Avatar (2009)

In this article, we will be looking at 2019’s book “1001 Movies to See Before You Die” and going through each film in a random order that I have chosen. We will be looking at what constitutes this film to be on the list and whether I think this film deserves to be here at all. I want to make perfectly clear that I won’t be revealing details from this book such as analyses by film reporters who have written about the film in question, so if you want the book itself you’ll have to buy it. But I will be covering the book’s suggestions on which films should be your top priority. I wouldn’t doubt for a second that everyone reading this article has probably watched many of these movies anyway. But we are just here to have a bit of fun. We’re going to not just look at whether it should be on this list but we’re also going to look at why the film has such a legacy at all. Remember, this is the 2019 version of the book and so, films like “Joker” will not be featured in this book and any film that came out in 2020 (and if we get there, in 2021). So strap in and if you have your own suggestions then don’t hesitate to email me using the address in my bio. Let’s get on with it then.

Avatar (2009) dir. by James Cameron

With an all-star cast of Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana and some of my personal favourites, Michelle Rodriguez and Sigourney Weaver, there was really no way for this film to fail. The lengthy run-time was definitely one of the things that drew me to the cinemas for a special day out because it would take up parts of my winter day and let me stay inside. I was about thirteen years’ old and on my way to my fourteenth birthday. But after I watched it, I never watched it again. Why? Well, in the cinema, it is a real experience to see it on a large screen in all its glory. But on a television screen, it does not really have the same effect. At almost twenty-five years’ old, I cannot imagine sitting there for almost three hours watching a film about things that do not exist and so much CGI that it would probably give me a headache worse than my hangovers. However good of a movie it is, I quickly outgrew it.

Rotten Tomatoes has it at about an eighty percent rating with generally favourable reviews. The critics’ consensus states:

"It might be more impressive on a technical level than as a piece of storytelling, but Avatar reaffirms James Cameron's singular gift for imaginative, absorbing filmmaking.”

Roger Ebert had this to say about the movie:

"Watching Avatar, I felt sort of the same as when I saw Star Wars in 1977," he said, adding that like Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, the film "employs a new generation of special effects and it is not simply a sensational entertainment, although it is that. It's a technical breakthrough. It has a flat-out Green and anti-war message…”

Reel Reviews chimed in on the effect of three dimensional vs. two dimensional viewing experiences:

"In 3-D, it's immersive – but the traditional film elements – story, character, editing, theme, emotional resonance, etc. – are presented with sufficient expertise to make even the 2-D version an engrossing 2​1⁄2-hour experience.”

Steven Spielberg stated that is was a brilliant movie and stated that it was very close to the experience of watching Star Wars.

Director and son of David Bowie, Duncan Jones, was not too impressed with the movie for a similar reason I have been thinking about. He stated that there is no real immersion in the film because you never wonder what is going to happen next. Even though there is a lot of special effects, you are never really kept on the edge of your seat because the storyline is so very predictable.

Apart from that and winning numerous awards, the film was accused of plagiarism but that is for another day. Everything is copied from everything else. James Cameron did not do anything wrong.