JacobSilverman’s review published on Letterboxd:
58%
I know that it has become more popular to hate on this film these days. Many people who previously adored this film now feel differently. Nevertheless, I finally have seen a very divisive movie. And there is definitely a reason for it being the most successful film of all time prior to Endgame’s arrival.
I feel as if this is a love it or hate it type of film. I lot of people love it because of its groundbreaking special effects and sound. A lot of people dislike it as well. There’s a lot of reasons to dislike Avatar, but I just wasn’t able to fall into either group, at least not completely. There were definitely parts I liked about it as it was enjoyable, with special effects that still hold up 11 years later. It’s a very creative film overall. What I didn’t like is that it felt like all the characters are cliches. What I mean by that is I felt I had seen the same characters in different movies before, and done better. Part of that is due to a rather lackluster script. The dialogue was really cheesy and really didn’t bring anything new to the table for these somewhat bland characters. Cameron’s direction is actually pretty decent here and is one of the few things that doesn’t fall into the really great parts of the film and the really bland parts of Avatar.
Overall, Avatar is an enjoyable, visual experience but doesn’t do anything new with characters that feel all too familiar. It’s saved somewhat by extraordinary special effects, but regardless just felt like a barely above average film.
Next Review: The Nutty Professor
