Miller Time: Cameron continues blockbuster legacy; ‘Avatar’ sinks his ‘Titanic’

by Steve Miller | January 29, 2010 | Montana Kaimin

When I think of my fourth-grade year, three things come to mind: the Denver Broncos and Chicago Bulls (my teams) dominating; spelling “pre”-tests ruining my Wednesdays and being unable to escape James Cameron’s “Titanic.”

Even at the age of 10, I was fully aware that “Titanic” was more than some sappy, melodramatic love story set on history’s most famous doomed transatlantic vessel.

The Celine Dion song, the countless “king of the world” references, the “propeller guy” and, of course, the infamous nude drawing scene (which, during my first viewing, my mother completely shielded from my eyes) all became — and in some ways, still are — ingrained into the culture’s consciousness. In short, it was a phenomenon.

With 11 Oscars to its name and more than $600 million earned domestically at the box office, “Titanic” served as the picture-perfect embodiment of a blockbuster. Since its release in 1997, several film juggernauts have taken a stab at its all-time high domestic and worldwide box office intake, but even with ever-inflating ticket prices, Cameron’s record remained untouched.

But on Tuesday, according to 20th Century Fox, the movie’s $1.424 billion international box office benchmark was surpassed by none other than Cameron’s much-anticipated, critically acclaimed and — more recently — highly-controversial follow-up, “Avatar.”

(Note to the reader: If you haven’t seen “Avatar,” stop reading, buy a ticket for the soonest show time, go see it and then resume reading.)

Whatever your view regarding the movie’s plot — which, even to the most forgiving of fans, seems like a redux of “Dances With Wolves,” “Star Wars,” “Pocahontas,” “Lord of the Rings,” “The Matrix,” “FernGully: The Last Rain Forest,” so on and so forth — “Avatar” is an amazing achievement in moviemaking. Just as “The Wizard of Oz” did in 1939 and the original “Star Wars” did in 1977, “Avatar” sets the bar at a whole new level for visual storytelling on the silver screen — something all the more impressive in this age of CGI saturation (see Michael Bay’s “Transformers” and “Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen”).   

With a budget of nearly $500 million at his disposal, Cameron creates the rich, beautiful world of Pandora, filled with imaginative creatures and ethereal landscapes, which are almost sullied by the greedy, power-hungry humans like Parker Selfridge (Giovanni Ribisi) and Colonel Miles Quarritch (Stephen Lang). This particular plot point, whether it’s the seemingly heartless soldiers or the money-grubbing businessmen, has drawn much scrutiny, with several critics labeling the movie as leftist, anti-capitalistic propaganda. Not only that, some view the movie’s message as promoting naturistic polytheism, and even smoking (mainly because of Sigourney Weaver’s Dr. Grace Augustine).

But the fact that the film is at the brunt of so much criticism serves as a testament to its affectiveness and relevance. Like all great science fiction, its themes are rooted in prevalent societal issues, and though many detractors knock the plot as being too derivative, it holds a mirror up to contemporary culture, which is losing touch with the natural world in favor of turning a profit.

And, yes, the film wouldn’t be what it is without the 3-D, but instead of coming across as a technical gimmick, Cameron uses the innovation to exponentially enhance the experience, engulfing and immersing the viewer in Pandora.

Two weeks ago, “Avatar” took home the Golden Globe for Best Director and Best Picture-Drama. This doesn’t guarantee it will win Oscars in these categories (though it will more than likely get nominated for them), but it does show that the film isn’t just a flashy, hollow spectacle, but rather, a great and memorable movie.

As “Avatar” continues to rake in the money amid the weak crop of January and February releases, it will surpass “Titanic” to hold the U.S. box office record. Being only $39 million shy of that mark, that should happen by the end of the weekend.

While it’s certainly true that inflating ticket prices (not to mention the even steeper cost of seeing a 3-D movie) played a huge role in how much it has made, its numbers are consistently strong, seeing that it’s been the top grosser for six consecutive weeks.

Similar to “Titanic,” “Avatar” certainly has its haters. But also like its predecessor, Cameron’s latest is a wonder to behold and, because of its high-level innovation, will go down as one of the great films of our era.

(4 out of 4 Stars)

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