But I remember being dragged, kicking and screaming, by a friend for a screening of Terminator 2: Judgment Day and being humbled by James Cameron's vision and the thrilling suspenseful chase sequences between the Terminator and T-1000, with his liquid metal form. To say that I was impressed by Cameron as a grand filmmaker is an understatement.
I felt the need to bow before Cameron again after I saw his mega-successful and multiple Oscar winner Titanic, where a sappy romantic story, with two attractive young actors was outweighed by the grand technological cinematic wonder of a sinking ocean liner, the drowning passengers, and frozen survivors clinging on to pieces of ice in the Atlantic Ocean. Was Titanic a great film? We can continue to debate that issue. But was Titanic a great piece of entertainment? Yes, there is no doubt about that!
And so I went with these thoughts in my mind for a press screening of Cameron's latest Avatar -- reportedly the most expensive movie ever made. The New York Times put the price tag at $230 million -- enough money to fund more than100 small indie films. The New York Post said that Cameron's 3D spectacle cost anywhere between $400 to $500 million. Those are very large numbers, and even if Avatar is a hit, it will take the film a long while to start to show profitability. Hollywood may or may not have a good Christmas.
This much I can say: Avatar is a tremendously entertaining film. It is a huge WOW and an amazing display of high technology, although once again overriding the drama and the script. It is a sensory, emotional feeling -- the experience of being inside and participating in a two and a half hour long video game, with tall blue aliens called the Na'vi, creepy lizard like flying creatures that can be tamed, other scary monsters, lush plant life, big huge 'shock and awe' like war sequences between the natives using bows and arrow and evil Earthlings, motivated by profit, and then also some nice tender romantic moments.
Normally, I am used to rooting for small, heart-wrenching emotional films like Precious, Based on the Novel 'Push' by Saphire and the Coen brothers' latest crazy Jewish comedy A Serious Man. But Avatar has once again compelled me to revise my perspective
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