film, the measure of all things

Avatar is Dances With Wolves is Pocahontas is Ferngully

CFV 426 - Avatar/Pocahontas Mashup FINAL VERSION from Randy Szuch on Vimeo.

CGI has made great progress in the last few years, particularly in conveying facial expressions, but sometimes these big [expensive]  blue people just plain look funny, like when they run or fall. I have a hard time taking them seriously particularly with a script and narrative so tired. No amount of computer cycles can cover up the fact that the story is Pocahontas (Or Dances with Wolves, if you want to be more unkind) with some ersatz green politics sprinkled on top. Further, the simplistic dialogue is delivered woodenly and with little awareness of how trite it all sounds. Not even Sigourney Weaver uncomfortably smoking cigarettes can save it. As far as production design, when you borrow from Matrix Revolutions it’s fair to say that you’ve lost your inspiration. The cops from Fantasia and classic sci-fi covers I can live with but Avatar is an even bigger snowjob than the Dark Knight and as with Titanic, which Best-Picture nod has even former fans scratching their heads today, people will eventually come to their senses.

I’m betting director James Cameron never will.

Cameron recently stated that he doesn’t do animation, he talks to actors, he’s a director, and that animation is what Pixar does. (He’s pissed off because none of his actors were nominated for Oscars. Please.) If that’s so, then why are Pixar movies so much more carefully, distinctively and sensitively directed than Avatar? If Pixar can make audiences sit up and take notice of Harrison Ford, I’d say it’s doing something right.