Effect-ively Bad

Rating: 5/10 (23 December 2009)

Ladies and gentlemen, may I start this submission by stating that visually, James Cameron has made the best film of the generation. However, a film cannot hold it's water on effects alone. Conceptually, this film could be nominated in every category for any award - yet the final product was sickly sour. The story's premise had potential and started off in a brilliant, influential fashion. However, half an hour into the film; me and my fellow film enthusiasts found ourselves in dismay. We had painted our faces blue for the occasion and were hoping for something special. Yet three hours of something in which the storyline goes out of the hypothetical window for two hours of it is hard to endure. Yet we did, well, most of us. Two people walked out. One within 15 minutes and the other within 2 hours. Visually, I will repeat, it is stunning and words cannot describe how beautiful Cameron has made this world/film/entity. Yet, the film focuses too much on the effects, the dialogue (what there is of it anyway) is cheesy and B-movie esquire. With one of the lines echoing Wizard of Oz supposedly for comedic effect just doesn't work. Jim, you cannot go out and create a new Star Trek! Creating a new world with a new language and new creatures has been done. It was successful and now you want a slice of the action?! NO. Stick to originality. Another gripe me and my buddies had was the blatant sound effects rip-offs. Especially the iconic and unmistakable sounds of Jurassic Park. In particular - and most noticeably - the T-Rex and Raptor sounds used on the creatures of Pandora. If only Mr Cameron stood back from his project let the effects slide a little bit and work harder on a solid script with a decent dialogue with memorable quotes. If this film does become a new Star Trek with people declaring themselves Na'vi Enthusiasts - or Tarries (possibly the new colloquial term for these Avatar fans, like Trekkies). If you liked this film - good for you and I'm happy for you. Yet you may have had wool pulled over your eyes - known as hype. Please re-watch the film to see if it truly deserves the awards it is achieving. This is not a stab at Cameron or indeed a jealousy post, merely I am submitting my views. Thank you.