...Right. Ok, so I'll be honest. The first time I saw this I thought it was a technological masterpiece and was blown away by what I was watching. I rated it 4 stars.

Now, watching it at home on the small screen, I had to struggle to finish it. I was bored out of my skull. Sure, it is still a feast of well made CGI and innovative technology and I applaud Cameron for it. But he should have thought about the plot a bit harder. Just a tad.

Still, the plot is what it is and doesn't do justice to the visual achievements, but that's not what irked me about it now. This film's ego is too big. It…

100

Theatrical Cut

Interconnected humanism. Arguably Cameron's strongest in regards to his immaculate blend of tech fetishes, romantic sweep, high-concept ideas, and classical structure/discipline. A big brain and brawn and heart collage, and just plain ravishing adventure. Cameron is a pro at basic, fundamental mechanics; fluid, gripping, efficient exposition, gradual succession of set-piece intensity, sturdy characterization, and mixes of genre. "It's just Pocahontas!", they say. Excuse me, but does your precious Pocahontas (ignoring the common knowledge and reliance on the mythic idea of the 'hero's journey' for centuries) have giant-bowie-knife-wielding-mech-suits battling alien creatures? Or massive native arrows plunging through mean little men as they desperately try to uphold their capitalistic escapade? Or dragons, connected and controlled through nature's constant flourishing…

James Cameron's Avatar, above all else, is a transporting and utterly breathtaking experience. Let's face it, whether you were for or against this movie from the beginning, you cannot deny the miraculous and wondrous scope of the entire project. In terms of the hype and build-up for the film's initial release, there has never been a film that was as-talked about and water-cooler friendly than Avatar. Hell, I remember going to see the film opening night on the biggest screen possible in 3D, and at least three people that I knew were there. It was an event, one that brought the collective moviegoing audience together for a ride that hasn't been bested in modern cinema.

Now, I'm just going to…

Bad dialogue? Check. 
Heavy handed themes? Check. 
Overused story archetypes? Check. 
White savior complex? Check. 

But I haven’t watched this in years and I found it surprisingly as engaging and exciting as I did years ago! I know it’s derivative as all hell, but James Cameron is a master action filmmaker and it shows despite a lackluster screenplay. Hopefully he’s getting screenwriting help with the potential countless Avatar sequels in development cause it’s not the movie’s strongpoint. But holy hell, the action is strong. The clarity of the action set pieces is something most blockbusters could use these days. 

All in all, I found this to be fun and well realized escapism. The world Cameron has built is exciting, albeit…

Last night I watched Avatar for the first time since seeing it in IMAX around Feburary 2010.

And the verdict I gave at the time was it’s the best looking best made bad movie I’ve ever seen. 

And.... I probably like it now more than ever. It's a 4/5 movie at best cuz it has so many problems, but at its best.... it's pretty damn good, I gotta say.

Maybe it's seeing it on blu-ray on my 4K screen with some nice Bose headphones and having a pause button that made it better this time.

The things that hold it back are almost allll in that screenplay. James Cameron needed a goddamned co-writer on this movie, someone to spice it…