Film Review: Avatar

“Movies will never be the same” is the trailer tagline for this effects-soaked drama from the future. But in reality, a bit more modesty would have been appreciated—and appropriate.

James Cameron’s latest is undoubtably entertaining (even more so in 3D). Its foreign lands are brilliant and luminous. Each rich, untouched natural space is breathtaking in its detail, and simply getting to witness the characters effortlessly bound through them is arguably be worth the price of admission.

But the beauty mostly ends there. The plot—that of an intergalactic colonizing power deciding between nurturing and destroying (for great potential profit) a race of forest people—is disappointingly formulaic. For all the unexpectedness that flourishes in the backdrops of Cameron’s world (known as “Pandora”), the bland interactions of the humans and aliens against them seem hopelessly mismatched. While certainly exciting at times, there is no overarching sense of suspense; after nearly three hours, it ends precisely as you would expect Hollywood to end it.

And despite the objection that a strong plot isn’t that essential in a film that leverages an unmatched amount of special effects, the story does matter. A lot. Ever since the emergence of fully-animated features pioneered by the likes of Pixar which depend on, and are complimented by, strong storylines, it is no longer necessary to have to choke down a tepid plot as an excuse for visual-only entertainment. Said otherwise, Avatar is no Titanic. Or The Abyss. Or Ratatouille—one of so many effects-driven films with an equally compelling and original storyline—for that matter. James Cameron can do better. And we should demand as much from him with his next creative endeavor.