Someone should tell James Cameron to sit down. Better yet, they should tell him to stand up before he gets too comfortable on his arrogant throne of the “King of the World”. Though, you can hardly blame the guy for having an ego the size of Avatar’s budget. To many people, Cameron is a hero. In fact, according to Roger Ebert in a film review of Cameron’s recent epic Avatar, “James Cameron just got re-elected.” To Ebert and millions of others, Avatar has succeeded. However, one can laugh at Avatar’s self importance and the idea of James Cameron as the filmmaker of our time. Cameron is a visionary at best. However, he is one that envisions hollow movies, films that take audiences for granted.

It would be foolish to say that deserving films did not get recognized this year (The Hurt Locker, Inglorious Basterds and Up in the Air have all earned various accolades this awards seasons). However, there was one film this year that dazed audiences and emptied their wallets. Indeed, it was Avatar that lived up its hype and became the highest grossing movie of all time. It is a film that is beloved by many and was called “sensational entertainment” and “technical breakthrough” by one of the most highly regarded film critics of all time, Roger Ebert. Yet, through all the praise and acclaim and slobbering that has been directed towards this film, people forget that Avatar is nothing new. In fact, it is something old and stale; it is a movie we’ve seen thousands of times before. Sure, it’s a remarkable feat of technology, one that surpasses its predecessors in the ways of visual effects. However, it is a technical achievement and nothing more. The characters were tired, the plot was a letdown and the themes were no different from a TV special on the environment. Few people walked out of Avatar talking about the relevant political themes. Most likely, they walked out saying that ‘those effects were pretty cool.’ That is what is wrong.

Everywhere you look these days, there is another 3-D movie popping up in theaters. Seeing how Avatar took charge of the box office, this isn’t any wonder. In fact, it isn’t necessarily a bad thing either. Audiences fell in love with Pixar’s latest, delightfully refreshing film Up, a movie that moved audiences with its clever storyline and memorable characters. Up was its own minor phenomenon; people discussed it because it was simple yet instantly emotional. For the most part, Avatar is a conversation topic simply because it’s a social happening. Ebert even says, “It is an event, one of those films you must see to keep up with the conversation.” The speculation and buzz over Avatar was, of course, on its pioneering 3-D technology. The fact that Up came out in 3-D is hardly notable. That’s the difference between Avatar and Up; in fact, it’s the difference between Avatar and virtually all good movies. Avatar puts 3-D before narrative, writing, or character. It substitutes heart for glamour and, in the process, sacrifices its ability to be timeless.

The problem isn’t even with Ebert’s review of Avatar. The problem is with the idea of Avatar as a success. Avatar is widely regarded as the future of movies and Hollywood will inevitably invest in more films just as empty and misleading. The reason being is that studios will cease to be meticulous with storytelling and innovative in execution. They will have 3-D to fall back on. Call me old fashioned, but movies don’t have to change. Filmmakers today were already exploring the depths of originally with intent and imagination. It is a shame that they have to bow to a trend that will eventually become a standard.

In the end, it all comes down to why we love movies. For me, at least, it is the parts and elements that I forgot I loved, yet know at once when I see them again. I love the fact that, at the end of the day, you can be entertained or instigated by simple story or character, theme or idea. This is storytelling, and it is James Cameron’s defining flaw. If Avatar is the future of movies, it will be the defining flaw of cinema as well. Soon, we could finally see money trump imagination. We could be seeing films privilege spectacle to narrative and character. Then, I suppose, we will tip our hats to King Cameron and thank him for all he has accomplished.