’t imagine any other actress in that role.

Giovanni Ribisi, on the other hand, seemed sort of miscast in his role. I can’t imagine him as a man in charge, and for some reason I always see him in sort of an idiot role, and it’s weird seeing him as an “adult.”

December 28, 2009. Uncategorized.