10. Avatar (2009)
We've all heard the Smurf jokes. We've all had our say about the 3D. We all have an opinion on the forthcoming sequels. We've even had people
threaten to commit suicide because they couldn't stay in the world of Pandora. But after all the dust has settled, there is one thing on which we can agree: there is no way that
Avatar needed to be that long. There's nothing inherently wrong with taking a generic story and trying to tell it in a new way with the latest technology - that's exactly what
Star Wars did. But Cameron's epic doesn't tell this well-worn story in a different way: in the place of innovation we get obvious references, both to his own back catalogue and a host of other films that
Avatar either borrows from or completely rips off. Cameron's films have always been on the baggy side, but
Avatar never justifies telling in 162 minutes a story that has been told before in half the time. There's no denying that
Avatar is a spectacular film: when seen on the big screen, it feels exciting and is visually remarkable. But that does not excuse its narrative indulgence and frankly third-rate storytelling. Unlike
Dances with Wolves (one of its main influences), it doesn't reward the patience we have for the characters, and it doesn't have the gumption to hurry the plot along when it really matters. The sequels may be better, but the original is far too shallow to justify such a running time.