James Cameron’s new epic is breaking box-office records and is poised to be the top grossing film of all time. I saw it over the holidays in all of it’s 3-d grandeur and it’s easy to understand why. It’s got everything the average movie-goer looks for: action, violence, romance, fantastical monsters, conflict and a happy ending. Did I mention it was in 3-D?

Though my accompanying girlfriend and friend thoroughly enjoyed the film, I failed to see what the fuss is all about. I thought the characters were one-dimensional, the visual design unimaginative, the dialogue dry, and the whole production laden with embarrassing details (calling the sought-after mineral “unobtanium” and using the common and much ridiculed typeface “papyrus” in its subtitles, to name a few). Among my circle of friends, the main justification to see this thing was from a technological innovation standpoint, but some even praised it’s storyline, some going as far as declaring Avatar as some kind of cinematic beacon. Still, one crucial upsetting aspect about the film evaded me. I felt offended by the storyline somehow but couldn’t put my finger on it. It was only a couple of days ago that I discovered a great article on i09.com that articulated my distaste perfectly. I thought I was just a curmudgeon, but apparently, I’m not the only one.

some other interesting reads from:
popmatters
newsweek